Playing it cool: 6 indoor play zones for kids in the UAE

Courtesy Cheeky Monkeys Al Forsan.

Mona Al Marzooqi / The National.

Courtesy BEEhive.

Courtesy Escape Reality.

Courtesy Fabyland.

With temperatures rising, it feels like it’s almost time to trade the playground for the air-conditioned comfort of indoor play zones. Happily, there are plenty in the UAE for children to explore, including some new options for this year. We check some of them out.

Orange Wheels and Orange Spin

Located at Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, Orange Wheels is where children, and their imaginations, can really run riot. In the fairy tale-like mini village, they can shop for bread at the market, do each other’s hair at the barber’s, dress up as firefighters and even play at driving a life-size fire engine.

There’s a whole range of climbing walls, the most popular of which has light-up buttons kids can press as they climb. The play-gym has a trampoline and spongy shapes to build dens in. There’s even a real salon and spa, (as well as a children’s pretend one), and we recommend the flatbread pizzas at the cafe. The only downside is trying to drag the kids out when their time is up.

Two floors-up in the newly opened Orange Spin (owned by the same company), the flashing lights of games take pride of place, including vintage favourites like Pac-Man and pinball machines.

This playzone has more for those ages 10 and over, with a two-lane mini-bowling alley and a car racing simulator. There’s also a spy mission-themed laser tag arena, where kids run around in the dark wearing luminescent packs, shooting at each other.

• Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi. Details www.orange-spin.com and www.orangewheels.com

Cheeky Monkeys, Al Forsan

This popular children’s play company, which has been around in Dubai for many years, has now arrived in Abu Dhabi.

Its cute playzone ticks off most items on a parent’s checklist – free Wi-Fi in the cafe, a playhouse with its own kitchen, lounge and toy room for role-playing, a soft play area and open gym (where puppet shows are also held) for letting off steam, and a craft zone for getting creative.

• Al Forsan, Khalifa City and seven other locations in the UAE.Dh50 first hour, Dh30 for more. Details 02 449 3555 and www.cheekymonkeys.com

Action Zone

The latest Action Zone to launch in the UAE is in Capital Mall, Mohammed bin Zayed City,

This 3,000-square-metre electronic wonderland includes a PlayStation 4 lounge, video games and a virtual reality booth where children can enjoy 3-D simulations with Oculus headsets. Even the toddlers get playtime ramped up with the latest technology. At the colouring station, artwork can be projected onto the wall and turned into an animation, using augmented reality. For more old-fashioned fun, there’s a trampoline park and a soft play area.

Action Zone is also hosting a gamer event during Ramadan, in which Ahmed Al Nasheet will attempt to break three Guinness World Records on Fifa 17 for charity.

• First floor of Capital Mall, Mohammed bin Zayed City, plus branches at Al Ain Mall and Shams Boutik Mall on Reem Island. Details 02 672 0303.

BEEhive

Everything in the design of this hive of activity is bee-themed, from the honeycomb-shaped reading nooks to the bee-inspired climbing frame that will have little ones buzzing with excitement.

This centre is made up of six hive-like rooms, each one focusing on a different type of play. In the ‘bee creative’ hive, children can create a purse using sewing machines (with help at hand), practise hairstyling with a range of funky wigs, and build with Lego or Meccano engineering sets. In the art room, painting or junk modelling is on offer. The biggest hit in the music room is the karaoke machine, but there’s also an electric piano, guitars and drums. It almost seems as though the only thing kids can’t do here is produce honey.

BEEhive was set up by mother of three Shahdan ElKhatib in January. “The kids get to tap into new activities they might not have tried before, but which typically our generation used to do when we were kids,” she says. “It’s an electronic-free environment, which helps detach kids from their addiction to devices and gives them time to self-reflect.”

• Ground floor of Blue Bay Tower (next to Steigenberger Hotel), Business Bay. For 1-5 year olds, the first hour is Dh45, Dh25 after; for 6-12 year olds Dh65 and then Dh30. Details 04 431 0347 or www.facebook.com/TheBEEhiveUAE/

Jumanji, Escape Reality

Escape Reality, which opened a month ago, is the latest contender in the UAE’s burgeoning escape-gaming scene. Most of the eight escape experiences on offer are somewhat grisly, and could prove traumatic to younger minds (unless they like the sound of escaping from serial killers, vampires, cannibals or Frankenstein-esque robots). But one game is pitched more to the younger crowd.

In Jungala, based on the children’s film Jumanji, teams of two to six discover an old board game in an attic. Once they open it, they’re transported into an alternative realm and given 60-minutes to play the game and escape from the locked room. Each time they roll the dice, a new challenge arises, which is conquered through teamwork, problem-solving and communication skills. “Hints” appear using augmented reality technology, to help players along the way. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

• Indigo Sky, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai. In Ramadan, booking one game room for four players and two more can join in for free. Call 04 332 7777 or visit www.escapereality.com/dubai

Fabyland, Dubai Festival City

When the kids want to go to a theme park but you’re baulking at prices, Fabyland is a less-expensive alternative. With all it’s stomach-churning spinning rides, Fabyland is like a bite-size theme park at a fraction of the price.

Children can be blasted up and down a tower, shoot zombies in the 3-D theatre, take an acrobatic flight or simply enjoy crashing into each other in the bumper cars. There are also some next-generation gaming machines, like Typhoon, a 4-D ride that takes you on an Indiana Jones-style rickety rollercoaster train, or Jurassic Park in which you get to see who can shoot the most dinosaurs.

The other Fabyland branch, at Deerfields Mall in Abu Dhabi, has recently added new attractions which include an interactive carousel and a soft play area.

A Dh250 card (which gives you 80 credits free) will keep two lively children occupied for an afternoon.

• First floor, Dubai Festival City. Details 04 288 1490 or www.fabyland.ae