Aristotle Houseboat

We are from Malaysia. We booked this houseboat through Mr Raj from Global Indian Adventure. The houseboat is very clean, comfortable and within our budget. The staffs were very helpful, polite and really taking care of our comfort. They are really wonderful and make us feel like home. The food served is absolutely delicious and was served on time according to our request. The houseboat provides free of charge heating blanket. The houseboat also provides optional traditional heater upon customer request with an extra charge at affordable price. Not all houseboat in Dal Lake provide optional traditional heater. Overall we are satisfied and fully recommend this houseboat.

We wanted to experience staying in a houseboat during our trip to Srinagar. However, this was quite a disappointing experience. The rooms and the lobby was quite dingy and dull, and we wanted to get out of the room as soon as we entered. While you should not expect a very luxurious experience, we did not expect rooms which aren't cozy and dull. There was zero hospitality with nobody even asking if we are comfortable.

We stayed here for 1 night. The houseboat has good interiors and decorative artefacts but cleanliness is average. Electricity was sometimes not available in day time. Gulam chacha, the owner of the houseboat, is very friendly and makes sure you enjoy your stay. Even the staff was very helpful. I did not like the location of the houseboat that much. There were other houseboats right opposite facing you, about 100 meters on the lake and nothing to look beyond. When I took a shikara ride on the Dal Lake I figured out that there were houseboats with better view of the lake on the sports section of Dal lake. The shikara from Ghat 14, 15 can take you there. Those houseboats have a bigger and cleaner view of the lake.