Discovery Houseboat, Kerala, India

First post from Kerala!  For our last night in India we decided to splurge on a private houseboat.  While staying at the lovely Malabar House in Fort Cochin when we first arrived, we discovered that the hotel owners, Malabar Escapes, also had a houseboat that traveled the famous Kerala backwaters.

The houseboat, called Discovery, was more than I could have ever imagined.  It possessed the same exceptional service, fantastic food and commitment to local artists that we found at the Malabar House, but this time, it was all ours!   We had our own chef and service for three meals in our small living room.  The quiet sounds of intermittent rain and local birds made it a perfect place to nap and read and feel that after all the air/car/ferry traveling, rickshaw saree hunting and wedding celebrating that we were finally, really, on vacation.

The one-bedroom boat docked from another Malabar Escapes' property, Privacy, and as there were no other guests there, we had full access to the the pool in the early evening.  We spent the afternoon and next morning passing traditional boats, patches of water lilies, and small villages, and joking that Nora and I were on a romantic honeymoon together.   

In all seriousness though, I would highly recommend a visit to Discovery as a honeymoon destination.  I can only imagine what kind of peace this place could bring after months of maddening wedding planning.