KTDC Lake Palace

We had a memorable stay at Lake Palace Thekkady. Check-in at Aranya Nivas was quick and smooth—though we were asked to arrive early for the 1:45 pm boat, the process took less than 5 minutes. A private boat transferred us to the property, where we were welcomed with a drink and served a tasty traditional Kerala lunch. Food throughout the stay was consistently good. We were fortunate to witness a herd of elephants and bison on the second evening. The real highlight, however, was the staff—extremely courteous, friendly, and helpful. Special thanks to Rajesh, Anish, Abin, and Mithun. Their warmth and professionalism rival any five-star hospitality. That said, the property does show signs of poor maintenance—torn tablecloths and bed sheets, mismatched lighting, and a dilapidated kids' play area with rusted, unsecured equipment. Still, staff went the extra mile, even setting up a DIY swing on a gooseberry tree, which our kids enjoyed most. There’s no Wi-Fi. According to staff, BSNL has reasonably good coverage, while Jio works only in one specific spot. Binoculars are provided but in poor condition—bringing your own would be wise. We’d gladly return for the hospitality alone, but the facilities are in need of serious attention.

One of the most scenic and serene locations in the world. Lake Palace is accessible only by boat, as it is deep inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve with no outside contact. Even electricity is from a generator. No WiFi. Most rooms don’t have mobile signal either. It is an exaggeration to call it Lake Palace because it is by no means palatial. It is more like a forest lodge with six rooms. Service standards are OK. Menu mostly has traditional Keralan dishes. As KTDC charges premium rate for Lake Palace, they should provide a dedicated boat to take guests to the hotel — instead of asking us to wait about 1-2 hours to board the next boat that takes tourists around the Periyar lake. They dropped us off on their way.

The Lake Palace is a charming resort, located as it is in the Western Ghats and near to the centre of the manmade lake that was created by the flooding of the valley surrounding the Periyar river when constructing the nearby Mullaperiar Dam. Built in 1927 it really was a small summer palace, originally for the King of Travancore and later given over for the use of the British Governors of the area. |An unusual feature of this lake being the trunks of teak trees, which were left along the banks of the old river and now protrude from the water, making ideal perches for resting birds such as egrets and kingfishers that feed off the lake. |Set in the heart of a very large wildlife reserve that is home to tigers, leopards, elephants, bison deer and monkeys. Plus a host of other species that I will not name here.|While sitting peacefully in the garden of the Lake Palace is quite normal to see families of various animals grazing on the land between jungle and water and also sometimes see, as we did, a family of elephants swim across from one bank to the opposite side, before going on their way. We also saw deer make a similar journey, but in a different part of the landscape. One item that I do recommend that you bring with you to this place, is a good pair of binoculars.|Tigers are of course rather elusive but it is not uncommon to hear one roar and elephants trumpet at night. There were reports of an early morning kill of a bison by a tiger that had happened recently within sight of the hotel, also there are the remains of a bison skeleton, the skull with horns being plainly visible that was killed and eaten within the past year or so.|If you are adventurous there are jungle walks that can be arrange as well as complementary daily boat rides where there is another chance of seeing more wildlife. ||As to the hotel itself, well, access is only by boat from the sister KTDC Aranya Nivas hotel which is located at the last point in the wildlife sanctuary that can be reached by road. Aranya Nivas is also a useful pit stop that can be returned to at times during your stay because, firstly there is no wi-fi at the Lake Palace and also because you would need to be taken either there or to the park gates to take part in any of the guided walks or have an ayurvenda massage.|The hotel only has six rooms and although is rating is 3* the old traditional style of them is charming and the rooms are large and comfortable, with spacious outdoor terraces that have 4 easy chairs and 2 tables that you can relax on at your leisure.. The restaurant too is a joy, the food is plentiful and varied and the management do their best to cater to every guest’s tastes. The service is both very good and very friendly. |We really enjoyed our calm and relaxed stay at this quite unique hotel.

If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind stay, Lake Palace KTDC is an absolute gem. The location is unbeatable, right in the middle of Periyar Lake, making it one of the most unique places I’ve ever stayed.||||Service & Hospitality||||The service here is top-notch, with staff going above and beyond to make the stay comfortable. The manager and Rajesh were exceptionally warm and ensured we had homely, delicious food, cooked exactly the way we wanted. Every meal felt personalized, and their hospitality made all the difference.||||The Stay & Wildlife Experience|| • No need to book a lake-view room—all rooms offer stunning views, and there’s plenty of open space outside to soak in the scenery.|| • Wildlife spotting is unreal! We saw bisons, deer, stags, wild boars, numerous birds, and the highlight—an elephant right from our room!|| • They even provide binoculars, which made the experience even more special.||||Boat Rides & Accessibility|| • The hotel arranges boat rides for entry and exit, which adds to the experience. Just keep in mind their fixed timings while planning your schedule.|| • A Boat Safari is included daily, and it’s a must-do to explore the lake and spot more wildlife up close.||||The Only “Missing” Thing—And Why It’s a Plus!||||No WiFi or phone network—but honestly, you won’t even miss it! The peaceful environment and stunning surroundings give you the perfect chance to disconnect and enjoy quality time with your family and yourself.||||Final Verdict||||Just book it! You’ll get more than you expect—a serene retreat, breathtaking views, warm hospitality, and an unforgettable wildlife experience.

A wonderful stay in beautiful colonial style rooms which are clean and comfortable. The setting is superb. After the tour boats had gone home for the day we saw a family of wild elephants grazing with their babies. ||The food was also perfect, showcasing the cuisine of Kerala.||The guys on the boats were very helpful in pointing out the wildlife.||We would recommend a special trip to see the lake palace.

Superb location... Inside forest u can feel a good fresh air, ambience etc. There is no mobile range...

Calm and Serene retreat.. KDTC staff were very friendly and took utmost care of us.

Its a peaceful place to stay with nature all around and has only 6 rooms. Located in the middle of the lake and you are able to leave the rooms between 7.30 am (First boat of the day) and last boat to get back to the room is at 3.30 pm from the main land. During the day, boat leaves the room couple of times. ||There are no activities at this island. All activities are at the main land.||Food is great, stay includes 3 meals a day. Most of the time lunch will be missed, if we go to the main land for any activities, it's hard to come back for lunch.||We are from Tamil Nadu, we requested south Indian Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian food. It tasted like home cooked meal.||The place is maintained by the Government. For a property maintained by Govt, they have excellent service.||No Internet or phone service. ||Check in has to be before 3 pm, last boat to the hotel leaves at 3.30 pm.||It's a quiet place for a relaxed vacation. Most of the activities KTDC offers and other activities available in the area are restricted by the timings of the first and last boat to the "Lake Palace".||The park area closes for guests at 5 pm and guests staying within the park has nothing to do past 5 pm, other than staying in the hotel.||If we want to enjoy this place, plan activities within the park based on boat timings.||There is also another accommodation within the park called "Aranya Nivas", where activities can extend till 5 pm.||We were able to see wild animals and lots of birds during our 2 day stay.||Staff were extremely helpful and the park is clean and maintained very well.