Greenview Houseboat stay experience, Dal Lake, Srinagar

When I was scouting for place to stay in Srinagar, I selected a budget hotel on booking.com which was listed as pay at property. But property owner messaged me on whatsapp asking for advance payment- which he should have configured in Booking.com. Thus I cancelled that hotel and booked a different one- Green View Houseboat, Dal Lake.

Greenview houseboat stay cost me about 1700 INR for 2 nights for a budget room. They do have a premium room for twice the price- more luxurious, has better bathroom etc.

What to expect?

Access:

Green View Houseboat is located inside the Dal Lake, not on the main road but a bit interior. I tried to follow google map n reach but couldn't locate exact turn point. Had to take help from few locals to speak to houseboat owner (as my prepaid internet was Not working in J&K). Eventually with some trouble I located the houseboat and they came in a boat to pick me up.

 There is limited parking space around.

Rooms:

Mine was a budget room- a standard room, electricity, WiFi and a bathroom. There is a common outdoor area to sit and relax. The floor makes sound if you put heavy steps. The door was not fully lockable, but then the houseboat is in an island, people can't walk in just like that.

Above: Luxury option

Food: As a vegetarian, only breakfast option for me was Bread Toast. For dinner I asked for rice, curd and sabji. Dinner price is 200 INR, breakfast is included in room rent. There are few veg restaurants by the main road, where you can have decent meal for 100-200 INR.

WiFi: WiFi was good, I could do my work. There were instances where power goes off and inverter was turned on. Only few lights work in inverter mode, so you've to wait till power comes back. Keep your laptop and phone charged.

Staff: Staff were nice n friendly.

I took Shikara ride from the hosts only. They charged as per Govt rates (770 INR per hour). Took about 2 hours for a decent ride in Dal Lake.

Summary

Pros of Green View houseboat stay in Srinagar

• Was reasonably priced, but prices go up during season
• Affordable houseboat experience compared to conventional hotels
• Friendly staff

Limitations:

Need to take help from houseboat staff to drop me in mainland in their boat each time. You might want to go for an early morning walk or go out and have a tea or any such small thing you're dependent on them to drop you off and pick you up. So we've to plan our in & out movement to avoid too much dependency on boat rides to the shore.

The floors of houseboat shakes. If you're a couple the privacy will be lot less as the rooms are not sound proof

Houseboat stay is a good experience. Many houseboats are stationed by the shore- you can walk in and out.