Hello everyone!
I recently visited the Playtop entertainment park inside the TC Peter mall, and I have to say, it was a real mixed bag.
We needed a place for our kid to run around, play, and get some energy out before the evening, and we thought this would be the perfect spot.
As a family that works a five-day week, our visit fell on a Saturday, which wasn't a surprise.
TC Peter is a bit of an unusual mall in my opinion - not super popular and not too crowded, so I was expecting it to be less busy.
On the plus side, I have to mention the cloakroom near the entrance - it's super convenient to leave your coat there. That's a definite plus.
However, the big minus is the price - 750 rubles per hour and 800 rubles for unlimited access on weekends.
The selection is pretty limited, to say the least.
We asked the staff if there were any activities for our 1.7-year-old daughter, and they told us that yes, there's a separate zone for kids, and you can also use the entire park as you please.
The price was steep, but we didn't have time to look elsewhere, so we decided to give it a shot.
We were given a card-key and a paper wristband for our daughter. We had to go through a turnstile to get in.
Right after entering, there's a cafe area, a bar counter where you can order drinks, and tables and chairs for adults and kids.
Walking around this area, I was struck by the dim lighting – it's like they're trying to hide something. The kids' play equipment is disgustingly dirty, and it looks like they're either too lazy or don't want to clean it.
I didn't check the prices of the food, but the cost of a tiny bottle of water, Agusha, was an outrageous 70 rubles! It's like they're trying to rip you off.
And to make matters worse, there are signs everywhere saying that you can't bring your own food and drinks into the park. Okay, I get that about the food – people might try to sneak in something they shouldn't – but why can't you bring your own water? It's like they're trying to deprive kids of something as basic as a drink. And to make it even more confusing, their water is somehow okay to drink.
And then there's the price of the kids' water – it's almost four times more expensive than what you'd pay for a regular bottle of water. It's just ridiculous. I guess nobody pays attention to these rules, and people just bring in their own food and drinks anyway – like those little pouches of puree and bottled drinks.
But what really got to me was the aggressive sales tactics. It was like they were trying to make a killing off of us.
On the other hand, there are these cute little houses for celebrations and parties scattered around the area. They're actually pretty cool – I liked them.
There are two entrances to the park, and each one has a bench and a shoe rack.
There are no signs to guide you., so it's not immediately clear what the differences are or where to go.
We intuitively headed to the second entrance from the main one and it seemed like the place where the zone for little kids starts - for those under 3 years old.
And that was the biggest letdown - first of all, it's ridiculously small.
There's one ball pit, one trampoline, one zone with three tiny slides, and some other soft play equipment, like a soft slide and a soft 'well' made up of separate soft parts.
The piano with buttons - sound effects of notes, xylophone, and a type of drums on the wall is a definite plus.
My second major issue is that this area is right by the entrance, so everyone - parents and kids who are older - just run in and out, and it's chaotic.
They're not just walking in and out, they're sprinting and dashing into the pool area where there might be younger kids.
In the chaos, someone managed to grab the drumsticks or xylophone and just started banging away with all their might, scaring the living daylights out of a little kid who was right there.
Meanwhile, there's a high fence with artificial turf in the rest of the area for older kids, but not in this section.
So, it's pretty easy for younger kids to climb over, but older kids and adults just step right over it.
Honestly, this was a major letdown for me.
If there was a strict rule against visiting the rest of the park for older kids, it's hard to justify charging little ones for something that's basically a dead zone.
We, along with many others, ended up heading to the main park area.
That's where the real fun begins – plenty of attractions, loads of space, and a variety of rides.
There's a massive trampoline area, rope courses, roller coasters, ball pits, a football field, a treetop adventure, and foam blocks.
However, most of these attractions have age restrictions of +5 or +3, which limits the options.
Kids are running around, climbing, jumping, and it's a real challenge to keep an eye on them at all times to prevent accidents.
I get that some people might say we shouldn't be in this area with our kid, and I sort of agree – but like I mentioned earlier, the kids' zone is pretty barren.
So, we ended up running around, exploring the park, asking older kids to wait, and thanking them for their patience. We were just as busy as our little one!
One weird thing that stood out was the two wonky mirrors in the kids' zone – our little one showed zero interest in them, which is understandable, but older kids loved them.
I'm not sure why they were placed in the kids' zone – it seems like a misstep.
Photos of the adult zone
There's a toilet, a nursery, and a place to buy sugar wafers on site.
Overall, it's a pretty cool experience for kids, but I'm not sure it's worth it for older kids.
For little ones, it's just not good value for the money.
Even considering that you can take a baby into the rest of the area and use a lot of the facilities, it's still not possible for them to use everything because of their age, so that's a pretty weak argument.
It's just really disappointing for the little kids.
Thanks for reading!
Check out my other reviews on this topic
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