Kochi/Chennai, Dec. 1 -- Neema Veliyath lives in her nearly 100-year-old heritage home, also a homestay, on Vypin Island, off mainland Ernakulam. As a long-time resident, she knows arriving by water is the best introduction to Vypin and to her homestay, called The Bungalow.

Until 2023, visitors had only two options. They could either take a crowded, non-air-conditioned government ferry ill-suited for travellers, or make a slow, mundane road journey across the lone bridge to the mainland.

And then, a water metro launched.

"Finally, there was an easier and more scenic way for my guests to reach Vypin. It is safer and environmentally friendly, too," said Veliyath, whose home is barely 300 metres from the station. "My guests love it, and s...