The Lost Gardens of Heligan Reviews 

This is about the open seating area just before you go into the gardens , theres a small coffee shop set aside from the resturant we purchased among other foods a sausage roll which although hot was very greasy not edible also being served with a hot coffee .
I tried putting a take away lid on it that did not fit spilling most over my hand . found a suitable table but looking around at the rest of them including ours were totally covered in a green mould, bird droppings all had seen better days.So much so we could not sit on any of them ,come on Tim Smit put some of your your profits back into some decent tables and benches or at least clean them up !.

Very disappointed. Apart from the small flower garden, unless you like rhodedendrons when in flower (which they weren't being June), there is very limited colour. It was very dark, (due to large rhodendendrons overhanging the path - dangerous in places), not very well signposted and the map provided wasn't particularly clear to understand. The paths were in good condition (although I'm no path expert) and perfect for mobility restricted people. The cafe was understaffed, the tables wobbly and the benches in the barbecue area were disgusting being covered in bird poo and rotting - unfit for purpose. £50 for 2 adults is a lot of money just for a wooded dog walk!! We have visited other gardens which are half the admission fee and the planting in our opinion is far superior and more varied. On a positive the toilets were clean, parking was good and free (bonus) and there was a large shop but in our opinion is too commercial. We will not be returning!

Have recently been there with friends and children however they offer absolutely NO concessions for OAP, Blue Light or Defence Discount Card holders of which I am all 3. Adult admission is £24.95 which is a bit steep for what is there and this has sharply increased in the past few years. They seem to want to pride themselves on return visits and memberships but as a one off on holiday felt the cost was a bit high.
Whilst we accept you can take a picnic and find somewhere nice to eat it, they do have a captive market for restaurants. Sadly again these are a premium to get a table. At the restaurant by the entrance there were lots of tables on the day we visited however not many had been cleared by the lacking amount of what seemed overworked staff. Food is also very expensive - with a lot of it padded out with rabbit food and chutneys just to make the plate look full and not an extensive menu for children who usually just want basic stuff not fancy things - Basic pasta not green pesto pasta). It really is NOT good value for money.
Overall, an expensive day made worse by overpriced food and poor service.
Note to management - please consider discounts for OAP's, Blue light or Defence Discount card holders who have actually done something for the country. You do it for students so why not the other end of the scale? Don't increase your entrance fee any more as it will become prohibitive and people simply won't go there.

Edit 18 July 2024
As management at Heligan can't be bothered to post a reply then I have dropped my review by one star. They may not care but neither do I as doubtful I will return there. Constructive feedback is for all and common decency should at least acknowledge good and not so good things, but clearly not the case here. At the time of writing, there are 4 posts and all 1 star - something completely a miss surely??!!