We travelled to Kerala and were booked with Rainbow Cruises for a one night stay on the backwaters of Alleppey.

On reaching the rainbow cruises jetty, we were welcomed with a welcome drink and asked to fill up our details. We were then assigned a houseboat named "Rainbow Ruby"

Though the boat was not well maintained, I gave them the benefit since it was monsoon season. But things went downhill from there on.

The BAD
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1) The bed covers were not clean, had spots.
2) There were 2 lizards running around in the bedroom which were killed by the staff and thrown out. We spent a sleepless night in the bedroom.
3) The dining area in the front of the boat had just one CFL bulb working in the night. It gave us a feeling of living in a slum.
4) I spotted a rat running around in the dining area.
5) The kitchen hygiene wasn't any where close to being tolerable.
6) The staff also did not adhere to hygiene. Infact we had to specifically tell them to wash their hands after they killed the lizards as they were about to serve lunch.
7) The staff couldn't communicate in English/Hindi. They understood basic english words.
8) The area behind the driver where you can lie down and watch the world go by had broken railings.
9) The bathroom was dirty and the faucets were broken.

The GOOD
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1) The staff were helpful and well behaved.
2) The food was very good.

They serve fish for lunch and chicken for dinner. If you need fish for dinner, they take you to a stall in the lake and you have to buy fish at rip-off prices. But the fish is fresh and cooked so well you don't mind.

Overall - I would say AVOID RAINBOW CRUISES like Plague. There are other houseboat operators with better boats available.

Check the pictures I am attaching with this review.

We visited the Rainbow Cruise in June 2013. On arrival we were greeted well and welcomed with drink.We bought our own alcohol.Condition of the Boat was the not very good. The furniture and upholstery was dated. There was no basic cleanliness in the rooms. Kitchen was not clean, so i did not enter because i m very finicky. The tables,bed and doors were not cleaned since ages. The faucets in the bathroom were all broken.There was no TV. Staff at the boat was good and friendly. The food was also well cooked but the maintenance of the boat was pathetic for the kind of tariff they charged. We could have stayed in a 5 star in that price.
Worst thing is we saw 2 lizards in the bedroom and also saw a rat in the dining area,that spoiled our dinner.Because of that we couldn't sleep at night.
Since it a deluxe cruise there was an A/c which was switched on only at night.Obviously, it was not working fine and we were still feeling hot. The condition of the boat, absolutely spoilt our experience, although the backwaters were scenic and beautiful.
They also took us to a fisherman on the way, where we had to buy fish at a premium price, but luckily the fish was fresh.We also had coconut water which was stale.
So, our overall experience with Rainbow cruise was bad and we will never book it again.
There are other options of luxury house boats which you can try but not Rainbow cruise for the condition of their boats and price you pay.
2 stars are for the service and not the boat.

The most amazing way to spend part of your vacation in Kerala.
I recommend 2 nights on the boat, then you will get the real experience.
It was so nice, no wifi no nothing, just the two of us, my boyfriend and i on the boat with the crew, Captain, Server and a Chef who prepared every meal for us. We had a nice bedroom with a little bathroom. The main part had nice chairs and a place to lay down, as well as a dining table with chairs. I have nothing bad about this trip. This is a MOST when visiting India.