Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens — Attraction in Abbotsbury

Tricky one as of writing this review the cafe and loos are closed for refurbishment, Meaning the pop up marquee is now the cafe and for loos are 3 tiny portaloos and 1 larger one for disabled people. They are very high so are difficult to use if you have mobility issues. Sadly these were filthy today and the flushes did not work and no hand washing facilities (foam pump on wall empty) So no real hand washing hygiene facilities. (worrying with a food handling area on site so we did not buy any food or drink on site) The site was colourful of the time of writing this but a lot of areas have been cleared for new planting.The magnolia walk was open but in wetter weather it can be closed for safety. The big white pheasant in the "avery" was injured and could barely walk which was distressing to see. Dog owners were letting dogs run on the beds digging, chasing wildlife, and constantly barking. The smell of dog pee on benches is noticeable and with the dog bins around site the smell on a warm day of dogs mess is strong. We have been going to the site for over 10 years and sadly since it being more dog friendly its less enjoyable.

The site Is not for children with many Poisonous types of plant water ways with no barriers and no play activities. so children need to be controlled and watched at all times.

Wildlife . Sites not really wildlife friendly as the Gardens have to be maintained so deer, squirrels and such are controlled. You can hear Woodpeckers and song birds, see lizards. I once saw a vole. Some insects like butterflies and scarab beetles but again its a maintained garden. I would phone in advance at the time of this review to see what facilities are available on site before booking..

Its a lovely site when its at its best But...

Visited today with my mum who uses a motorised wheelchair. There is a big lip on the floor at the entrance which should’ve been a sign! Things like this may not look like much to others but really affect wheelchair users. You get a free carer ticket with a disabled ticket so that’s a plus. The wheelchair route is marked and is explained on entry. The route is about 1/3 of the gardens (which is not mentioned before paying) so you miss a lot. We tried out a couple of the paths that were not part of the route but they were far too uneven. The actual wheelchair path was mostly extremely uneven with a few deep ridges that my mum had to get out so I could push the wheelchair over (fortunately she can!). The journey was unpleasant and even the motorised wheelchair struggled, wheel spinning in spots and veering off the path due to the uneven grounds. The deep gravel made it impossible to get going at times. I think to non wheelchair users this looks like a great accessible path but the majority of the journey was stressful for the both of us. Mum reported the accessible toilets as inaccessible as they are at the end of a slim corridor requiring the use of x2 heavy doors at awkward angles, difficult to manoeuvre in the small space in a wheelchair. The gardens are beautiful it’s just a shame it’s so inaccessible when it seems to be advertised that it is! I wish it had just said that unfortunately the gardens are not accessible for wheelchair users. Would recommend reviewing the...

Lovely gardens, significantly overpriced café. Not as child friendly as it used to be. No options for childrens lunches - £5 for a cheese sandwich with dry bread. Shame the food costs a lot more for worse quality and lesser variety and portion.

As a family over several generations we have been coming here for decades.

It is very sad thay cafe has gone completely down hill. We used to come here at least once a month with our eldest child including peak season. The food USED to be good quality home cooked food, with good selection of soups and specials. They would also rustle up scrambled eggs on toast or just toast for the little ones of requested.

We haven't visited for a while and was very disappointed to find that the only hot food were reheated brioche rolls with either bacon pork or sausage. Sausage rolls or pasties kept warm in a cabinet similar to service stations. The soup was the same, served in a paper cup. These cost between £5-6 each.

They did have salads and sandwiches, but the quality being no better than a tesco meal deal, but cost £5 per sandwich alone.

A small cup of chips (