Review of Whispering Waters, a premium holiday resort on the bank of river Periyar
Recently we visited Paniyeli Poru with my family including three children and stayed in Whispering Waters Resort. Read my review about this fantastic resort, located in the banks of river Periyar.
It has been a month since my wife started talking about the long holidays coming up by the end of October. While kids love holidays, it's not so interesting for parents, unless we go on a vacation trip. Our house construction was going on and we didn't want to go on a long trip. Moreover, it hasn't been long since we came back from a pretty long trip to Ooty and Wayanad.
We considered various resorts within 50 km from our home in Ernakulam. Our kids had a few requirements: there should be a swimming pool and unlimited Wi-Fi; and my wife wanted a calm and quiet place, preferably on a river bank or a hill station. There were no hill stations within our range. So we started searching for river or lake facing resorts. We considered several properties including Elephant Pass Resort, Kodanad. Even though it is a great place, we ruled out Elephant Pass resort since we had visited it last year. The main attraction of this resort was the adjacent elephant kraal but it was no longer operational.
The next one that came into our minds was Whispering Waters in Paniyeli, next to the famous Paniyeli Poru. It is on the banks of the river Periyar facing the Malayattoor mountains and is adjacent to the forest area.Our kids took a look at the website and they were happy to see that there was a big swimming pool. A phone call to the resort confirmed that they have free Wi-Fi as well. It didn't take long to make arrangements for our stay at Whispering Waters.
View of Periyar river from Whispering WatersWhispering Waters Resort on the bank of Periyar river
We started from our home in Ernakulam after lunch. We travelled via Aluva, Kochi Airport, Kalady and Perumbavoor. It took about 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach Paniyeli junction from our home. After reaching Paniyeli junction, there were signboards leading us to the resort, which is located in a country side area and very close to the river Periyar.
Nearly 400 metres drive from Paniyeli junction to the resort gave us some clue on what we are going to experience in the resort. Even though Kerala is pretty humid and warm during this season of the year, due to the proximity to the river, this area was relatively cooler. There were thick plantations on both sides of the road and the place was looking like a typical Kerala village. 
There was a security guard at the gate of the resort. The moment we entered the property, everyone in my family were impressed. My eldest son usually doesn't get satisfied with most of hotels we visit but this time his comment was "wow, looks better than I thought it would". We all agreed to his comment but we wanted to get in and see how it was really going to look beyond the front office.
Since we already called the front office a few times for asking the directions, the staff were expecting us and we were treated very professionally. After providing address and some basic details, we got the key to our cottage. We were lucky because we got the closest cottage to the river. In fact, they have just 5 cottages with 4 rooms in each one. All the cottages had views of the Periyar river and the swimming pool from the balcony.
Watch our video review of Whispering WatersRooms
Rooms were pretty big and spacious. Our room had a King bed but I was told some other rooms have twin bed option. In addition to the 2 chairs and a coffee table, there was plenty of space to add an extra bed in our room. The room had a television, coffee maker, dressing cabinets, 2 chairs, a coffee table and other standard accessories. They added an extra bed for us in the room.
The bathroom was spacious and clean. There was a hair dryer and other toiletries that we usually get in all premium resorts and hotels.
The only thing I felt that was missing in the room was an iron box. But I was told it was available on request.
As soon as we entered the room, kids connected to the Wi-Fi and were happy to see it worked without any extra efforts. My wife checked out the balcony and was impressed with the view of the river, mountains and the trails along the river bank. Swimming pool
While we were settling in the room,the kids were already in the pool. We had carried some inflatable swimming pool toys and the kids started requesting for help to inflate them. I had forgotten to carry the air pump so I had to blow air for about 15 minutes to get them all ready for floating! But that was worth the effort - I had no trouble for the rest of the day since the children were busy in the pool on that day and the next day with all sorts of pool toys we carried and the resort provided.Indoor games
John, my eldest son, is good at table tennis. He was very happy to find an indoor table tennis court there. He pulled his brother Chris from the swimming pool and enjoyed a few hours playing table tennis. Kevin, my youngest boy, found archery and other toys in the game room which kept him occupied while his brothers were playing table tennis.Food
I and my wife are foodies at heart and we don't mind driving for hours for our favourite food. We are very picky on our taste buds and don't compromise on anything other than the best. With the limited choice of items available, we enjoyed all items we ordered. We tried chicken fried rice/chilly chicken/gobi manchurian/chapathis for dinner and poori/vegetable curry/chicken sausage for the breakfast. If you are visiting Whispering Waters resort at Paniyeli Poru, you must try their chicken sausage which is their signature item. Walking trails and soft trekking
The resort is very close to the river but there is a small trail between the river and the resort. Due to the rain, the trail was muddy but I still went for a short walk while my family stayed back. The walking trail leads to the Paniyeli Poru, which is a popular tourist destination along the river in the forest area. The trail will reach within the restricted area, where an entry ticket is required. Hotel staff will help you get the ticket in advance so that you can walk straight from the resort into Paniyeli Poru tourist area.
Whispering Waters Resort owns a canoe (a country boat made of hard wood) and have some skilled staff to row the boat through the river. At an additional cost, you can hire this rowing boat for a few hours of ride in the river. They will drop you on the other side of the river, which is part of Malayattoor, along with a guide. You can go through the thick forest area for some soft trekking. We enjoyed the canoe ride but chose not to go for the soft trekking since we heard some elephants in the forests and didn't want to take chances with the kids.
Spa and play area
I was told by the manager that they have acquired some additional land adjacent to the property and they are building a spa and a children's play area. I am sure that will add a lot more value to this premium resort in the bank of Periyar river.Review of Whispering Waters
We all really enjoyed our stay in Whispering Waters Resort. At the time of checkout, the manager asked me if I could write a genuine review at TripAdvisor. He sounded very confident that I will have nothing to complain about and would write only a positive review. In fact, I had checked the reviews in TripAdvisor and could not find any negative comments, which is a rare honour for the resorts and hotels.
The well planned layout and excellent landscape is spotlessly clean. Every inch of the property is maintained well and clean by the staff who never forget to wish you when you pass by.
Even though you can get a view of the River view from the balcony of all rooms, I would recommend you choose a room in the first floor in any one of the 5 units.
One of the best part of this resort is the proximity to the river and trekking facilities to Paniyeli Poru and the forest area. If you are looking for a week-end getaway and want to be with yourself, the Whispering Waters resort is one of the best options in Ernakulam district.
I am not new to canoes and have seen them enough. But we still enjoyed the 1 hour canoe ride offered by the resort. I wish that the boat ride was longer!
With just 5 units of 4 rooms each, this is not a crowded place. But the pool is pretty big compared to many other bigger resorts. Large and shallow pool is safe and fun for children.
And the best part of Whispering Waters is the clean, calm and quite environment. You can sit, relax and enjoy the rapids in the Periyar river, all day, without leaving the resort boundaries.
If you are looking for a premium resort for a get together, I would recommend Whispering Waters at Paniyeli Poru.Address & location
Website: http://whisperingwaters.in/
Address:
Paniely Poru,
Off. Kochi International Airport,
Paniely P.O., Ernakulam - 683 546,
Kerala, India.
Phone: +91484 284 7959 , +91 70340 30391
Map:
Attachments
Very informative and well drafted. I will definitely wish to visit Whispering Waters some time soon.