Blue Reef Aquarium Newquay Reviews Summary

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Would like to say big thankyou to Cameron he went above and beyond."
• "The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable."
• "All the staff were friendly, showing lovely affection towards all fishies."
• "The staff was lovely, great selection in gift shop."
• "The staff where all lovely especially a blonde haired lady who was sorting out the starfish and she let us touch one that was in her hand."
• "Enjoyed a visit to the Aquarium, interesting talk with Abbey whilst feeding Orimos the turtle."
• "The staff are very knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions at the feed or talks."

Cons:

• "Staff where Non-existent (it seemed) and the gentleman at the front desk looked like he’d had enough of his job but still served with a smile on his face."
• "Some people not taking it very seriously, cafe was short staffed and tables were not cleaned between users."
• "Really unclean everywhere. Staff don't care."
• "The only thing is the toilets was so gross, need to be repainted and a little refurb."
• "Do not waste your money. Literally the worse aquarium I have ever been too."
• "I'm going to give my honest opinion of Blue Reef Aquarium I was disappointed to say the least."
• "Wouldn't recommend."

Facilities and Cleanliness

Pros:

• "Large restaurant upstairs with lift access throughout."
• "The building looks a bit dilapidated from the outside but inside the tank areas look well maintained and the toilets and eating areas were clean."
• "The aquarium throughout is stunning and very well kept."
• "The tanks were kept very clean so visibility was perfect."
• "All the tanks were clean and the occupants active and visible."
• "There is a lift to the first floor for those with prams or wheelchair users."
• "Access was good with the pram throughout the exhibition."

Cons:

• "The glass in most areas is quite dirty, not only does it make you wonder about the general hygiene but also makes taking pictures a pain."
• "Sadly the aquarium is very run down in the public areas and not very clean, especially the toilets!"
• "The toilets are disgusting. In desperation need of modernization. You smell them before you see them."
• "The same cannot be said for the facilities however as it all looked tired and rundown."
• "The tanks could do with some extra cleaning."
• "The ladies loos were not clean and let down the experience."
• "It's nice place for the family visit, however in current climate blue reef staff could do little bit more to help the cleanliness of this place such as cleaning and disinfecting aquarium glass as its visibly dirty on outside."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Reasonably priced for a family ticket, with return entry through the day meant we were able to go back and see other feeding times."
• "Well priced, brilliant for kids also."
• "Worth going to as we paid with Tesco vouchers so effectively free."
• "Tesco club card can be used to greatly reduce price."
• "The cafe was good and did not silly prices which was a relief."
• "Bit pricey but not as much as I've paid before and it all goes to a good cause."
• "Prices vary but around £12.75/adult."

Cons:

• "It was interesting and informative but wasn't great value for money."
• "It was ok but not sure it was good value for money at just under £50 for family ticket."
• "It cost almost £40 for a family of 4 (youngest child was free). I dont recommend paying full price if you can get a deal, as there just isnt enough to see."
• "Expensive for a place that can get around in well under an hour."
• "Everything is over priced. The whole building needs a desperate refit."
• "Wasn't very family friendly or inviting if I'm honest and i do appreciate you need to raise these funds but fail to see how you hope to increase visitor number with such high costs for a family of 4?"
• "For the price it wasn't really worth it."

Accessibility and Location

Pros:

• "It’s in the centre of Newquay so plenty around."
• "You can walk around in about an hour but it’s in the centre of Newquay so plenty around."
• "Great place to take the whole family, if you pay then they stamp you so you can go in all day."
• "Once you pay to access, you receive a stamp so you can enter throughout the day as often as you like."
• "Parking was very difficult and we had to park in a pay car park about 10 mins walk away but the parking was only £1 for whole day so was a bargain!"
• "Parking is a bit of a nightmare, we found the Atlantic Road Car Park was a great option, and only a 10 min walk to the aquarium."
• "Firstly, there isn’t any car parking near the Aquarium but there is a local (but rather expensive & tight) car parking area just a few minutes walk behind the Aquarium."

Cons:

• "Steep hill down to the aquarium with no parking nearby."
• "There is no parking onsite and a short walk there via stairs or slope towards Towan beach."
• "No parking so you have to park up in Newquay Town and walk down - was fine for us as the weather was good but if it was raining you'd get soaked on the way there!"
• "A difficult place to get to if with children (push chairs)/disabled as requires a longish walk down a very steep hill or lots of steps."
• "It is not big, round walk will take about 20 min. Not much marine life either."
• "Expensive and not very accessible."
• "Long queue to get in despite having tickets."

Exhibits and Education

Pros:

• "What a lovely aquarium next to the ocean, a touching story about being the safe home for sea turtle Omiros."
• "Some fascinating exhibits. Knowledgeable staff."
• "We read the stories on each tank which made the visit educational and memorable."
• "Nice staff will tell interesting information about fish."
• "Surprisingly good, despite its poor advertising. There are interesting things to read as well as see."
• "Loads of different aquatic animals to see and the talks by the staff are very educational."
• "They do some good conservation work, including taking in rescue creatures."

Cons:

• "The aquarium has been in Newquay for years so it’s slightly dated now."
• "The 2 stars is purely for the sea turtle as it was lovely to see and visible from 3 different viewpoints in there. Otherwise we completed this in 30 mins on a quiet weekday."
• "Sadly there is one turtle. I get that he is a rescue, but while I visited he was sitting on the floor of the tank, there is no where for him to get natural sun like the do in wild."
• "I don't agree that a blind turtle should be left to swim around a tank for years just slapping the sides, it is not nice."
• "Not enough variety of species in aquarium and not everything was laid out in an accessible or child friendly way."
• "Got a few fish in a few tanks. Not much in the way of education."
• "Information about creatures like seahorses that weren't there, which was disappointed."