"Such amazing grounds and such knowledgeable friendly staff."
"The quality of the plants both in the gardens and the plentiful greenhouses is absolutely first class."
Cons:
"It looks slightly more unmaintained than most other English gardens, though, with damage to the green houses and some weeds."
"There’s definitely a difference to the gardens since Jim and Sarah took care of the gardens, still a pleasant day out but it has lost its spark."
"Ground are not looking the best at this time of the year, September."
Restaurant and Cafe
Pros:
"Restaurant is also worth a visit with food freshly cooked and tasty."
"The cafe was lovely too, the homemade gooseberry crumble was delicious."
"We had soup in the cafe which was priced well and very tasty being homemade."
"Cafe food very tasty but exceedingly long wait Monday 1pm mid October after food order taken."
"The cafe serves a great sausage roll and plenty of other choices."
"Enjoyed a super hot chocolate and lemon drizzle cake from the tea room too."
Cons:
"The food served in the cafe was of high quality and I am always happy to pay that bit more when the food is worth it. One of the cakes was nice but the other dry and burnt on the edges which was disappointing for £3 a piece."
"The cafe staff were a little off but it seemed as though agency staff had been hired in to cope with a busy weekend so a bit more organisation at the beginning of the shift would have helped this."
"Nice looking cafe but in 2023 it was a very limited menu despite many options for gf/vg."
"The restaurant had a very small menu. Only 4 different sandwich options which would of been fine but I am a veggi and they had nothing but meat options as they had ran out of egg."
"Restaurant service was, to be polite, snail's pace."
Accessibility and Facilities
Pros:
"Provided with a wheelchair by friendly staff on the cash desk, mostly accessible."
"Wheelchair accessible, a lovely day out, café does lovely soup and ciabatta."
"The cafe, shop and gardens are mostly if not all accessible for wheelchairs and prams."
"Most of the grounds are accessible for those with lower mobility. Plenty on benches, several available wheelchairs and well laid paths."
Cons:
"They encourage you to put your doggy bag in the bins in the car park but they could really do with at least one in the grounds."
"Big green field with sheep adjoining. Not easy by bus if you have reduced mobility."
"Although we have visited many times for the first time we went round the back of the house and following the path came across an oasis of beautiful areas. Consider taking a picnic as the tea rooms can be very busy in the summer months and quite expensive."
Overall Experience and Atmosphere
Pros:
"Absolutely superb garden! Beautiful areas to appreciate and all the plants looked very healthy."
"Such a stunning garden, I felt like I had walked into a painting."
"West Dean Gardens is one of the greatest restored Gardens open to the public in England."
"Wonderful gardens, expansive walled gardens and green houses you are welcome to meander through."
"A truly wonderful experience if you want to find calm and tranquillity with elegant surroundings."
Cons:
"Unfortunately, for me, the sculptures really detracted from the beauty."
"Pity it isn't free to visitors all the year round, and only available during mental health week."