Recently visited Namco station, before this visit I would have given 3 stars. It was in decline,…read moregetting boring, nothing new, and nothing exciting, it use to be a good place to be silly and have whole hearty fun. I would visit a few times, and the new machines just didn't tempt me. So when I say my most recent Namco station visit came at a surprise, it really did. It had bigger, newer and cooler machines, designed to capture fun for all groups and ages. It almost reminded me back to when I first visited Namco station. I love the giant size connect 4, and the dodging laser beams. Overall I had a great time, something different and best possible way to kill time.

Sorry the picture is a bit dark, the bar is 3 floors underground. To get to it you have to…read morenegotiate the upper floors filled with, slot machines, video games and other games you usually find in one of those places at popular seaside destinations, so you may spend your drinking money before you reach the bar. Has a lift for wheelchair access to all floors but there isn't a ramp to get into the building in the first place, I have asked the staff and security and they don't know of any either. More details to follow as soon as I find my notes. Sells food all day and does kids menu. No real ale. Has a selection of wines. Areas available for hire.

I ended up here with my 10 year old when he got nervous to go in the London dungeon next door. I…read morewas convinced it was going to be a lame hour of my life, but was pleasantly surprised by how well done it was. And we both had so much fun! You go from room to room and meet different fairytale characters who are helping you escape a witch. The characters were engaging, funny and the hour flew by quickly. We had so much fun that my 7 year old (who did make it thru London dungeon) had fomo and begged my husband to take him after. They both loved it too! Great activity for kids to break up all the sightseeing in London!

I was impressed with what they were able to do…read more The design and layout were impressive as they led you through a guided journey with real actors playing characters in a story. They made due with the space that they had and it worked! The acting was cute and they tried to make it interactive, which was also nice. However this was mostly for kids to enjoy...and my only complaint is more SHREK!!!! THE BEST THING WAS THE MIRROR MAZE!

In short, most stalls and carnival games are scams, a lot of food stalls but the food are mediocre,…read moreand the rides are much better at Thorpe Park. It was absolutely packed and I can barely feel any Christmas vibes. It is worth mentioning that the park tends to attract large crowds, and there are a number of carnival mini games that are scams, falling short of expectations and potentially being overpriced. While it can be worthwhile to visit at least once to immerse oneself in the festive atmosphere, it is understandable that some individuals may opt not to return based on their personal preferences.

Winter wonderland has to be one of my fav things to do when the holidays come around…read more It's best to book tickets online in advance, as sometimes you are out of luck and there are no tickets left at the place. Usually around this time of year is also very cold so bundle up. The place is a fair and a Christmas market all in one. The fair has many rides for all, from toddler to young adult to more mature. The rides use tokens/tickets and those can be purchased there or beforehand as well. They have some pretty nice thrills but if roller coasters and that kind of stuff is not your thing, not to worry, they have other fun rides that are not as intimidating, and lots of games to test your luck. The market is full of items that can be gifted for the holidays, and they have food all throughout the park, BUT they also have areas where you can sit to have a drink, and yes an adult drink haha with love music and bands, and this is probably top3 for me to do there, you feel some kind of brother/sisterhood sitting there next to strangers bonding over classic songs. This place also includes, an ice sculpture area and a circus ! Truly so much to do here, that if possible, you need at least 2 days to soak it all in. The weekends are super packed so if you don't like crowds, probably best to visit during the week. Prices are moderate and reasonable but you don't have to break bank, they usually have deals online to choose from, that best fits what your visit would look like. So go ahead, visit winter wonderland and bring home a prize!

Hiding under the A40 flyover, Bramley's Big Adventure is an indoor playground for kids aged 0-11…read more The centrepiece is a giant three-level play frame with slides, ball pits, swings, dens and separate areas for under-fives and babies. The really cool thing about this place is that there is no time limit during the week, so your kid can play there all day ( well, from 10:00 - 18.00). During the weekend its super busy and the kids can only play for max 2 hours- thats why we like to go during week days. There is also a Cafe area for the adults with free Wi-Fi, toy shops, organic food, drinks, coffee etc. The staff is nice but they have a couple of ladies that remind me of witches and they look very bored with their lives. One of them can be quite rude sometimes. They organise birthday parties ( with different themes-dinosaurs, hello kitty etc) and they have all kinds of deals. The parties include meals and party bags. Other facilities include separate children's toilets, disabled toilets, baby changing room and pram park. They provide baby bouncers and high chairs. A great place for local families with young children and a great place for kids to burn off their energy when the weather outside is sucky.

This place is a dream for parents, you can take your little ones along and let them play in the…read moreindoor play areas. I recently took my 11 month old son here for a birthday party. He loved playing in the under 5's ball filled play area and probably would have liked to been there all day if he had the choice. Parents can get in too and it is a lot of fun- just remember to wear your clean socks as you have to remove your shoes! It's is the ideal place for a birthday party as you dont have to think about the entertainment! After 45 minutes in the play area (more than enough for me!) the kids were taken upstairs for food and cake. The downstairs cafe sells organic drinks and snacks which is good if you dont fancy your kids going wild on a sugar rush. Bramleys is the perfect way to release your inner child and let your child play in a safe envirinment.

This place is owned by a company called Family Leisure - a fitting name seeing as I went here with…read moremy mom (okay, okay, mum), dad and sister. It was Christmas day and we were looking for some diversion in and out from the cold. We saw a sign for billiards and followed it down into the basement of Play to Win. The the beginning of some bad horror film, the place was empty in the basement level. All of the sudden, out popped Chucky, Jason in his hockey mask, Raven in her state of possession, a few zombies and any other sort of scary movie type you can imagine. Then came a worker came by. My sister had a hood on because it was damn cold outside. "Take off you hood," he barked at her like a pitbull. Not very friendly AT all. Maybe he's used to dealing with hoodlums, but he should learn to damper his act a bit. Clearly my mom, dad, sister and I were out for trouble being the oh so suspicious looking characters we are. He left. We put in a pound for a game of wannabe (no, not your lover, like Spice Girls) pool. I say wannabe because there were no stripes and solids, only red and orange balls along with an 8 ball. The balls and table were slightly smaller than usual. We had a fun enough time, joking around with each other as my parents trounced my sister in I in a match of pool. At one point, my mom went to look for a bathroom and upon asking its whereabouts was greeted with a "There isn't one," in the same gruff tones of Mr. No-Hoods. This place served its purpose, but seeing as I don't gamble (as found on ground floor), play much billiards or much enjoy brusque people, I probably won't go back.

The staff here are really strange, and seem to treat all their customers with sheer contempt…read more They stand around discussing (quite openly) the lives of all of their customers, as soon as they leave the premises. With the exception of Alex, the rest of the staff are really quite rude, we are not the only people who seem to think this. We have spoken to at least six other people in different venues who are all of the same opinion. Their have been numerous arguments over this matter in the venue, and one of the staff has been spat at, called numerous names, and has got herself into quite a few problems with customers. On the occasion that she was spat at it was because the male customer had overheard her discussing his friend in a really nasty way. However she maintains it was nothing to do with that. Please note to all that work there, STOP THE MALICIOUS GOSSIP, customers private lives have nothing to do with you, that is unless you wish to end up in court for slander. And do stop running down the owners and manageress, just tell them to their face if you have a problem with them. Customers do not come in to hear nothing but complaints ALL day long. Maybe some of your staff should be moved on to other arcades in London, as they are getting too comfortable at this one. Only when this happens do you have any chance of getting back some of your customers. I am a 43 year old store manager myself, and I would never dream of treating customers the way these nasty minded people do. I was last in the arcade on Monday evening, and I spoke to two people outside where we were smoking, and they both agreed the staff that night were the worst you would wish to employ, if you wanted to keep the place busy. We will not be returning to this venue. Shovan B Ramesh M

Even giving one star seems too much. After making an accidental booking for the wrong place and…read morerealising my immediate mistake, I contacted gambado to cancel and request a refund. They denied this as it is not their policy to refund. Whilst I understand a policy, I explained it was a genuine oversight and I would not benefit from a credit as I don't live nearby to use this. One kind manager did contact the owner about this but they refused to give me a refund. My five year old was left in tears as we were unable to then afford an alternative place to book. What an awful money grabbing business!!!! Please don't give them any more of your money!!!

The best play area I know of in Central London, has stuff for under two's and an amazing climbing…read moreand slides area for children 2-8 years old with loads of great fun things on . It also has bumper cars and another roundabout type ride. Best to go in the mornings if you can as the weekend afternoons are very busy, although most people like it so much they are okay with it. The other problem is that adults should be with their children in the bumper car queue because other children queue jump and the Gambado staff do not sort this out. This is of course very upsetting for children and parents alike. They should have a better queueing system or at least one staff member operating the ride and a second controlling the queue. The clever thing would be a proper queueing system which actually lines people up properly. However today there was a great staff member who actually stopped the queue jumpers and he should be applauded, he also really cared and was great with the children. It is also expensive however it is so good they can happily get away with it.

Let's face it Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, whilst glorious in its own way, is far too often…read moreovercrowded and overrated. In this respect, Winterville offers a welcome alternative. The biggest downside to Winterville is its distance from any public underground or train station. Based in Victoria Park in East London, Winterville is a 15-20min walk or a bus-ride (277 / 425) from Mile End underground station. Nevertheless, accessibility via public transport aside, Winterville provides a good range of entertainment, befitting of the festive season.  Upon entering you are offered a handy map of the venue for free, if you should need a cash machine there is one but unfortunately it charges a fee for use, the public toilets are probably the most respectable portable toilets I've ever seen (- like walking into a caravan of toilets), plus there is an impressive range of good food in the food hall as well as from stalls dotted around the place. There is an alternative market hosted by circus folk, selling unconventional, artistic items, accompanied with their own stage for live music. There is a childrens' play area where you can drop off your beloved little ones when they are being particularly annoying or to reward them for being good - take your pick ;). Meanwhile there are fair rides and prize-winning activities as well as an ice-rink and circus shows to give yourself a memorable time.  I don't want to put a damper on things but just to add a bit of honest critique: the ice rink is quite small and when it rains they don't seem to clear out the puddles, the family-friendly circus show is enjoyable enough to watch with a decent variety of acts but does not quite reach incredible heights, and the bumper car ride lasts about 4min for £4 and only allows you to move in one direction which makes it harder to 'bump' someone, hence defeating the purpose somewhat. However all-in-all Winterville is indeed worth visiting for some festive fun, with good grub and mulled cider up for grabs as well as the option of treating yourself to a spot of ice-skating, crazy golf or watching a circus show or film at their very own cinema. Good fun all round.

Finally the time came for my partner (Alex) and I to venture to Winterville! I'd bought tickets for…read moreus to go to the Backyard Cinema Enchanted Forest experience last month as a surprise and had been very excited ever since. I've known about Winterville for a while and just never ventured there but this week was the week and what a great time we had. Alex literally had no idea Winterville existed which was brilliant! We headed in and went straight to the cinema taking in the sites, smells (oh the smells) and sounds around us! There's a circus, crazy golf, an ice rink, rides, mulled wine stalls on every corner and some great local food stalls! We got to the cinema and were given our tickets - no queues, woo! We were then guided round the corner to a wooden wardrobe door. What's inside the door I hear you cry... Narnia of course! No I joke. But it is a Narnia esq closet filled with winter coats and a small gap which you cautiously step into. And then you're in there - the enchanted forest! It's honestly a magical mini experience as you wind your way into the cinema area which is decorated beautifully and truly makes you feel very merry indeed. We grabbed a couple of drinks, some popcorn and 2 tubs of £1 ice cream - yes £1!!! I had the salted caramel and it was delicious and obviously gone in 20 seconds. They have comfy sofas with blankets or bean bags available. Sure it's kind of pricey at £16 a ticket but who cares - it's Christmas, it's romantic and we were watching Bugsy Malone which is just a great film! Once the film had finished we grabbed a bratwurst each and watched people ice skate. Sadly we were a bit low on funds so didn't partake in all that was up for offer but we had a lovely walk around the village and really enjoyed ourselves and our bratwursts! For me Winterville is a more relaxed, quieter, and enjoyable version of Winter Wonderland. Perfect for those living east and wanting to stay away from the tourist crowds. We loved it and will no doubt return next year with a few more pennies to spend!