Absolutely awful experience!
We booked the Christmas grotto experience for our two youngest children and were extremely disappointed with the overall quality, organisation, and professionalism of the visit.
We arrived only three minutes late due to traffic; however, there was no contact number available online and no parking on site, including no disabled bays. Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses open to the public have a duty to consider accessibility, and the absence of any disability provision was the first sign of poor planning.
When we entered the shop, I informed staff at the till that we were here for the grotto and was simply told to go upstairs. There was no welcome, no customer engagement, and no effort to create a magical atmosphere despite the £23.50 per child price.
Upstairs, Santa and Mrs Claus were standing at the entrance talking amongst themselves. I introduced the children clearly by name, and I had already provided their names, ages, and disabilities on the booking form. Despite this, Santa repeatedly called my daughter “Penelope” and referred to my selectively mute son simply as “mate”, even though his real name had been given in writing and verbally multiple times.
I also made Santa aware that my son has communication difficulties. After this, Santa barely acknowledged him at all. While sitting with me, my son quietly said he was bored because he wasn’t being spoken to or included in any meaningful way. This added to his discomfort and showed a clear failure to adapt communication, something required as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010.
Inside the grotto, the interaction felt disjointed. Mrs Claus frequently interrupted Santa and took over the conversation, creating an awkward and uncoordinated atmosphere. Neither of them adjusted their approach to suit the children’s needs, even though those needs were clearly communicated in advance and in person.
The gifts provided were very basic. I had contacted them beforehand to ask what toy options would be available (as autistic children often need preparation), but the message went ignored. The selection offered slap-band watches, small Grinch games, and “elf eggs” all were low-value items worth around £5–7, the sort of toys you’d expect from a shopping mall grotto, not one that costs £23.50. There was no support offered to help the children choose, even though decision making is a common difficulty for autistic children.
The photo situation was poorly handled. I clearly stated I did not want to be in the photos and only wanted pictures of the children. Staff insisted repeatedly that “the whole family” must be in the photo. This prolonged the process unnecessarily and increased my son’s discomfort, ultimately leading him to refuse the photo entirely, so I had to sit with my daughter instead. It sounds harsh, but I felt self-conscious and puffy due to attending a family funeral the evening before had literally chucked my hair in a bun with an unmade face. The final picture was distorted due to a fish eye lens being used.
The session ended abruptly when Mrs Claus pulled open the curtain for us to exit despite the fact that no one was waiting to come in next. Outside the exit, a 4-year-old had accidentally hurt her younger sibling who was crawling on the floor, and the mother began shouting and berating the child. The entire grotto area felt chaotic and unmonitored, with no staff support or organisation, despite the website advertising “elves”.
The shop itself was disappointing. The advertised “interactive train” was nowhere to be seen, the merchandise was low quality, the flooring still displayed “Time Halloween”, and many of Santa’s grotto decorations still had price tags attached, making everything look unfinished and rushed.
After leaving a review, the shop owner phoned me directly. The call was aggressive from the moment it started. He implied that because I “smiled on CCTV”, I must have been happy, ignoring the fact that parents often maintain a positive expression for their children. When I informed him I was recording the call, he became even more hostile and began recording as well (which is fine I have nothing to hide). His behaviour mirrored multiple other negative reviews describing similar responses to criticism.
On the way home, my daughter asked why Santa didn’t know her name this year, and my son, who had told me he was bored during the visit said he doesn’t want to visit a grotto again and would rather write a letter next year.
Overall, this experience fell far below any reasonable standard. The lack of reasonable adjustments, poor acknowledgement of the children, low quality gifts, mishandled photo process, disorganised environment, and the hostile response to feedback all make this a grotto we will not be returning to
12 December 2025
Unprompted review
