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poyursportfolio · 7 years

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Ke and Co. Experience Bugz Playpark

9:30 on Saturday morning saw me and my three nephews heading out to Bugz Playpark in the Cape Garden Centre in Kraaifontein. The largest playpark in the Western Cape, I just didn’t realise how big Bugz actually was – and just how much there is to keep the little ones entertained. Once they were kitted out with their VIP wristbands, which includes the entrance fee and unlimited token rides, we headed in and settled in at one of the many, many picnic tables to come up with a gameplan for the day.

Things We Loved About Bugz: No.1

There is so much seating available around the park. There are picnic tables and log seats, and these cute, colourful little round seats dotted around the grass – plenty of choice for tired parents and kids who need a breather between all the excitement. They’ve also recently replaced all of their real grass with synthetic Easigrass, which makes the ground a comfortable place to sit too. It looks amazing too.

We decided to tackle the playpark in a somewhat orderly fashion – not an easy task when you have three kids with you, all of them under the age of 10. They were so excited they didn’t even know what to do with themselves, and this brings me to another thing I loved about Bugz.

Things We Loved About Bugz: No.2

The staff are very visible, very friendly and very informative. Everywhere you turn, there is a staff member, watching the kids or monitoring the rides. You can tell that they love working with kids, and aren’t just there for show. They interact with the children, keep them safe (for instance, on the horse swing, one of my nephews was told repeatedly to sit still – they do their best to ensure the children are safe on the rides) and basically just make you feel secure in the fact that your kids are in good hands.

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In the spirit of orderly fashion, we took the kids on the first ride we saw – the Worm Train. Suitable for ages 3 – 10, my youngest nephew could barely sit still long enough for the ride operator to strap him in.

Though we tried to keep the kids dry until nearer the end of the day, the next ride they saw was the paddle boats, andhave you ever tried to keep kids away from something they really, really want to do, especially when it involves water? The water is only about shin-deep for adults, but the kids had a great time. They have to row the boats with little hands inside the boat, and it’s great fun. There’s plenty of supervision, and someone to help the kids in and out of the boats.

Later in the day, they also rope off a section of the pool to create a splash pool, which is great when the weather is really warm.

After the paddle boats, we headed off to the zip swing. What’s cool about this ride is that how fast the kids go is totally dependent on how hard their parents push – with enough speed, they get this awesome little bounce near the end, before swinging all the way back. It’s a lot of fun for the kids, and parents don’t have to worry, because it’s not too high off the ground.

After the swing, we headed to the Toddler Tractors and African muscle carts, which was an experience for the adults too. One of my nephews was on the cart behind another little girl who seemed to be having a tough time going fast enough – so we got to push them all around the track. Exercise for the whole family!

Things We Loved About Bugz: No.3

The facilities are well-adapted for little kids. Because the park is aimed at kids between the ages of 2 and 10, all of the rides are very safe and ideal for the littler little ones.

Next up was Megan’s Petting Farm. A mobile petting zoo, Megan’s is at Bugz over weekends, public holidays and school holidays, and they set up with a gazebo, all their animals – including Harry the Sheep, the goats Netta and Hilda, bunnies, geese, ducks, chickens and even some tortoises.

Again, I have to give a big round of applause to the staff, who are so friendly and helpful and interactive. Rather than just standing around, they really interact with the kids, giving them animals to hold and showing them the correct way to hold them, making sure they’re not flipping the tortoises onto their backs, etc. Really awesome.

Though it’s R10 for the children to enter, its free for parents to go in with their kids.

Trying to get them away from the animals was a bit of a trial, but eventually the lure of the other rides was too much, and they dragged us off to the jumping castle. Calling it a jumping castle is wrong, though. This is not just a jumping castle. It’s a jumping obstacle course. I’m not gonna lie and say that I wasn’t sad that I couldn’t get in there too. There are slides and secret chambers and the entire thing is shaped like a giant robot. It’s awesome.

Next to the castle is a new addition to Bugz – a mud play area. Kids love mud.

Things We Loved About Bugz: No.4

There is something for every child to do at Bugz. Whether they’re outdoorsy and adventurous, or quiet, or like to get dirty, or they’re creative, or they just like to play on their own in the sand, there is an activity to keep them entertained.

Besides the token rides for the more adventurous kids, like horse-riding and horse swings, quad-biking or peddle bikes, there are also many, many jungle gyms and climbing nets, sand pits, dino swings, slides and various play equipment to crawl under or climb over. There are also cute play areas with play houses, a tree house and even a castle for the kids to play in when there’s not a party in progress.

Indoors, there’s also sandart, and face-painting and, my absolute favourite, a mini Masterchef type kitchen where they can do Cake Boss, or Masterchef and practice their baking, decorating and food creation skills.

After the jumping castle, we headed off to the horse-swing – the quintessential carnival ride. Parents are allowed to ride with their kids, especially if their child is too small to ride safely. The kids really loved this one.

Right next to the swing horses are the quad bikes. Man-sized quad bikes. Quad bikes that require a licensed driver. Totally amazing, and the kids get so excited when they see this. Though not included in the VIP package, it’s very exciting for both kids and adults. Who doesn’t like a good quad-bike ride? Which reminds me.

There are also real horses. I was very jealous that I couldn’t go for a horse ride.

Things We Loved About Bugz: No.5

Bugz is not just fun for the kids. It’s really fun for the parents and the whole family. There are plenty of seating options dotted around the park, there is shade everywhere – lots of trees, and even shade-cloths over some of the activities, and the parents can get involved in a lot of the activities.

There were four adults with our little group, including their parents, their grandmother and me – and while the kids were doing their thing, we sat around chatting about how awesome the park was. It’s a beautiful place, and the older family members can really get involved in a lot the activities.

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After the swing horses, we really couldn’t keep the kids away from the water anymore, so we headed off to one of the three water slides. Two of the slides are for kids between the ages of about 3 and 10, except for the speed slide which is available for anyone up to the age of 80.

The first slide we went to was almost like a jumping castle, and the kids didn’t seem to want to leave. By this time, we were quite hungry, so we headed off to procure some toasted sandwiches, hot dogs and cool drink.

Things We Loved About Bugz: No.6

There are many different places to get food. Indoors, there’s a cafe-type deal with a range of foods, from burgers and hotdogs to toasted sandwiches, slap chips and bacon and egg baps. There’s also a snack-shack outside, that offers Halaal foods. Besides being delicious, and totally generously sized (I was actually quite shocked when I saw the size of the bacon and egg baps. For only R18, I wouldn’t mind going there for lunch more often). The toasted sandwiches are also triple-decker, meaning excellent value for money.

Aside from regular food, they also have a lot of candy. A lot.

By the time it got to lunch, the kids were so knackered they could barely keep their eyes open, which is another awesome thing about Bugz. You know that you won’t have a trouble getting your kids to take an afternoon nap when they get home.

Most of the activities are powered by the kid’s own steam, like the African muscle bikes, which they have to pedal with their arms, or the paddle boats or toddler tractors. There are even push-bikes at the entrance, so that kids can traverse the park on wheels.

Bugz is not just outdoors though. No, no, no. Besides for all of the activities outdoors, there is also a massive indoor section, where kids can play when it’s too hot (or too cold) to play outside. Inside a massive tent, the indoor play area features even more jungle gyms, slides and swings, face painting and sand-art, eight different party venues, and humidifiers/misters to keep the entire place cool.

Indoors is also where many of the themed party venues are, with themes ranging from Disney Princess to aSparklz Makeover party, Barnyard, Construction and so many more. What’s really awesome about parties at Bugz is their motto of “sit back and relax; we take care of everything”. The staff at Bugz take care of all the decorating, setup and catering, leaving parents nothing more to do than show up and watch their kids have a blast.

When we were there, they’d set up for a Sparklz Makeover party and I was very impressed. The makeover party includes a choice of makeover, either Pretty princess or Rock chick or Dazzling diva, which includes hair, nails and make-up and food (canapes, polka dot popcorn and pink fizz) as well as Before and After photos. It really made me wish I had a niece, or that I was young enough to attend kiddies birthday parties as something other than the photographer.

Bugz offers its own party shop, where parents can by everything from Cupcake Toppers and balloons, to themed plates, party bags and invitations. When I was browsing through the shop, I decided that even I wouldn’t mind having a party there. I may be 25, but I definitely wouldn’t mind a Disney Princess party.

In Conclusion

I can’t praise Bugz highly enough. For an hour after leaving, my sister and I gushed about how amazing everything was – from the amazing staff to the cleanliness of the facilities and just how much there was to do. Parents will love all the shade, and the fact that you can’t turn your head without seeing a staff member. Not only does it provide peace of mind with regards to safety, but you know your kids are having a blast.

We’ll definitely be going back to Bugz when the school holidays come around. Everything was excellent, and I can’t think of a single thing I would change. You can tell that the staff and owners at Bugz really care about the kids, and go out of their way to create a fun, stimulating and colourful environment – and they’re always adding new and exciting activities, like the mud play area.

If I had to give the park a rating out of 10, they’d get a 20. When my nephews got home, they wouldn’t stop going on about it, and asking when we’d go back. The whole family had an awesome time, and the other grandparents have already booked another outing.

Bugz definitely gets a thumbs up from me.

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