Conwy Water Gardens — Attraction in Henryd

Bit sad.

Visited Conwy Water Gardens today after picking up a flyer & it was not as advertised.

Walking in the smell of stagnant water was very off-putting. Most of the water is covered in algae or is dirty and fowl smelling.

The conditions of the animal enclosures are substandard. The otter has a small enclosure & looks very bored, looking at other reviews left here we were lucky to have seen him, but I wish I hadn't as I was left feeling very upset and worried for its wellbeing. Clever wild animals such as this need a larger enclosure or simply to be set free.

Ducks and pheasants are in the same situation, small unkempt enclosure with the pheasant pacing back and forth trying to get out... if isolating for covid was bad for us imagine how they feel trapped in there.

I am unsure why ducks are caged, as there are multiple large ponds (however green) that would be great to let ducks roam freely. Seems cruel.

A plastic bucket & pieces of metal are were in the turtle pond which was also dirty, shown in the second to last image.

The "aquarium and reptile house" is misleading as its just a pet shop/garden centre.

The nature trail was incredibly short & disappointing.

Unfortunately the pancake house was fully booked, so disappointingly drove an hour to see animals in a poor condition.

I would rather pay a couple of pounds on entry to ensure the animals and grounds are maintained, and ponds cleaned, as opposed to free entry with voluntary contributions.

If not I'd like to see the animals re-homed so the company could focus on what is clearly doing well - the...

Only given one star because there are no minus ones. Drove 50 miles to a run down shambles, we all wanted pancakes and did without breakfast so we could eat at the pancake house then explore the grounds. The pancake house was virtually empty at 11.30so we thought we would eat first, only to be told that they would not have been able to seat us until 3.30pm, not a viable option especially with hungry kids in tow. We were told that because there was only one chef on duty they couldn't sell us anything to eat outside at the picnic area even. When we expressed our disappointment she said well we're busy because of the school holidays. So it beggars belief that a business is turning people away even tho they're empty, because they haven't hired enough staff in the busiest time of the year. Bad management by any stretch of the imagination. Thank goodness that the pub at the top of the road has a brilliant chef, and wonderful staff. So save yourself the disappointment of travelling down the narrow lane to the pancake house and eat at the Groes Hotel, they serve from 12.00 noon great portion sizes and prices are more than comparable to a pancake...

I was so excited when I picked up the leaflet to find a place that was free and accessible for my mother in a wheelchair. We arrived and all was well, we made straight for the Dutch Pancake House, which was a great find, with a lovely view of the pond. Three of us had the delicious Dutch Pancakes, with hot cherries and cream. My Dad was less impressed with his, which looked like a ham and pineapple pizza. However, he was in a hard to please mood, and looked with envy at our choices. Next we decided to look for the Capybaras and Otters, and embarked on the nature trail. This was a very bumpy ride for my mother in her chair. Plus the path was not flat for most of the trail, which required the stronger members of the group to push the chair uphill and then down again. On the leaflet it shows disabled access bridges which were the easiest part of the trail, it also states that all areas of the park are accessible by wheelchair. I challenge members of staff and owners of the Conway Water Park to try the nature trail in a wheelchair, and then decide whether it is an accessible trail. I rated this visit 3/5 purely due to limited access...