Young Alzira Group of Houseboats

this houseboat is park in dal lake near nehru park (which is in dal lake) 15 min. shikara ride from shikara ghat no. 18. little away from market. it is super delux houseboat. it has 4 rooms very well build and young as compare to many other houseboats.mr. NOOR is our caretaker and very helpfull and jolly nature and ready to help at any time.this is my first experiance on houseboat in srinagar . we are couple with 2 childrens and my experiance says one night in houseboat is more than enough. small shikara comes to sell on houseboat different thinks like shawls, fruits,kashmiri food,flowers ,biscuilts, chips,alcohol etc. but prices are on up side because they have to get thinks from main market and sell on houseboat.bargain is best option because you cannt go 15min. shikara ride to buy things in market last but not the least there is food problem . for morning breakfast you have to order in night because no proper kichen is maintain.some times dinner you eat is prepare in morning. when we ask for our dinner option and answer we get its better to go main market which is not suitable with small childrens. there are plenty of houseboats park near main market area just 2 min. shikara ride . next time i will surely avoid far houseboats and stay near market area houseboats which is ghat no 1 to 12.

Three months ago I stayed on the young Alzira Houseboat overseen by Khaliq, Salim and Noora. We had a wonderful week..with glorious sitting on the balcony early in the morning to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas. For each meal we suggested to Khaliq what we wanted to eat and he provided it, all great kashmiri food.Mr,Bashir owner of the young Alzira Houseboat is very Helpful person, He was always there for us, Also our package arranged through him to Himilayas and Leh was excellent with one of the most reliable driver Mr,Shabir. I would proudly recommend everyone to stay at Young Alzira Houseboat to have a family like experience.

This was part of an emotional return to Kashmir for my family after generations away. We stayed in the winter which was a mistake but nevertheless we had expected houseboats to have moved on from the ancient "Bukhari" heating system by now! The location was a bit far out and it all felt like a tourist trap when thet started quoting prices for small everyday housekeeping items which they would have to row to the boulevard area to buy for us. We only lasted a couple of days and left early because of the cold. I'm sure it would be more pleasant in the summer, but I left thinking the legendary houseboats of Kashmir that I grew up hearing stories about are bit over-rated... the hosts were a lovely local family though and treated us as brothers with home made food each night.

I stayed on Young Alzira Houseboat for a week as it was part of an itinerary formulated by a travel agent in Delhi. I decided to go only after being assured it was now perfectly safe for western tourists. On the way from the airport to Dal Lake and the houseboat a massive presence of heavily armed soldiers was visible. Upon arriving on the houseboat I was told it was not safe to go anywhere unless accompanied due to recent incidents. The only way to see anything was to go on day trips or treks of varying durations as proposed by the owner of the houseboat, all at extremely high costs. The houseboat itself is probably one of the best, if not the best, on Dal Lake. There are four rooms on board of which one (the one I was fortunate to occupy) with a four-poster double bed. The others rooms all seemed to be able to accommodate up to three people. The room I stayed in was indeed worthy of a top class hotel. The food served on board was good but the breakfast was a little too limited. Turns are to be taken by the single parties at breakfast and meal times due to limited space at the dining room table. I would in normal circumstances recommend this houseboat (although a little too pricey) but the uncertain situation and the lack of freedom to wander around unaccompanied set a strong limit to this choice for the time being.

Our trip started in Delhi, such a crowded city. Shafi helped us to escape to 'heaven' of India, Kashmir. Invicta travels can be found on main bazar in Pahar ganj. He managed everything, a good flight, a very nice stay in Young Alzira, a water experience, and last but not least a good walk in the mountains. We could unfortunately stay only 3 days in the mountains (so if you have time, go for a longer time), but it was wonderful. The houseboat is a nice place, the rooms are clean, beautiful, hot water is available, the food is tasty, you can fish if you want, the people are nice... I can only conclude that if you have time, this is a very good place to go. Shafi is trustworthy, and you will never regret your stay there!