Fun for all the family

PATTAYA HAS long been one of the top tourist destinations in Thailand though the public perception of the resort is far from “family paradise”. Prakarn Nokhong, a family man and managing director of LT Group, one of the biggest real estate and retail-trade concerns in Eastern Thailand, is setting out to change that view with the recently opened Harbor Land, the largest indoor playground in Asia.

Located on the 7th floor of Harbor Pattaya shopping mall and spread over 2,500 square metres, the playground is designed for children aged three to 13 years old and boasts a range of play areas. There’s a giant jungle gym with a soft floor perfect for crawling, running, jumping, and sliding where kids are encouraged to test their speed, flexibility and balance. The slides, some of them as high as two floors, run through spirals and tunnels and a particular favourite is the Donut slide. Parents wanting to keep an eye on their young charges will be delighted to find that they can follow the little ones through all the areas without suffering from pain in the knees for hours afterwards.

There’s plenty of bouncing to be done on the large trampolines and kids can live their own adventures in the small campground area, where they can move from one hanging wooden board to another, climb the spider web and swing on ropes. 

Older kids have their own enclosed basketball court, where they can dunk and kick with friends while the tiny tots are served by a smaller playground where soft-play structures allow them to crawl and explore, or make friends with the soft toys, which include a carousel of animals. Babysitters are on hand to watch out for the kids while mums take time out to update their Facebook pages with photos of the kids having fun. 

Prakarn has also paid particular attention to safety, bringing in specialists from Europe to make sure that all the installations meet international standards.

Harbor Land also boasts children-friendly snacks like fried chicken wings, spaghetti, potato chips, ice cream and coffee or tea for the adults in the adjacent caf้. Parents are catered to with a special room of their own where they can sink into comfy couches and keep an eye on the kids through the floor to ceiling window. There’s even a small outdoor area for those who can’t go without their nicotine hit. 

And there are two theme rooms – pirate and mermaid – that can be hired for private parties. 

Of course, none of this comes cheap and Prakarn says he has invested more than Bt2 billion in the project. 

“In Pattaya alone, there are already more than five hypermarts, and four shopping malls. There are facilities for every level of society costing from hundreds of Baht to hundreds of thousands of Baht. But there is not really a place for children other than the ice cream parlours or toy departments but these only keep kids happy for a short period,” he says.

“Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard of Thailand has two important ports: Laem Chabang and Map Ta Phut. The town of Sri Racha is a hub of the country’s economic strategy. As the father of two young children, I know that fun activities are equally as important. And Thailand is such a hot country that we need indoor activities with air-conditioning. Bangkok has many large indoor playgrounds and now there’s Harbor Pattaya. My aim was to create a unique place for the whole family to spend time and have fun together,” he says.

That aim has been largely realised in the shopping mall, which in addition to housing Harbor Land, devotes a further nine zones to family pleasure. For the little ones, there’s a brand of the Japanese global theme park, the Kidzoona & Molly Fantasy playground, the teens have the gaming arcade Mario Land while all ages can learn at Harbor Learn and Play, which is devoted to education and features music and art schools, language schools as well as a toddlers’ day care centre.

More sporting activities are available at trampoline park Jump XL, the Deep Climbing Gym and The Rink, Pattaya’s first ice-skating venue.

“I’m really impressed by the energy of children. Every time they see the playground, their eyes sparkle and they get really excited. They are happy and strong and that’s what today’s parents want,” Prakarn says.

 

GO PLAY

Harbor Pattaya, which is in Na Kluea, Bang Lamung District, is open daily from 10am to 9pm. 

Admission is between Bt250-Bt380 for children and Bt150 for adults. Free entry for kids less than one year old.

Find out more at (089) 332 1000 or visit www.Harbor.co.th.