Bicton Park Botanical Gardens Reviews Summary

Gardens and Grounds

Pros:

• "This is one of the most picturesque and excellent gardens I have ever visited with a stunning array of flowers and plants on show."
• "Beautiful gardens and they are dog friendly (on a lead) too!"
• "The gardens are beautiful and the hermitage a great place to sit a while and take in the views."
• "Beautiful gardens and grounds."
• "Enjoyed the camellias and the magnolias."
• "The gardens are immaculate and it was interesting to see such a wide variety of trees from all over the world."
• "Gardens are spectacular."

Cons:

• "Visited a few years ago and was surprised at how run down it appeared."
• "Biggest disappointment were the gardens... absolutely neglected."
• "Gardens very nice but the park is very dirty all the signs and information boards very grubby."
• "Apart from gardens on front of house, borders looked as though they had not been tendered since spring."
• "Always enjoyed Bicton gardens over many years with the family but to our absolute horror this week we saw about 100 trees had been felled."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "All the staff are approachable and friendly!"
• "The staff are friendly and helpful making visitors feel welcome."
• "Staff very friendly and helpful and the coffee was not bad too👍"
• "The staff are always lovely and friendly."
• "Staff were lovely."
• "Very friendly and helpful staff."
• "Staff very pleasant and friendly."

Cons:

• "When advised staff not even an apology."
• "Soft play was closed due to covid (understandably) but the staff are so miserable and sometimes rude!"
• "Grumpy staff member spoke to other staff like sh!t whilst serving us."
• "Staff are so miserable and sometimes rude!"
• "The restaurant is awful the food is no better the staff are moody and don't smile."
• "On this occasion a grumpy member of staff approached our table in the completely empty cafe to say we could not have a picnic inside."

Food and Restaurant

Pros:

• "Food absolutely lush good portion size had chilli over nachos."
• "Food in the small restaurant is very nice and good value for money."
• "The café serves delicious food, definitely better than average for park café."
• "The restaurant had a really good range of Vegan products as well, which was a lovely surprise."
• "The food in the restaurant was delicious."
• "We eat there every few months & recommend the spinach, chickpea & sweet potato curry! Yum!"
• "Food was nicely presented, cooked and plenty of it and the staff were so lovely and friendly, nothing was too much bother."

Cons:

• "Cafe is great for food, however is slightly pricey."
• "Good food at the restaurant although increased prices in last couple of years have made it quite expensive."
• "They charged £1 each for our dogs. Bit mean I think."
• "Very pricey for what it is and then very expensive cafe too."
• "The food in the cafe, while really lovely, is also expensive."
• "The restaurant is overpriced however, and the food is disappointing."
• "Cafe food was pretty average. Lots of GF options ✔ but the chocolate cake was awful."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Reasonable price for day ticket but upgrade available which gives full years entry free and discounts thereafter."
• "So glad we did, it was amazing and such good value."
• "Great value for the ticket for a fun wholesome time out."
• "Beautiful gardens plus lots for grandchildren (that’s why we went). Entry can seem expensive, but a very reasonable extra payment gives you membership for a year, which is brilliant value."
• "Great value annual membership though."
• "The annual pass (membership) is excellent value for money at just over £20."
• "Good value for money as we all upgraded our tickets to 12-month pass."

Cons:

• "It is expensive to get in though."
• "Too expensive and not everything included in entry."
• "Very pricey for what it is and then very expensive cafe too."
• "Making the day out nearly £70... very overpriced for a family."
• "If you're a tourist and are unfortunately not a member you will be charged a whopping £13.95 entry fee! And that's just for one adult!"
• "We were disappointed because whilst pleasant, £47.35 admission for a family of 3 (which included the cost of a very mediocre train ride), does not represent any kind of value for money."
• "Very expensive though, it was over £40 for 1 adult & my 3 grandchildren to enter, plus food and drinks!!"

Facilities and Activities

Pros:

• "Loved the train ride."
• "Some great outdoor play parks for children."
• "There is lots of stuff for children."
• "The facilities for children are excellent; besides the miniature railway, indoor soft play and large outdoor play area, there are miles of paths to explore, bushes to hide in and enormous pinecones to find..."
• "There is so much to do for children with a train, tractor play area and several play grounds."
• "There are plenty of picnic benches spread out throughout the gardens."
• "The gardens are fabulous for adults to stroll through and enjoy the fabulous trees and formal Italian Garden."

Cons:

• "Always loved this place, but some of the attractions are poorly maintained."
• "The train ride is a lovely experience, although unnecessarily pricey on top of the entrance fee."
• "The one train they were running fully booked by a coach load of pensioners leaving many families disappointed."
• "Also no way to play when at play area... Had to get balls/clubs at entrance but was not told!"
• "Very disappointing for my mother, who is in wheelchair, to be told at arrival (2pm) that the ‘train rides stopped at lunchtime!"
• "The garden centre was a bit disappointing."
• "The mini golf looked very tired."