Blue Reef Aquarium, Newquay

We visited here in the summer of 2010 with our just 2 and almost 4 year old. We found (although this might just be us!) the aquarium quite inaccessible to get to - we ended up parking in a big carpark in the middle of Newquay and walking, as the Aquarium is right on the beach. I dislike Newquay and tried to avoid it for our holiday, but had to endure the 'surfer dudes' to get to the aquarium. It is down a massive hill, so be prepared for the walk back up it afterwards, particularly if you are visiting with older people or young children. The aquarium is buggy-friendly, which is always a bonus as I hate having to take a different route to the rest of our party on days out. Even from the first tank we leaned into, the kids were exclaiming "WOW" and "OOHHH, look at THAT!" so it sucked them in from the very beginning. By the time we got to the tunnel where small sharks and stingrays swim over your heads, they were still enthralled, as were we. There was lots of information on boards to read which we all found really interesting about the animals and fish we were looking at. We visited the cafe for a drink and a packet of crisps after we'd finished, so can't really comment on the food, although like most places like this it looked expensive. The beach outside is well worth a visit - golden sands and blue waters. One thing worth noting (and I wish we'd known this) if you are travelling from elsewhere in Cornwall for the day to the Blue Reef, it won't fill a whole day. Pack swimming costumes, sun cream and towels, as the beach looked VERY inviting, and I wish I'd known as we would have spent the rest of the day on the beach. I think the Blue Reef Aquarium is well worth a visit, and I think would appeal for children of most ages. Highly recommended.

Perfect location right next to the beach in newquy, attended with my 8 yr old daughter and sisters 6 yr old daughter. They both loved the sting rays and nemo fish (clown fish) and the aquarium is surprisingly quite large and full of interesting facts whilst on the walk. I only deducted a .5 score as it's a bit expensive but this is the norm for a tourist resort.

Aquariums are always a good option on a chilly day at the seaside and my children enjoyed Blue Reef. However, the downside to this Aquarium is that it is very expensive and my teenagers all had to pay £8 as well as £9 each for my husband and I. The biggest difference between the Blue Reef Aquarium and other aquariums we have been to is that here they try to include the children more rather than just give them something to look at. We did enjoy seeing the sharks being fed and were amazed at how crazy they go being fed a 1000 tiny fish. Throughout the day there are various activities which all children will enjoy seeing. A very interesting afternoon out: but for us a very expensive one.