Snakes and Ladders, Brentford

Met a friend and her son here for a couple hours of fun and some lunch. Firstly, it took me 2 attempts to find the place as the signs are really small and if you're driving, they can be difficult to read. Having asked for directions from a lady in the car park, I managed to find the entrance (which was being repainted) and from the outside, it looked like a barn. Inside, it was bright and colourful. I was already warned about the pricing in this place and £5.30 for a child and £1 per adult, I think is ridiculous. It was a Monday afternoon, with only a few mums and children in, they should have some kind of special deals for off peak moments. I would love to hear how they justify the price. Anyway, once we got in, my sons eyes lit up! It was bright and colourful, there were things to climb on, crawl under, swing on, rock on, bounce on, lie on, roll on... It was just heavenly for him. As he's only been walking a few months, it was great to know he could walk about freely without too much trouble, as the age limit for his age group, is up to 3 years old. The enclosure was spacious and quite soft under foot, to ease the falls.I felt safe leaving him to wander about quite happily and I didn't have to worry about him really hurting himself. For that alone, seeing the smiles on his face because of the freedom he had, it could have been worth every penny.. Until I had lunch. I opted for a baked potato with cheese and coleslaw. What I got was a dry baked potato, with a little pot of cheese on the side, a little pot of coleslaw on the side, 2 little packets of butter, 3 small bits of lettuce and a token slice of tomato on top of that. My plastic knife and fork had a devil of a time trying to cut through it, so I just picked out the soft bits in the middle. AND, while I remember and this is the worst part, there are signs up around the place telling you that bringing your own food on to the premises, is not allowed. Anyway to end, I wouldn't go here if you were a family of 5, as it would break the bank and I would definitely eat before you left home. But the staff were friendly enough and the space is fantastic, despite it's looks. I may still pay it another visit, but armed with what I know now, I won't be so disappointed.

This is noisy, dirty, chip smelling, e-number fuelled fun. The play frame is huge and sufficiently scary for all but the most hardened of crazy kids. It’s also big enough to allow for parents to go and recover the terrified huddle of eight year old clinging to the third storey netting, before letting it go straight back on again! The food is pretty poor, and it’s hard to keep them away from the vast array of pick and mix additives, but it’s really good fun. It is a bit hard to find - you need to park in the Syon House car park and go right down the little road beside the playschool to get there.