Hotel and things to do near the Eden Project

[MrsCardone]

Hello, I am planning a trip to the Eden Project for myself and DD. Can anybody recommend a nearby hotel? We will be taking public transport everywhere. Also does anybody know of a restaurant or cafe with vegan options? Many thanks.

Sorry, prob no direct bus to Eden, but certainly to the other places I mentioned.

I'd manage your expectations re: Eden Project. Its massively overpriced and disappointing in my opinion. Shockingly so in fact.

@RampantIvy I don’t know. I’ve travelled (alone sometimes) in some of the most dangerous countries in the world, but the idea of a creepy B&B in Cornwall terrifies me 😄 ! I think I may have seen too many horror films...

@MrsCardone I think you're justified in your fears. I had really scary experience wild camping this summer. You feel very vulnerable on your own with your child at times.

I went a couple of years ago and loved it; I said 'this has ruined the Cambridge botanical gardens for me!' We stayed in the youth hostel ex-storage containers too which DS (5 at the time) thought was great. 'Where are we sleeping tonight mummy?' 'A box.' 'No we're not!' 'Yes we are!' 😁

The B&Bs I’ve seen in St Austell seem fairly normal. I’ve stayed in some myself. Nothing recent enough to recommend.

Cornish people are usually happy to help you. There is a main road in the town where all the houses are B&Bs. St Austell isn’t a remote village!!

The Eden project is SO boring. I went with three children last year. It was dire.

A 9 yr old might fair better but don't expect to have a full day out there. I could have easily got around the whole place in an hour.....

[quote jazzupyourchuff]@MrsCardone I think you're justified in your fears. I had really scary experience wild camping this summer. You feel very vulnerable on your own with your child at times.[/quote]
Wild camping isn't the same as staying in a B and B.

The breakfast in a B and B is likely to be better as it will be freshly cooked rather than the lukewarm offerings you get in a Premier Inn.

Par beach is great for going rock pooling when the tide is out. Especially the left hand side (if you’re facing the sea). It’s a dog beach but enormous. Par also has an indoor market on certain days of the week and there is a stall called Daisy’s Cornish delights and she does some amazing vegan cakes. She made DS a huge dairy free milkshake so we are a big fan!

We stayed in the youth hostel pods which was great as you're on site. One thing we all loved was eating at the restaurant in the Mediterranean biome in the evening, was really magical.

We stay at the Premier Inn.
Been to Eden loads of times as the kids have grown up. It's done them good.

I'm a local and would choose Heligan Gardens over Eden any day. My kids were always pretty bored at Eden but love Heligan - the gardens are so beautiful and they have craft workshops, seasonal treasure hunt type trails and a really nice cafe and farm shop. They have animals too to look at. I'm sure the Premier Inn is fine and. its on the way really to Eden and just over a mile from train station. You could always look at staying in Charlestown too - Pier House Hotel, Rashleigh Inn and T'Gallants all very good. Charlestown has some really good restaurants and cafes/coffee shops as well as being very pretty with lovely costal walks.

p.s. Plus Charlestown has the tunnel of lights at xmas time and is extra pretty this time of year when lit up at night.

I stayed with kids at the yha onsite. Not in December though. Kids loved it and we could dip back for lunch, snacks etc

@neamchimpsky are the pods and Mediterranean restaurant at the Eden Project?

@MrsCardone the med restaurant is in the med biome. The pods are at the YHA which is on site but outside of the Eden project itself and further down, past the car park.

When we were there last week, the Med biome restaurant was closed, didn't look as if it had been open at all that day. The main restaurant between the biomes was open as was the one at the entrance next to the shop. But the whole site shut at 4.30pm. They seem to be alternating between closing at 4.30pm one week and 6.30pm the next. So I would assume staff shortages and no evening restaurant at the moment. And the whole site is shut for a week next week. They are doing Christmas events though.

I wouldn't stay in the pods in site this time of year with no car to get me into St Austell for evening meals. And there was only one car there when I looked - could be quite lonely and a bit creepy.

I'd choose the Premier Inn in StA for a couple of nights. At least McDonalds is handy for a quick meal

https://www.oldparsonage.net/?utmsource=GMB%20Listing&utmm_medium=Organic

Eden in December is amazing - go later in the day so you can also experience the biomes in the dark - they are all lit up and it's wonderful. If you've not been before, do them in the daylight first, then pootle round the outside bits / have a meal before going back in again after dusk. It's dark enough by 4/5 pm.
The Santa experience is the best we've ever done and ice skating is fun. Both need prebooking.
Those that say it's looking tired - we went last week and disagree (we're local and go several times a year). There are lots of new things to look at in the rainforest biome especially- new displays and signs and they've really pruned the trees and tidied it up. Some of the interactive / technology based exhibits are deliberately switched off to keep people moving and avoid 'bottlenecking' - an ongoing legacy of Covid. Some parts outside are a bit sparse - they suffered a huge landslide last Christmas and work to stabilise the bank / repair the damage is ongoing. I agree that the Core building is a shadow of its former self though and feels a bit unloved.
Public transport in Cornwall in December isn't amazing but if you stay in somewhere like Truro, you should be able to get around ok. Or even Penzance - there's a premier inn next to the station. To get to Eden, get a train to St Austell and then a bus to Eden (or a taxi but you may need to prebook, you can't just hail a black cab or book an Uber down here!).
The Christmas lights at Mousehole harbour are a must in December if you're staying at that end of the county. You could walk from Penzance if your DD is a good walker (it's a safe route with pavements all the way along the seafront - about 3 miles in each direction but there are shops and things to look at along the way as you pass through Newlyn).
Penzance has a thermal outdoor Lido pool on the seafront that is amazing in winter too.
Have fun!