General - the shopping centre has only been open for a few years so it is still fairly new. It is situated at the top end of the City Centre, next to the burnt out Church, and is all under cover, on three levels. There is a wide range of shops but they are at the more expensive end. The shops include brands such as Animal, Coast, Faith, Bershka, Fraser Hart, Monsoon, Oasis, Republic, Storm and Zara. There are also several jewelers, mobile phone shops, and classic shops such as Boots, Mothercare, Clinton Cards and a huge Next and Primark store. There are plenty of toilets and parking spaces in the adjacent car park, with the Drake Circus Shopping Cnetre being an ideal place to shop when the weather isn't so good.
Food and Drink - the top level of the shopping centre is dedicated to food and drink with a Burger King and a large Cafe, amongst others. Prices are fairly standard, as is the quality of food. Sweets, drinks and other snacks can also be purchased on the ground level from Newsagents, Starbucks and Caffe Curva. There is also a small cafe in Waterstones book store, which is a good idea, as it allows people to browse some books whilst relaxing and having a drink or snack. Marks and Spencer has its own Cafe as well.
Disabled - the disabled facilities are excellent. Lifts go from every level of the car park to every level of the shopping centre. These can get quite busy during school holidays and weekends, but this shouldn't cause much of a problem. There are disabled toilets on every level as well. I haven't been in them but the other toilets are huge, so I would guess that these would be as well. All of the shops are flat, apart from the different levels within them, although some do have lifts for those needing to get to the different levels. There are plenty of disabled parking spaces in the car park, and these are undercover and next to the entrance to the shopping centre. I think wheelchairs are also available from the shopping centre, but not sure where to go to get them.
Toilets - there are toilets on each level that cater for lots of people. When I have been in them, they have been very clean are highly hygienic as you don't have to touch anything to wash your hands or dry them. They can get quite busy at peak times of the year but they are big enough to handle everyone.
Children - there are no children's shops in the Drake Circus shopping centre, although there is a big Mothercare for very young children and babies. Most of the clothes shops sell children's clothes, and an ice cream shop can be visited if boredom starts to set in.
Car Parks - there is a huge great car park that was built as part of the shopping centre, although this can get very busy at times. It is also probably the most expensive car park in Plymouth, and it is one where you take a ticket when you go in, and then visit a payment booth on the way back to the car after you have finished shopping. There are plenty of disabled spaces on the 1st level, but this also gets full up quickly. There are plenty more car parks around the City Centre, which are cheaper but maybe not as clean and secure. If you don't mind this, then it may be a better idea to park somewhere else and walk to the shopping centre, as there are the other outside shops in the City Centre to visit as well. Plymouth council offers good park and ride schemes from the outskirts of the city, and these buses drop people off a short distance from the shopping centre, with it being a lot cheaper to do this.
Review Date - 2008-06-22