Sumant Bhatia finds inordinate beauty, history and hospitality on a family holiday in Srinagar, Kashmir There are many reasons why the four Butt's Clermont houseboats in front of me are the best known in Kashmir.For a start, there is the location. Unlike the 900 or so other such vessels packed tighter than sardines in the southern part of Srinagar's Dal Lake, these four nestle almost alone on the northwest shoreline, beside a garden believed to have been built by a Mughal emperor, with snow-capped mountains forming an exquisite backdrop.Then there's the history. "Wow - it's like a museum, except we can touch the exhibits," said my seven-year-old son Sai as we boarded our two-bedroom boat. The walls and ceiling are panelled and carved out of wood; a reminder of the heritage of a business that started in the '40s when a British shipping magnate handed over the boats to a trusted local friend, Haji Butt.Then there is the celebrity factor: the noticeboard of the offices of Butt's Clermont is dedicated to pictures of famous guests: the last Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten, stayed here a few months before he was murdered in 1979. George Harrison learnt the sitar with Ravi Shankar under the centuries-old chinar trees in the garden here. Michael Palin stayed during filming of his 2004 BBC series Himalaya; Gulam Butt, the current owner (and the son of Haji) was featured in the programme.story_article_left1What you notice on the board is the lack of pictures from the '90s, when a violent insurgency turned what had been a steady flow of overseas visitors into a trickle of foreign correspondents covering the unrest. Few people ventured out after dark, when the sound of gunfire filled the air. The Butt family's handicraft business kept the boat business afloat during those lean years.It has been some years now since visitors began trickling back, emboldened by UK Foreign Office advice which, while declaring most of Kashmir to be out of bounds, suggests that the cities of Jammu and Srinagar are safe to visit. They are safe because there is a visible security presence.Confidence is returning and, as if to emphasise the point, Gulam's son and co-owner Manzoor showed me a letter from a British couple who had stayed on one of their boats in the '70s heyday and who were thinking of coming back.So is it worth visiting Kashmir? Well for all the troubles - not to mention the flooding that afflicted parts of the region late last year, it remains one of the most scenic spots on the planet.And my first impressions were positive. On my first morning looking out onto the lake, I saw a family of three black-and-white Himalayan kingfishers put on a display as though just for me, flying high then diving into the water to pluck out fish with deadly precision.Srinagar's old town proved a fascinating mix of seemingly ramshackle though colourful and often carefully crafted wooden homes; a good place to head in search of a bargain such as a pashmina or a traditional papier-mâché box, to be discussed later over a cappuccino in the newer parts of town.full_story_image_hleft1For my two children, Sai and his six-year-old sister, Amaya, there were other diversions. They enjoyed a run around in the open spaces of the Tulip Garden; we took them for a ride in a traditional shikara narrowboat on Dal Lake. They were mesmerised as Lasser, our 60-year-old rower, guide and veteran Butt's Clermont employee, showed them how lake dwellers grow vegetables and cattle fodder on floating fields of bulrushes. We saw sheep being washed in the water and yet more exotic birds.Then there were the games of cricket we played in the garden by the boat, an activity redolent of the early years (and the Raj). The April weather was variable and (like the cricket) very English, with many downpours between the sunny spells. A pack of cards came in handy with the children, as they learnt rummy, a game traditionally enjoyed by Indians.story_article_right2However, what raised the holiday from a good one to a great trip, for both parents and children, was the outstanding hospitality on the boat itself, from the charismatic Butt family to the staff, many of whom had been there for decades through thick and thin.Take Kaka, who catered to our every need with a winning smile. He regaled us with stories of the troubles, including one occasion when local warlords stormed one of the boats, held a giant party and then disappeared as quickly as they had come.Any visitor to Srinagar will get a sense of the troubled times, but for the most part, the calm and beauty that attracted people here in the first place is still the main draw. Add to that a stay in houseboats with proper pedigree and you have a break that really is special. To that couple who are thinking of returning, I would suggest they do so sooner rather than later.sub_head_start IF YOU GO... sub_head_endWHEN TO GO: April to September.GETTING THERE: Low-cost airlines such as IndiGo, Jet Airways and SpiceJet offer return flights from Delhi to Srinagar from about R1 400. See skyscanner.net.STAYING: A two-bedroom Butt's Clermont houseboat (buttsclermonthouseboat.com) is £100 (R1 900) a day.GETTING AROUND: Add a car and driver through Butt's Clermont for £20 (R380) per day. - ©The Telegraph..