With Hong Kong's rising rate of childhood obesity, any activity which involves running around and not staring at a computer should be encouraged, especially when it can be done in an air-conditioned environment just a few minutes' walk from a car park or MTR station. Bumbletots in Ma On Shan promises to deliver just that. It features a 5,000 sq ft maze of brightly coloured slides and tubes, a ball pool, and balancing beams where children can kick off their shoes - but not their socks - and let their imaginations run free. Complying with European safety standards, the play area is well-padded with crash mats, which makes it relatively safe and therefore stress-free for accompanying parents. There is also a climbing wall, a trampoline, guns that shoot soft balls and a tamer area for little ones aged under two with a smaller slide, a ball pool and ride-on toys. For parents who nostalgically look back to childhoods spent playing outdoors, it may seem like there are things missing from the safe, somewhat sanitised world of indoor playgrounds - fresh air being one. Still, Bumbletots does boast lots of natural light. But in hot humid Hong Kong, where extreme sun and rain can put a dampener on outdoor activities and where playgrounds are far and few between, Bumbletots is a good modern alternative to get kids moving . It's probably one of the best you can find. The best value comes with the happy hour rate after 5pm, when tickets start at HK$50 per child (including accompanying adult). The normal rate is HK$80 for weekdays and HK$100 at weekends. A monthly ticket will set you back between HK$600 and HK$800 - around double the price of a child's annual pass to Ocean Park. This may have been one of the reasons Bumbletots was reasonably quiet when we visited on a Friday after school. As a parent, I would have liked more amenities to pass the time while I looked on. A cosier canteen with more comfortable seating, perhaps, and a healthy selection of snacks rather than the cup of noodles and potato crisps on offer. The real test of a good time came when it was time to go home. I struggled to drag my children away. Then while driving back with a car full of exhausted children, aged 4 to 10, I asked for their verdicts. 'It was fun,' said one. 'So fun,' said another. The youngest gave the ultimate seal of approval in kid-speak: 'Again, again!' Verdict: Bumbletots is good fun for a hot or rainy day, but it's just a little pricey. Bumbletots The Waterside Mall 15 On Chun Street Ma On Shan Tel: 2631 4001 www.bumbletots.com.hk
