Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: houseboat (24) Ajaz (18) stay (12) night (11) rooms (11) clean (10) care (9) experience (8) Chicago (7) family (7)
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  • 4/5 Ramya R. 1 year ago on Google
    During our trip to kashmir in 2022 April we stayed in this boat house for 1 night , it was maintained well & staffs were friendly too..food offered was also tasty ..view id beautiful..but since it was during the most peak season of travellers the cost was bit high
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Vinay D. 1 year ago on Google
    The hoseboat was clean & was staffed with a local care taker who was available all time. The rooms & bedding are little conjusted but can make do. Food can be ordered as meal package per person, local boats continuously fairy variety of local food, barbeque, chocolates & liquor.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Nagalakshmi K. 1 year ago on Google
    We stayed in Chicago houseboat for 6 nights. The boat is located in a very scenic place. The rooms are comfortable, clean and well maintained. Khan chacha takes very good care and the food, tea served is delicious.The owner Mr.Ajaz, went out of his way and helped us with the entire tour arrangements . Inspite of all these points, it was very affordable. Overall we had a memorable and pleasant stay which we will cherish forever. Don't look any further if you want to stay in Houseboat.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Bharath H. 2 years ago on Google
    This was our first stay on a houseboat in Kashmir. The houseboat was very neat and clean and the staff were very friendly. We stayed there for only one night. The dinner was very tasty. Even though the breakfast lacked variety , the taste was excellent. We stayed in the month of December , so it was freezing cold. The rooms , bed and toilet were very clean. Only concern was the blanket heater in one of our beds wasn't working properly. In the end , it was an awesome houseboat experience.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Dwayne L. 6 months ago on Google
    I honestly don’t know where to begin with. The people of Kashmir in general are so very hospitable and gracious, however Ajaz as a host was so much more. He made me feel like family. In all my travels, I’ve not met a host as kind and generous as Ajaz. He allowed me to check in early, arranged for my pickup at a price that was much lesser than standard airport rates and later even safely stored my laptop at his place. After returning from my trek I was having a headache due to altitude sickness, and Ajaz being an exceptional host offered to take me to a doctor. Now about the property, the pictures don’t do justice to how pretty this houseboat actually is. The view from the deck is just exceptional. I spent hours just gazing at the scenery from the deck. The shikara ride is also breathtaking. The interiors of the boat are intricate and opulent. Truly feels like royalty. The rooms are spacious and impeccably clean. Once you step onto the houseboat, you won’t want to leave. Gulzar the caretaker of the houseboat was also very kind and took exceptional care of me during my stay. If you’re planning to stay at Dal Lake, I highly recommend choosing the Chicago group of houseboats. Ajaz will make you feel like family! A heartfelt thank you to Ajaz for everything
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Monoranjan G. 1 year ago on Google
    Situated in the Dal Lake, this house boat offers good accommodation for the guests. The rooms are clean and can accommodate three guests. The staffs are very courteous and helpful. Food quality is homely and very tasty.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Ajay M. 3 months ago on Google New
    Posting this cause we are not able to sleep because someone keeps shouting, screaming next to our room. His voice is increasing as time passes. They knew someone was not well in their family and even then they provided us the room next to that person’s room. Complained twice but nothing has changed, they are just here to make money. Sleep deprived and horrific experience. Have a look at my wife’s video in which one can clearly hear the screams. On the other hand, we’ve had best kahwa their served by very friendly uncle. It really helped us in keeping our body warm.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Bandyopahyays F. 1 year ago on Google
    Rooms (except bathroom): 4.9/5 Heating system: 3.5/5 Bathroom: 2.7/5 Food: 4.5/5 Overall: 4.7/5 It was very nice and homely. The food was delicious and home-cooked. The heating system was lovely, only that the room became too hot at times. Only, in our bathroom, the water was lukewarm but not hot, and the toilet leaked at times, but that can be fixed. But overall, it was a wonderful experience.

  • 4/5 Gaston P. 9 months ago on Google
    The location is incredible and due to that, probably the views are the most stunning part of staying in such a place. Re the rooms, they are quite basic, they are OK for a few nights but the maintance has room for improvement (for instance the shower was broken). The electricity may suffer cuts and during the day you may even not be able to charge your phone, but at night it always worked properly. The staff and the food was incredible. The right place for a few nights enjoying the views.

  • 5/5 Neha P. 9 months ago on Google
    You can definitely consider this if planning to stay in a houseboat during your Kashmir visit. The owner Mr. Ajaz and the staff are very helpful. Rooms are spacious and you will get a great view of dal lake from this houseboat. Great value for money.

  • 5/5 Sudipto C. 4 months ago on Google
    I had just visited Kashmir with family (wife, my 14 years old daughter and a friend) last week and to be honest i have no word express my gratitude to Mr Ajaz who is the owner of the houseboat. In this trip i have actually understood that there are few good men like Ajaz bhai in this world who makes us believe there is no bigger deed than humanity. I reached Srinagar on 11th Nov very early (around 730 in morning) and as scheduled i was supposed to check in to Chicago Houseboat (for 3 night stay in his best houseboat which also hosted Mrs Indra Gandhi in 1975). Ajaz bhai only arranged cab for the entire trip. However, the moment we boarded the cab, our driver ( Tariq Bhai, another humble and true gentleman) informed us that that there was some problem that has happened in the houseboat last night and we had to wait couple of hours before we could check in. As we all were very tired due to very early morning flight we were completely taken a back with such a unfolding of the situation. But to my surprize Ajaz bhai had already made an arrangement in an another hotel (Apple Orchard Resort). Later we got to know that there was a huge fire that broke last night which completely razed at least 5 houseboat which also included Ajaz bhai's entire house, Houseboat's kitchen and everything (at least loss of 1 cr to Ajaz bhai himself and 50Cr of loss all put together). Despite this huge catastrophe Ajaz bhai never let this affect our trip. We were put in Apple Orchard resort for two night with food and everything till all the facilities were restored in houseboat and then for the last night we were transferred to his HB. Even on that day he made us dine in Stream (one of the best restaurant in Srinagar- around Boulevard road). The houseboat was just amazing but the hospitality and care we were given no word is enough to thank him despite his own losses. A very very special mention to Tariq Bhai (our driver to entire trip) who took care of us like his own family, guided us till we checked in to Airport We as Chatterjee family can blindly recommend to everyone to Ajaz Bhai of Chicago Houseboat. The Houseboat is impeccable, Gulzar bhai was such a humble man who took care of us on the last night (despite November cold Houseboat was better than even any 5 star comfort and that too when his all resources were razed to ground in fire) but above all Ajaz bhai's hospitality is something I had never ever felt in my life where as I had travelled across India and World. Ajaz Bahi,, May Almighty give you back everything that you had lost. My whole hearted thanks and gratitude to you

  • 5/5 Different s. 6 months ago on Google
    Best place to stay in that place. I stayed there with my friends . Seriously, the overall experience is good. The behaviour of the staff is very nice. The place is decent, eye pleasant surrounding and quiet. I would consider everyone to stay at this beautiful mansion 💗

  • 5/5 Chandeep s. 5 months ago on Google
    The houseboats are very clean and they make sure to take care of small details as we requested kids non spicy food. They specially make those extra dishes for us. Especially Khan chacha take extra care to serve us in best possible way. Food was wow, delicious and homely. Houseboat location was very good and one have to come by shikara to reach the houseboat. Overall wonderful experience.

  • 5/5 Begoña A. 4 months ago on Google
    If you want to feel like home away from home, this is your place. The entire Chicago team welcomed us in the most loving, warm, and comforting way possible. It's been wonderful to be here and it's been hard to leave. We felt like family, a special thanks to Khan for taking care of us like a relative we didn't know we had. <3 Apart from the comforting treat, the place is absolutely charming, with traditional Kashmiri decor, the heating system works well in winter and the food is excellent. They will be willing to help you with anything you need and always with a smile on their face. I only have kind words for these helpful and kind-hearted people. I recommend staying here 100%!

  • 5/5 Hina V. 1 year ago on Google
    A comfortable and warm place to stay. Good for families also. The food is also delicious. Staff people are very sincere and grounded.

  • 4/5 Shamim A. 1 year ago on Google
    I stayed for one night in this houseboat during November 2022. It had been raining that day in Srinagar. As a result by the time the sun had set, it had become quite chilly. The houseboat is spacious and very comfortable. The rooms have heated mattresses on their beds. The houseboat was conveniently located. Not too far from the Boulevard Road while at the same time tucked a bit away so that the no noise from the road reaches the property. The complimentary pick up and drop from Ghat No 9 took around 3- 4 minutes. The food served was amazing. The houseboat was very clean and had a large enough porch / platform where one could spend time in the open. It was overall very clean and comfortable. The washrooms were also very clean. I found the breakfast menu was a bit limited and could be improved upon. Also a lot of noise from the adjoining rooms and corridors could be heard inside the room as the walls were all wooden. Soundproofing between the rooms can be improved so that noise from adjoining rooms and the corridor were not so loud. Srinagar suffers frequent power cuts. While there was a backup power but it could not be used to power the electrical mattresses. I understand that this is beyond the control of the houseboat owners, but this needs to be taken up with the local government.

  • 5/5 Nitish K. 1 year ago on Google
    We had a wonderful experience. Mr Ajaz is an amazing host and made sure we had a splendid experience. Would definitely recommend this place for anyone looking for a houseboat experience.

  • 5/5 Kamal H. 1 year ago on Google
    Chicago Houseboats proved to be a home away from home. The warm hospitality of Khan Chacha and Basharath bhai made our stay comfortable and filled with great memories. The morning coffee and Khawa followed by scrumptious breakfast of our choice. You name it and they would prepare food of your choice from Poha, upma and stuffed paranthas. Then our staying plan included dinner too so got yummy home cooked food it was such a delight to get the warmth of the lovely dinner. Not one day we felt we were away from home. The owner Mr. Aijaz has really showed us what Hospitality in Kashmir means. It is a place to stay as your base point. And travel everyday for sightseeing as that gives you an opportunity to enjoy shikara rides through floating market every night. And early morning shikara rides are another bonus. The Chicago team is there to help you with all you require even the sight seeing travel. We really were able to have a relaxed and amazing trip. We came with a promise to visit the place again. Once is not enough. Adding a picture of the view from our deck.

  • 3/5 Jaffrey D. 1 year ago on Google
    We chose this houseboat based on the ratings in Google. Stay & Rooms - the houseboat has 4 rooms in each houses,totally 3 houses. Room cleanliness was good with one fan and enough sockets. But no dental kit( you have to pay for it) and no water bottles, just regular water served in flasks. Not bad, was okay taste. Food - dinner(Roti,Rice,chicken curry and Sabji) and breakfast(Bread,butter and omelette) The main disadvantage is once you reach the ghat(like bus stop where boats pick you up) , there is no one to pick you up. We had to wait for 30-45 mins until no one showed up after multiple calls, then we hired a guy and reach there and same happened for returning as well. This has to be improved. For the price you pay , 3-4K , this is not totally worth. You could get houseboats similar facilities at cheaper prices.


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