Backwater Ripples — Hotel in Kerala

Peaceful Lakeside Retreat at Vembanad Lake

This resort is located right on the banks of the beautiful Vembanad Lake, making it ideal for nature lovers and those seeking peace and tranquility. While the exterior of the property is not particularly eye-catching, the interiors are clean, well-maintained, and offer a calm, rustic charm.

The resort offers both cottages and rooms inside a multistorey tower. Most rooms come with two attached bathrooms, which is a great convenience for families or groups. The walkways connecting the cottages are laid with stone marbles and natural grass, giving the place a cozy, natural feel.

Amenities:

Swimming Pool: The pool is relatively small, around 20 to 30 feet in length, with an average depth of about 4 feet. While it is clean and suitable for a quick dip, it may feel underwhelming considering the size and ambience of the resort.

Boat Cruise: One of the highlights of the stay is a complimentary one-hour boat cruise, offered in the morning around 9 am and again in the evening around 5 pm. The experience is enhanced by live flute and tabla music performed by two artists onboard, making it a calm and memorable activity.

Kayaking: Kayaking is available for 500Rs/hr, but the activity is limited to a small partitioned section of the lake. Kayaking is restricted during windy or wavy conditions, which limits flexibility.

Cycling: The resort has around 6 to 8 adult bicycles and a couple of kids bicycles with training wheels. Guests are free to ride within the property or on the nearby public roads.

There is a small gym with basic machines like a treadmill and multifunctional home gym. The indoor gaming area includes table tennis, carrom, chess, foosball, and archery, offering entertainment options for all ages.

The parking area is spacious and doubles as a cricket ground. A basic cricket kit is available for guests who want to play.

Event and Function Spaces: The resort features a large indoor banquet hall suitable for functions and parties. Nearby, there is an open-air auditorium with a roof but no walls. Guests are allowed to play badminton in this space, although the resort could not provide a net, only rackets and shuttlecocks.

Outdoor Seating: There is a pleasant garden area near the lake, with large banyan and palm trees and stone benches. Evening tea and snacks are served here, near the pool, making it a relaxing spot to unwind.

The resort has a premium restaurant and bar. The breakfast buffet includes a mix of Indian and English dishes and is quite satisfying. However, the food in general lacks the typical Indian spice levels and seems to be tailored more toward international guests. Also, the pricing at the restaurant feels a bit high compared to the overall experience.

Spa: The on-site Ayurvedic spa, Vedasparsha, offers massage services. However, there is only one therapist and two treatment rooms, so wait times can be several hours, especially during weekends or peak periods.

The staff were consistently polite, professional, and helpful throughout our stay. Service quality was excellent and contributed positively to the overall experience.

Final Thoughts: Although the resort's exterior may not impress at first glance, the interior environment and layout are more than satisfactory. The property is spacious and well suited for relaxation, with a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities for guests. While the pool is smaller than expected and the restaurant may feel overpriced, the combination of calm surroundings, courteous staff, and thoughtful amenities makes it a solid choice for a laid-back vacation.

Pros: Beautiful location by Vembanad Lake Spacious property with several activities Complimentary boat cruise with live music Well-maintained interiors and walkways Professional and courteous staff Good breakfast buffet

Cons: Exterior lacks visual appeal Pool is small for the size of the resort Restaurant food lacks Indian spice and is somewhat overpriced Spa has limited capacity and...

The Resort is one with very spacious and well-designed rooms. It’s just next to the lake and hence the view from the lakeside rooms is just breathtaking. They have different types of rooms, including studio rooms that are ideal for stay with family. They sprawling property has a lush lawn, two banquets halls, huge gardens with trees, children’s play area, water lily pond, a swimming pool, gym, and a garden by the lakeside. They have a lighthouse tower- viewing the sunset from there is a magical experience. Sit on one of the benches along the edge of the lake Or stand at the pier and look at the beautiful waves. They serve tea and snacks at the lakeside every evening (not when it’s raining) and it’s one of the best ways to enjoy the beauty of nature at leisure. Or read a book in one of the hammocks while sipping wine! FOOD- Which brings me to the food- food is delicious. The veg as well as non veg, the Kerala as well as North Indian fare is flavourful, authentic and irresistible. The best part is the breakfast and weekend dinner buffets which are scrumptious and elaborate. The number of vegetarian dishes is also substantial, and the food was one of the vest we have had. SERVICE- Though the food and scenery were outstanding, what truly sets the Backwater Ripples apart (for us, at least) is the wonderful service. Every member of the staff was so pleasant and genuinely mindful of our smallest needs, it was like coming to a family. So much positivity in each person- I can only imagine that the bountiful nature of God’s own country has instilled such simplicity and positivity in the people here. Just to cite a example, we had to leave at 3 am for the airport so we asked them to book a cab. And they offered to pack breakfast for us as we were travelling with kids. It was a novel experience for us, as we never experienced such thoughtfulness from the best 5 star hotels. SPA- The Ayurveda spa ‘Vedasparsh’ is very good and reasonable. Both my husband and I tried different treatments, including a facial, and it was extremely relaxing. Love the ginger drink they give before the treatment. OVERALL- Overall, I would highly recommend the Backwater Ripples for a short or long stay. Great food, relaxing spa and thoughtful service are the hallmarks of this place. They arrange cabs, speed boats and tickets for the classical dance performance, or just about any help you need. Mrs Sindhu and Mr Nair were especially helpful and we are indebted to them for making our vacation a...

We four couples arrived in Backwater ripples on 04/05/2016 with great expectations and huge enthusiasm ( Since the Backwater Ripples was the costliest hotel we booked in the entire Kerala tour) Also we were more excited and happy to see lush green lawns, beautiful pool, well placed cradles between coconut trees. Rooms were booked wel in advance. Also the check in time was 12:00 noon. We reached hotel at 3:00 pm. Room allotted to me was 118. But the rooms allotted were not ready. We were required to wait for 15 to 20 minutes minutes outside the room for room servicing. The room were not cleaned and it was very shocking to see lizards behind the bed and also in bathroom. Room booked was lake view room which was upgrade to basic rooms and at extra charges as premium for lake view. But it was disheartening to see that there was not much difference except lake view. But how can one see lake when windows blind doesn't open and work.

I complained about the blind and repair to blinds took more than half an hour. And even then the blind didn't worked properly. The service man took the blind with him to get the work done. And the window was kept open till that time.

On complaining about lizards, the management changed my room. But it was at a distance from the other three rooms, was small in size, had only single wardrobe and no extra socket for charging mobiles.

Also four similar rooms were booked, but to my surprise, two rooms on first floor with decent bathrooms and two on ground floor with ordinary bathrooms were provided to us. Also on the ground floor one with bathroom having bath tub and one very much ordinary (without bathtub) bathroom was provided.

The bathrooms sanitary were age old. All the sanitary and sanitary fittings were out of date and were not working smoothly. Even bathroom having bathtub had no separate spout. Either you have to lay in bathtub or keep standing in bathtub to have shower. It's frustrating to experience that. When tariff for all the rooms booked was same, how can hotel provide different facility rooms in group booking.

The wi fi connection password provided by the hotel management was valid for only 30 minutes. Didn't understand the logic of wi fi connection password for limited period of 30 minutes and haven't experienced such limited internet connectivity in any other resort.

I Don't think I will recommend Backwater Ripples to anyone...