David Austin Roses Ltd Reviews Summary

Gardens and Roses

Pros:

• "The gardens are immaculately kept and the roses are stunning in both look and scent."
• "Beautiful gardens, beautiful roses - our visit was just magical! The scent of the roses drifted all over the Gardens."
• "The garden areas are beautiful with a vast range of roses, and other plants, which are worth a visit."
• "The roses are beautiful and the gardens are a source of inspiration."
• "What a beautiful place, the gardens are stunning and smell divine."
• "Beautiful gardens with stunning roses."
• "The multiple display rose gardens are well laid out with wide flat paths."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately the specimen garden itself was closed during our visit."
• "Timing may have been better as some of the roses had started to die."
• "Busier than I've ever known it, especially on a weekday, and a lot of the roses had gone over without being deadheaded."
• "Everything looked dead - spent blooms left on stems, most roses had black spot and it looked like nothing had been watered for weeks!!!!"
• "Have been looking forward to visiting here since we booked our spot... we were expecting to see some fantastic displays of roses but I have to say we were disappointed."
• "Unfortunately when we were there, the place was under a little struggle due to the terrible weather, but you can see how amazing it would be in full bloom!"
• "The roses for sale were in a much better condition than the ones in the gardens, so they're worth a look too."

Customer Service and Staff

Pros:

• "Finally the chance to buy what you like, no pressure sales, if you see what you want then buy it and your guaranteed for 5 years."
• "The staff friendly, helpful and knowledgeable if you have any sensible questions."
• "All the staff were friendly and helpful."
• "The staff are so helpful and friendly and if you can't find a rose you're looking for, they'll be happy to help."
• "Staff were very knowledgeable and helpful."
• "The staff are very courteous and helpful."
• "Staff were friendly and helpful."

Cons:

• "Roses are beautiful but prices have gone up a bit. Lunch was lovely in the tea room/house but service was not very good, all very young staff."
• "Recently purchased 2 roses from David Austin... the roses were rammed in the box ensuring snapped stems... Really poor customer service!"
• "I will never go again, which is a real shame."
• "Cafe area hopeless. Staff strolling around looking lost, didn't seem to understand about service and although the cafe was at half capacity it took 45 minutes for two coffees and two scones."
• "Some serving staff are a little grouchy but the food, cake and coffee is great."
• "It's a shame we could only purchase pre packed sandwiches in the cafe but the hot food in the restaurant looked delicious."
• "I was a little disappointed with the cafe. I had tea and toast; I did expect a better quality bread instead of the thin sliced I was given."

Accessibility and Facilities

Pros:

• "The rose garden is free to visit and to view a selection of their roses planted and at their finest."
• "The gardens are especially stunning mid May to September, but it's worth a visit year round."
• "Mostly accessible for wheelchair users with wide flat pathways."
• "Excellent organised restaurant, wheelchair accessible gardens and routes to and from the sales area."
• "Beautiful gardens with good accessibility all round."
• "Cafe and restaurant available with wheelchair access."
• "There is a large car park."

Cons:

• "This place is something of a joke, I'm afraid 4 disabled places for somewhere which is mostly going to appeal to the elderly and disabled."
• "Not many disabled parking bays and we had to park in the overflow carpark (a field) which was not the best for use with a wheelchair."
• "Car park was FULL, people just stopping their car and blocking routes. Could do with a bigger car park."
• "However, it was absolutely packed, shoulder to shoulder with maskless people around the gardens and shopping area."
• "The gardens are mostly step free but are either gravel or grass underfoot, so might be difficult to navigate unless the person pushing the chair is quite able bodied, or the chair is electric."
• "The cafes seemed to be doing a roaring trade but finding a table outside was near impossible."
• "The only one downside, could do with a lot more seating around the gardens, especially on a hot day."

Food and Beverages

Pros:

• "We had the special meal of the day which was hake in bisque sauce with French beans, asparagus and brocoli tips, served on a bed of new potatoes."
• "The fish and chips are lush and they have a great choice of tea, all served in gorgeous teapots."
• "The food in the restaurant is superb the Fish and Chips amazing."
• "Visited the restaurant too, and the food was delicious - the Gardener's Platter and Key Lime Pie were excellent."
• "The restaurant also serves great food freshly cooked meals."
• "We had a cream tea in the café which was superb."
• "The coffee shop and the restaurant serves good quality food."

Cons:

• "Very busy (mid June), queue for the cafe."
• "Huge queues for lunch or drinks, very disappointing considering they made you book a ticket due to 'restricted numbers due to covid.'"
• "The cafe was absolutely rammed though and they had ran out of ice cream before midday!"
• "The cafe and the restaurant looked great, but they were heaving with large queues."
• "The cafe food is nice too although a tad expensive and there isn't much choice on the lunch menu for vegetarians."
• "Didn't try the restaurant, it was full by 12:30 - this suggests it is very popular."
• "The cafe food is nice too although a tad expensive and there isn't much choice on the lunch menu for vegetarians."