There’s a new choice in the downtown area for families looking for an indoor play space: the Kerry Center Adventure Zone.
The members-only play space opened with great fanfare over the weekend with a bash for over 100 families to take a preview at the 3-story, multi-zoned facility.
The Adventure Zone features slides, climbing areas, toy cars, a snack bar and awesome themed rooms that look perfect for your kid’s next birthday party.
Judging by our test run, the zone is perfect for both younger and older kids, from toddler to pre-teen. The main area features a 3-story jungle gym with myriad obstacles and climbing areas, culminating with a series of slides, each successively steep, providing a fun experience for the timid toddler right through to adults (I couldn’t bring myself to go down the steepest slide).
A nice touch that makes the Adventure Zone different from similar spaces in Beijing is that adults are welcomed to join the fun. I had a great time with my 6-year-old as we navigated through the climbing gym and went down the slide together. Try that in other play spaces in Beijing and you’re likely to be met with a stern "sorry, no adults please" warning.
The space is members-only and comes at a pretty steep price — RMB 7500 for a full year, RMB 5000 for a half year — but for those who would make a habit of playing there and go once a week, that amounts to less than RMB 150 a visit. In a city known for poor air quality, freezing winters and blistering hot summers, that does not seem like a steep price to pay. Given its quality and cleanliness is backed by the Kerry’s stellar reputation and you’ve got yourself a winning combination.
Still reluctant to part with RMB 5000+ without a try? The Kerry is offering a special promotion for their first month of operation: RMB 350 for a day pass, or RMB 800 for 5 sessions. This promotion ends soon, and after that the Zone is membership only.
For more information, contact the Kerry Hotel at 8565 2490 or adventurezonebeijing@thekerryhotels.com.
As pictures speak a thousand words, I’ll let my amateur photography tell the rest of the tale for you to decide if the Zone is for you.
Photos courtesy of Mike Wester and Jerry Chan
