Chessington Zoo

"We love Chessington but last time we visited some bits really let it down. The smokehouse restaurant the staff are so slow it's unbelievable, they had run out of sides, Mac and cheese and all they had left was chips that looked like they had been under a heat lamp for a week, then by the time you have ques up to pay and then gone and sat down it's cold. The bar wasn't much better, ordered a pint of cider and she was having problems with it, the. Said take a bottle instead, which is cheaper but couldn't give me back the difference, then tried to give me the cloudest pint of cider I've ever seen and I said no thanks, the other person bought a Stella and said it tasted like the pipes need cleaning.(again cloudy).. then to top it off even though we are pass holders went to do the winter trail and was.told "no o sorry that's extra charge".. even though nearly all the rides where shut and that's the only reason we stayed was to see that."

"Very disapointing. Some animal pens were small for the animals kept in them. Some were smelly, muddy and infested with nettles and weeds. One giraffe was seen licking a metal post with a few bare twigs attached, another chewing on bark on another bare branch. Performing sea lions? These shows should have been banned years ago what ever the reason. After its performance the solitary sea lion seemed positively distressed that it was left alone. Regardless of the good work the park claims to be involved with conserving species around the world, it should concentrate on being either an amusement park or a safari park. It hasn't got the room for both. Very expensive at £40 for entrance!"

"Because i went in the week in May alot of the attractions were closed which was disappointing, great selection of animals. Lots getting built so hoping for some more interesting attractions"

"Stayed overnight at Chessington in a themed room. Beds were uncomfortable and the pillows too soft making sleep uncomfortable. The children's bunk beds were fantastic and they had some fun with a room treasure hunt as well as a hotel treasure hunt! The park itself is what you would expect for a theme park - long queues for all the major rides. We were disappointed that the rides were not open for the early birds - ie those staying at the hotel are meant to have access to the rides before anyone else. Instead the 4 of us ended up queueing for the vampire for an hour. We ended up being Third in the queue. Later on the ride queue time was constantly 80mins but that's in theory - in reality it's much more. A few of the rides were also closed which was disappointing. We never made it to the splash pool - as we were busy queueing and didn't book a time slot. The breakfast was really good - full English breakfast. The dinner was ok for vegetarians - and had quite a bit of vegetables and salad choice as well as pasta and macoroni and cheese. Don't think it's worth the value for money to stay there but you are right next to the park and can walk and see the animals in the morning."

"Everything seemed a little dated; the hotel was nice, didn't see any giraffes from our room, but appreciate that's not guaranteed. The aquarium was closed, unfortunately. The viewing areas where plastic screens are used prevent clear visibility of some animals. Kids liked it, but I suspect they both wanted a better visual experience. Staff were really lovely, always helpful whether in the hotel or in the zoo."