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 pancake house.

Fantastic place! And FREE! Wonderful place to relax, picnic, walk, see fish 🐟, small animals 🦦 and birds 🐦🦆 There is also fishing but this requires membership possibly?? 🎣 Fish food and bird food can be bought in the shop for just £1 each and there are various other aquarium/garden/fishing bits and bobs! The shop also a few toys available to buy and cold drinks and ice lollies. We didn't get chance to go to the Pancake House as they were fully booked.

A wonderful experience not just for families with young children, pleasant walk with fresh water streams, variety of ducks, animal feed available from the on site shop, otters, lakes for fishing. The gardens have a vast tropical aquarium centre with everthing associated you need on sale.. The Pancake House Cafe was lovely and clean, staff and owner are very friendly. Could easily charge a enterance fee but instead its totally free to visit the gardens..a must see.

Free parking and short nature trail - Perfect for young children. Friendly chickens and ducks usually roaming the paths and bird/fish feed available from the aquarium. Well stocked, pristine fish tanks (tropical and marine) and knowledgeable staff to help with any questions. Dutch pancake house has plenty of menu options and friendly staff.

Free nature trail family friendly , lots of water bridges and animals , very well kept including the toilets. Free to browse aquarium. Reasonable prices at the Dutch Pancake House , excellent service and friendly staff . An absolute joy , would go again

First time we've been to Conwy Water Gardens. Ideal for fishing, which is what we were looking for. Nice nature walk. Children's play area was closed due to maintenance. Free entry but you do have to pay to fish

Lovely place to visit on a Sunday afternoon. The nature walk was very nice and a stop at the Dutch Pancake house is an absolute must.

Free entry, free parking.. Great little place for a walk about, dog friendly, pick up a packet of food at aquatic centre, kids loved to feed the ducks, chickens and geese.. Both Otters were out on our first visit, only one on our second.. They were more interested in the dog then us though.. After a walk round the nature trail, go back upto aquatic centre and see tropical fish, tortoise and turtles... Enjoy a pancake at the Dutch Pancake place.. Or maybe a days fishing at there own lake.. All in all good 3hr spent wandering round

Unexpected find, enjoyable. Did nature trail which wasn't long, enough for my elderly mother or young children. No entrance fee, donations as you felt. Fed ducks and geese.

Lovely little nature trail. Nice to see otters and pheasants,too. The waterfall is very picturesque. Great place for family visits, and free admission.

Lovely little place for a short walk. Fishing lakes available. Two very cute and happy otters in their enclosure. Nature Trail being extended. Free entry to the gardens. Delicious pancakes and well stocked aquatic shop too!

Now this place I just love! :) I have been visiting the Conwy Water Gardens for many years now, and have recently purchased some fish for my indoor aquarium. The price, overall range and quality of the fish and plants for sale is just great, and I was given some really sound advice on the use of my aquarium and other aquatic features of my outdoor pond. Thank-you! A really great place! :)

If Joe Exotic did water gardens, this would be it. The saving grace is the Dutch Pancake House where we did have some nice food and friendly service. Maybe due to the pandemic but the gardens are in a bad way, and I understand that being free to enter means the money for the upkeep must come from the fishing, aquarium and Restaurant but it was a sad sight. No signs of the otters or Capybara, a few ducks, a terapin a pheasant where the extent of the animal attractions, although we did see 2 massive rats, not sure they are on the itinerary though. All the signage is either old and faded, some on laminated A4 that looks like it has been there years, the water in most of the lagoons looked stagnant, but the Rododendrons did look stunning. The whole site is up for sale and I think with decent investment this could be a goldmine, but if that fails to turn up the future looks bleak.

Fantastic place to visit. No charges. Pancake restaurant, food was delicious, staff were very friendly and welcoming. Setting was beautiful.

The water gardens are absolutely beautiful with amazing flowers! The paths are well maintained and accessible on wheels to. The toilet by the entrance could've done with a bit more attention to cleaning but still perfectly usable. Lots of aquatics to suit your needs in the shop and you can see the fish and tortoises in the little aquarium. The also have otters here who are very cute and interesting along with a variety of ducks and chickens to feed. (with duck feed purchased from the gift shop, not bread). Entry is free but there is a gift shop. There's also The Dutch Pancake house where the staff were very accommodating and friendly however we waited over half an hour for our food which although tasty was far from substantial. Does for a nice lite bite but certainly go for a large if you want something more filling. There's plenty of parking. Overall a nice place to visit, nice for kids too and a lovely, interesting little walk on a nice day. :)

Lush new growth on water lettuce in our pond, aerated by a brilliant fountain, fed by 10 fish merrily swimming about a selection of lovely healthy plants. All on Matthew's advice and guidance. Thanks fella, top man! Very knowledgeable chap indeed. Excellent value vs pounds for long term satisfaction. Everything the shop, the gardens, the cafe and pancake House (cheers to chefs & serversl!) it is relaxing environment. Otters come out later afternoon when it's hotter weather. Pancakes: of course. Try the hot cherry one. You know you want to.

Free park with mini zoo. Lovely otter and other birds. Fishing area separated. Short but nice natural trail. Carried a picnic blanket all the way round, but hard to find a picnic spot. Picnic tables of the pancake house on entrance. Free parking, lots of space. Clean toilet at entrance, but washing basin needs maintaining.

Lunch at the Dutch Pancake House. Excellent food as always, Highly recommend,as a different lunch than you would usually get. Fast service, friendly staff.

Lovely afternoon out to look at all the fish and the surrounding areas with the fishing lake. Nice apple pie and icecream with a pot of tea. Staff very friendly and polite.

Sadly this did not live up to expectations having seen the leaflet.The Pancake House people were very nice but we saw few birds/ducks around and the playground was closed. All due to Covid and staff shortages. The children enjoyed looking at the fish.

Free parking and entry, dogs welcome. We managed to push toddler around some parts in a stroller but hard work - bumpy, uneven, narrow and hilly in places. There is a pheasant and some ducks in enclosures, no capybaras and we couldn't see any otters. Dutch pancake house was very small and very busy so we didn't try the food. Aquarium shop is big and has a few turtles/tortoises for sale and lots of fish - very hot on a sunny day. Overall a lovely place to walk around, only small so we visited for around an hour or so. Beautiful scenery.

Unfortunately we did not have a good experience at this garden. Whilst it's nice enough it is very small and massively miss sold. There were no capybara which were the main reason for our visit and only one otter. We also wanted to go to the pancake House but it was fully booked ( so make sure you call ahead) . Additionally, the aquatics centre is just a fish shop. A big disappointment of a visit to be honest. With some care and attention and the return of the capybara, this could be a really nice quick stop.

Staff very helpful and knowledgeable about the fish and setting up the pond. Had a coffee and a delicious lemon cake sat on the patio of the Pancake House. Be warned, if you particularly want to sit outside (digs not allowed inside) you need to book. Went for a walk around the nature trail. Saw the otters. It was lovely

Pleasant noon out with the kids. They have a nature trail, ducks area, otters, fishing area, mini aquarium area, Koi pools and a Dutch Pancake house.

Had a trip here as we were staying in the local area only knew it was here as we picked a leaflet up in our accommodation. As others have said it could do with a bit of a tidy up the animal enclosures are quite small and could do with a revamp. It was still a nice couple of hours wander around. We also visited the pancake House whilst here and so glad we did upon arrival the chef explained strait away that he was working alone and service would be a little slower we were in no hurry but can't say we waited that long anyway and his service was fantastic. Was a little on the pricey side but we'll worth the trip.