There are two super sized soft plays in Milton Keynes that a friend recommended, Safari MK and 360 Play. Safari MK was very slightly closer so Mini Red Kite and I headed their to burn off some energy and check it out.
My little one is just over 3 and he was bouncing up and down like a jumping bean when we arrived and he saw the soft play. It was mid week so the big soft play frame was pretty quiet and he pretty much flew straight for it.
After bounding after him and trying to get my shoes off at the same time, we wove our way up the levels to the top of the slides. There are three big ones to choose from, all with a safari feel. The yellow leopard print slide is really steep and I had a wobbly at the top and despite pleas from my little one we decided to do the wider wavy tiger slide instead and then again and again and again!
There are lots of different levels and routes to take through the large soft play apparatus and we enjoyed our jungle adventure discovering a football area and ballpit on the way.
I’m sure it can get pretty busy at the weekend so it was great to see a good sized area dedicated for younger ones too. They can have fun too with their own ball pit, slides and soft play shapes to clamber over. We spent quite a bit of time in the ball pit as there were air tube to suction up the balls.
My little one loves small world play and we often visit the Riverside Hub in Northampton and a trip to the Children’s Play Village in Warwickshire is a real treat. After a good run around in the soft play areas we discovered three really lovely imaginative play areas. First up was the fire engine and station, getting dressed up as a firefighter and saving the days. I was impressed with the quality of the dressing up clothes. Another big hit was the construction zone. There are lots of bricks, diggers, cones and hard hats to play with and we built a great big wall.
I enjoyed a delicious slice of cake and imaginary hot cup of tea after a spot of shopping at the wonderful shop and cafe set up. I think we could have spent all day just enjoying the make believe play areas!
The soft play and small world role play zones were great but there’s more too with two interactive games rooms. The first was an iWall aimed more at older kids and adults with physical challenges. The second was so much fun that my 3 year old kept returning again and again. The room has an interactive floor with regularly changing challenges. Our favourite was the moving frogs that you had to run around and try and jump on.
The greatest surprise for me at Safari MK was the cafe. While I’ve posted pictures of meals out on Instagram before, this was the first time I’ve done it from a soft play. The range of yummy looking cakes gave me the first clue that the food might be good and then when I scoured the menu it was more like the offering you’d get from a good family friendly pub. Safari MK have won ‘ best indoor play food and beverage experience’ in the UK. I ordered a buttermilk chicken burger with curly fries and fish fingers for my son and they lived up to expectations. What a treat to actually have a tasty lunch out and be able to relax with a cuppa afterwards while my little one carried on playing.
Safari MK definitely gets the thumbs up from me. Lots of variety, interesting soft play to explore, role play rooms with with lots of features, interactive challenge games and great food. We’ll definitely be back.
One tip I would give is to register and book online in advance. This saves time when you arrive and it’s slightly cheaper too. Find Safari MK pricing on their website.
