Windermere River House

We stayed two nights in one of the very large rooms looking over the gardens down to the river. Very comfortable. Separate TV room available but not used as the peace and tranquility of the place shouldn't be spoilt. The temporary manager was very helpful and informative making sure we had everything we needed and trying to ensure we could enjoy all the food they had to offer while keeping the spice to a level we could thoroughly enjoy. The regional food was great but if you just wanted a sandwich or an omelette it was no bother. Try the Drumstick soup. Amazing.|We spent some special time on a walk, early evening and later talking to Jyothis, the naturalist. A very lovely bright young lady . Very knowledgable and talented. In her spare time she paints and even plays a Ukulele. She made the stay memorable and special.|Excellent pool by the river with loads of birds and flowers to watch out for. Make sure you go on the guided walk down to the suspension bridge. Thank you everyone at The Windermere River House, Neriamangalam.

We were the only guests for the 2 days we stayed during March so we had excellent personalized service. The grounds are stunning and the room was very pretty and comfortable with a nice veranda for sitting outside. A highlight was the incredibly charming staff naturalist, Jyothis. Her knowledge of birds and other creatures was outstanding. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

This is a very nice 1/2 board inn about an hour from Kochi.||The property setting is beautiful and sits on a river. The rooms are large and clean with good bathroom and shower.|| The dining area is separated from the inn by a wonderful walkway through a garden. The food is well prepared and uses local ingredients for preparation. Some are grown on site. We enjoyed both of our meals. Juices are made fresh. ||Pool area is very nice and comes with full bathrooms and changing areas. There are loungers around the pool trees for shade if needed.||Service was excellent.||Mr. Simon (owner) and Mr. Bino take good care of their guests and interact with guests very favorably.|Windermere knew we had a 5:30am departure and delivered breakfast to our room at 5:00am. ||Birdwatching was excellent with the in-house guide Jo. Please be sure to ask her for a list of the birds you see on the 1.25 hour walk near the inn. The list and the penmanship by Jo is worth framing.||I would not hesitate to stay here or their sister facility in Munnar again.||Mr. Simon and Mr. Bino are very particular and it shows at Windermere. Don't miss the opportunity!!||I

This is a very pleasant stopover between the coast and, say, Munnar and is probably the best base from which to visit the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary. It is also a very nice place to unwind for a day or two. The rooms are spacious and airy feeling, quite plain in their decor but very well air-conditioned with good beds. There are only four of them, all with good views of the well kept gardens. The pool is a good size and, with a maximum of 8 guests, not oversubscribed. The food (all meals included in the rates) is a no choice multi-dish menu at lunch and dinner, with authentically local "home style" dishes. Service is willing but not always polished. We plan to return.||We left the booking of a guide for the sanctuary (through the hotel) rather late and consequently ended up with one who was thoroughly unsatisfactory, so best to plan well ahead!

We had a lovely two night stay here 10 days ago. The room was comfortable and bug free! They provided mosquito plug ins. We had plenty of hot water for the shower. |Our room was on the first floor so it had a great view from the balcony. The staff were so kind and caring. They welcomed us with banana fritters and tea. We had a walk on the forest and to the bridge with a naturalist who showed us birds, plants and trees. |The bird life here is amazing and we enjoyed the swimming pool and the gardens very much. The food was delicious! |Dr Simon was friendly and chatty and made sure we were happy with our stay.

No words to share the amazing experience we had at this place. It's simplicity at it's finest. No fancy frills, but commercialism is not the aim of this property. Hospitality that leaves you feeling like royalty. The staff love their work and this is reflected in their everyday tasks. The owners are very friendly and make it a point to spend time with you, to get to know you better, so that they can provide you with the best service possible. After a conversation about coffee, they even changed the way they made our coffee to suit it more to our taste. The property has 5 rooms and service is tailored to each of the residents. Meal times were all suited to our convenience and we had the best possible home cooked food. Thank you very much for a very memorable stay.

We had 3 nights in this beautiful place in total peace, swimming in the pool, eating delicious food and relaxing. The highlight was walking with Jyothis, the naturalist, who works at the hotel, and her incredible knowledge of birds, insects, frogs, plants and her passion for nature. We were lucky to see a wild elephant one morning drinking at a local pool. There are only 5 rooms at this hotel and a lovely library, so lots of space and it feels quite magical beside the river.

After the hustle bustle of Kochi the river house was the perfect antidote. Set in beautiful gardens on a peaceful riverside setting. We were serenaded by melodious bird song from dawn to dusk.|Our downstairs room was spacious and clean with the most comfortable huge bed suiting my partners mobility needs well. Our only reservation was the distance from our room to the pool and dining room due to my partners disability. However, staff went over and above to deliver delicious meals to our room - special thanks to Simon, Bino and naturalist Joytis for making our stay so memorable.