The waterways of Kerala and Kashmir have houseboats so, thought Hiran Cooray of the innovative Jetwing group of hotels, why not have houseboats in Sri Lanka too, where there are hundreds of rivers, including 16 that are more than 100km long.
The Bentota River, however, which is where Sri Lanka’s first houseboat is moored at Dedduwa, 4km inland from Bentota’s beach, is not one of them. In fact, the houseboat barely cruises anywhere and, anyway, always moors at its Dedduwa base at night.
Called Yathra Houseboat by Jetwing, at first sight, it looks, at 23m long and 7m wide, like a squat intrusion on the river. But its fibreglass body (built-in Sri Lanka) is clad in teak timber, its railings are varnished bamboo, its wooden roof is thatched with palm fronds, its decks are of worn teak and its wall panels processed screwpine.
Yathra Houseboat by Jetwing: Houseboat fantasy
Yathra Houseboat by Jetwing interior belies the exterior; it is exquisite, a landlubber’s fantasy of what a modern houseboat should be. Yathra has two identical compact but not cramped cabins with AC, a narrow balcony and a bathroom with both a rain shower and mini bathtub. Furniture is of wood bound in canvas.
There is a sundeck above the cabins; a dining deck and galley aft; crew quarters are below deck. Captain Koralage, retired after 22 years in the Sri Lanka Navy, stands proudly at the helm, and is a charmer. Yathra Houseboat by Jetwing seems fun for an exclusive waterborne sojourn, even if it doesn’t go far.
Book: Yathra Houseboat by Jetwing here
Sri Lanka Holiday Guru’s Tip
Even if you don’t cruise anywhere on the houseboat a cabin for two with breakfast from US$88 is a novel holiday experience. If you do cruise around the river, the cost is extra. Details here
