Discovery1, Backwaters

Discovery 1 is the new houseboat launched by Joerg Drechsel, owner of The Malabar House Residency and Malabar Escapes properties, Kerala’s premier boutique hotels. Combining the feel of a traditional Keralan rice barge with modern boat building techniques and technology, Discovery is designed to give a completely new experience on the Backwaters. By building a narrower boat with electric motors at both the front and back, Discovery can manoeuvre almost silently into waterways that have until now remained inaccessible and virtually undiscovered. Designed to be pollutant free, it is one of the first backwater vessels to ensure that the impact of tourism is only everlasting on the visitors themselves. The finish exudes style and luxury and the spacious layout allows for a private, double berthed, air-conditioned cabin, dressing room, shower room and a seating area below deck. The L-shaped sitting room sofas can be converted into beds enabling the boat to sleep a maximum of 4. Upstairs there is a partially covered sundeck for relaxation, basking and watching the comings and goings of Kerala’s people and wildlife alike. Cruises are for a minimum of three nights, allowing time to take the boat deep into secluded areas of the labyrinthine network of Keralan waterways.