Kerala may be famed for its white sand beaches, giving onto the pellucid waters of the Arabian Sea, but there is a parallel world set a little way back from this picture postcard coastline, a world of lagoons and lakes connected by slow moving canals.

Mark Attwood takes a languid houseboat cruise amongst these palm-fringed backwaters and experiences a fascinatingly rich journey of the senses.

For centuries the backwaters of Kerala have been the lifelines of the people. They include five lakes, connected by a maze of canals, both natural and homemade, as well as 38 rivers. This network of waterways connects remote villages to bustling towns and enables villagers to transport rice, spices, coconuts and rubber to the port of Kochi (formerly Cochin).

Today these crisscrossing canals or vatengs have become a 'must visit' destination for tourists to Kerala - which is why I decided it was time to pay them a visit myself. The best way to explore this backwater world is by houseboat, a vessel that enterprising locals have adapted from Kerala's simple kelluraliom rice boat design. Humble they may be, but they're also unique. The hulls are crafted from teak and anjali wood, while roofs are thatched from sheets of bamboo.

Today's luxury houseboat for tourists is a step up from the traditional kelluralioms plying the vatengs stacked with jackfruit, mango and cashew nut trees. While the contemporary houseboats retain the beautiful contours of the traditional boat, they come with plenty of indulgent additions. Our boat was large and quite spacious, with three cabins, all of them air-conditioned. Each cabin was air conditioned and equipped with modern toilet and showers and there were lots of open areas with cooling fans for lounging and dining - perfect spots to watch the world go by.

In attendance was our personal chef, Venu Maluyakkal who prepared cool glasses of coconut water and crispy banana chips freshly fried. Every meal was a treat. The culinary delight started each morning with a breakfast of banana pancakes filled with grated coconut. Later in the day came flavourful lentil stew, red rice and thoran - a delicious everyday dish of chopped beetroot, carrots and cabbage. Another treat was long beans tossed with crunchy grated coconut mustard seeds and spices.

Our cruise departed from Alapuzzha (formerly Alleppey), which is referred to as "The Venice of the East". Our itinerary took us to the holy Ambalapuzha Sree Krishna temple - an ancient Hindu temple, thought to have been built in AD790 and where legend recounts the lord Krishna disguised as a sage played chess with the king who ruled the region at the time. We were fortunate to witness the last day of a 10-day festival and a grand ceremony of temple elephants resplendent in gold plating, bells and colourful garlands.

In the afternoon we visited St. Mary's Forane Church, which dates back to 427, on the Champakulam canal. Interestingly, Kerala is home to one of India's largest Christian communities and as we meandered along the canal it was common to hear hymns and the pearl of Church bells.

At dusk on lake Vembanand - one of the largest freshwater lakes in India - sinuous fishermen in dugout canoes glided across the glassy waters, using hand nets to scoop up black clams. Brilliant blue Kingfishers sang as women washed earthen pots, dirty laundry and grubby children in the cool waters.

In the late evening of our final day we made our way back to Alappuzha - sometimes drifting through lagoons filled with noisy ducks and at other times finding ourselves navigating narrow canals.

For anyone desiring a world far removed from the frenzy of city life this is it. The whole experience was fascinating - sleeping by the green paddy fields, visiting sacred sites, taking in the enchanting scenes of everyday life and being pampered by the ever-attentive crew. We really didn't want this idyllic cruise to end.

The Royal Kovalam Beach Club is the latest addition to Royal Resorts' growing portfolio of properties and is situated just four hours away from Alapuzzha. The resort recommends an overnight stay, leaving early in the morning on the first day and returning on the evening of the second.

Alapuzzha is approximately four hours away from Kovalam by road. The Resort recommends an overnight stay - leaving a.m. one day returning the evening of the following day. All necessary arrangements for the houseboat experience will be made by REX on your behalf.

Royal Kovalam Beach Club

The pretty coastal town of Kovalam in southern Kerala is the location of the latest Royal resort - The Royal Kovalam Beach Club. This newly built resort, which we're very excited about, is presently undergoing a 'soft opening'.

The first thing that will strike Royal Kovalam Beach Club guests will be the outstanding views of the ocean, across a dense thicket of coconut palms - a view to die for. The beachfront itself is just 5 minutes from the beachfront itself, which guests can access at any time by contacting the 24-hour reception.

The resort is designed in two blocks on different levels. Access to the upper floors of the front block is by lift. Between the front and rear blocks, there is a magnificent terrace with open air dining and the restaurant, which forms the heart of the resort. Here you can choose to sit inside and take advantage of the air-conditioning, or dine al fresco under the stars, gazing at the nighttime lights of Kovalam. In addition, there is a tranquil swimming pool and pool terrace. This area also provides access to the rear block of units - all with balconies looking out over the ocean.

As if all of that weren't enough, the resort will also soon boast its very own K-Spa and activities centre.

The Royal Kovalam Beach Club in Kovalam is an ideal base to explore south Kerala. From here the most southerly point of the mainland Indian sub continent, Kanniyakumari, is just four hours drive away. One can also visit the local backwaters (see our Kerala feature) or take an overnight trip to Alleppey and enjoy an overnight cruise on a boat on picturesque Lake Vembanand. Our REX department will b