Paignton Zoo, Whitley Room

Excellent day out. Nice size zoo but some of the enclosures are large and you may miss seeing one or two but you can't fault the zoo for that really. We missed the wallabies and the mained wolf but all the others came out.

This zoo is in a beautiful valley location, tucked away in a part of Paignton that somehow felt rural. The park itself was tidy well maintained but with a charming old fashioned feel. The staff were all engaged and friendly. Most importantly there was a decent variety of animals, all clearly well looked after and sympathetically managed. A really nice day out.

Ok we went for my daughter's birthday, not my 1st choice for a trip as I don't like the idea of Zoos. But I accept they are a necessary service for the animals and humans alike. There's a walk down from the car park to the entrance to the zoo. I believe however, disabled can drive down and be dropped off. Just remembered to save some energy after a long walk round, to be able to climb the hill to get back to the car park! Although for the most part it's not a difficult walk and quite a pretty pathway. Warning it is expensive to enter, about £26 an adult to walk through the gates. Currently you get a free visit back, if you're still in the area to see more you may have missed. So with the slightly dour start done, let's move on to the fantastic bit... The park is very clean and quite spacious, the food in the restaurant is very good for this type of venue, disabled access is very good overall. Gluten free is just about doable although choices are very limited. So bring your own if allergies are a concern, but catering staff are helpful over such matters. The important thing for me was the animals are looked after very well. There's enough room for them to exercise which is good and sleeping areas are clean. It's good to see the employees attending the animals throughout the day and feeding times are well coordinated. My daughter loves the big cats and they were on show that day, last time they hid away, so don't expect to see every animal. We never saw the rhinos at all, but they must be there somewhere! As with the rest of the zoo the cats were very chilled and seemed relaxed and unstressed, which is a great sign. A testament to the care of the keepers. There are loads of ice cream shops as you walk around and there are a few slopes to climb, so on a hot day and ice cream is a welcome break. There's also a great climbing area for the kids right near an outdoor cafe, a brilliant idea. Young people seemed to love the zoo and adults were overall captivated by the closeness of the animals hence the 5 stars. Apart from the cost of entry, the whole place is well maintained and animals seem content, I guess you get what you pay for. The shop is full of cuddly toys and key rings - great for kids, but not much for adults to take away as a memory. Overall a good day out for a family, if the cost was £15 to enter, then I'd be happier to pay it, as it would represent value for money. Although I guess the animals need their upkeep costs paid and it can't be cheap. Definitely worth a visit, the family enjoyed the trip and walk round and great to see such a wide variety of creatures in a days walkabout. Well done Paignton Zoo!