Lovely welcome was just the start of a great but too short stay. We arrived in heavy rain and the owner rushed out and helped us as quickly as we could to check into our wonderful room. We aksed for some lunch and what a feast was delivered to our room!

When the weather cleared we went for a walk into the cardamon growing "forest" and learned a lot more about the tea and spice growing in the region.

Evenings were spent simply dining at the restaurant and relaxing listening to the outside nature sounds, ok I will be honest I also surfed the multi channel TV to find news!

The free tea and snacks were always welcome in the little open air "bar" area.

Pro - Welcome, food, room size & cleanliness. Outstanding location and pure relaxation.

Cons - nothing bad enough to note.

Myself and my wife stayed at windermere for three nights and I should confess that the experience was unlike anything I've had before - absolutely fantastic and relaxing.

Though I booked a valley view room, it was upgraded to a cottage upon arrival since it wasn't the peak season. The rooms are big, clean, and have fantastic views. When you stand at the patio, all you hear are sounds of chirping birds.

The 2 hour walk in to the cardamom plantation was a really nice touch. It started raining while we were in the middle of the plantation. The plantation was so dense that it seemed we were in an equatorial rain forest.

I am really surprised that a few of the other reviewers didn't like the food. Probably they haven't tasted good Indian food. For all those non-Indian visitors to Windermere, I just have this one to say - whatever Indian dish you eat at the restaurant here, there isn't a better version of that particular dish you can find anywhere else. Even the ubiquitous rava upma, a south indian breakfast dish, tasted so great that I was raving about it to my mom.

It was a fantastic experience for us and we would definitely stay at windermere again in future.

The value of service is tested when an emergency occurs. One member of our party had a medical setback on the second day of our stay. The response of staff, owners, and nearby clinic was superb. John took leadership in assuring that the patient was rushed to the Munnar clinic. He arranged for food to be brought from the estate for her and us. He stayed several hours to make sure that care would be provided. Dr Simon contacted his colleague at the Kochi Hospital to arrange examinations. John then visited her in the hospital in Kochi to assure she received the care she needed. To suffer a medical setback in India, we could not have been in better hands. The only disappointment was that our friend was not able to spend another day enjoying the beauty and hospitality of the Windermere Estates.

Warm welcome from owner (Dr Simon) and delicious drinks and nibbles on arrival. Well furnished cottage, good balcony with excellent views over the plantations and surrounding hillsides.

Excellent food and very helpful staff. Remeber to ask someone to show you how to get to the viewing point - excellent views. Only stayed 1 night but would love to have stayed for 3.