Bonkers Soft Play, Swindon

We had a great time at Bonkers play area and would think about having a kid’s party here. Bonkers is not huge, but has more than enough to keep all ages happy and some room for kids to tear about in. The children loved the climbing fire engine and soft play bricks, they spent ages building them up and jumping on them. The older children liked swinging on the rope pulleys at the other side of the ball-pool. The café at Bonkers is OK, but as the previous reviewer mentions, the lack of any healthy options for children is extremely disappointing; they really only offer chocolate, sweets, ice cream and crisps.

Bonkers soft play is brilliant for kids! We went with some friends and couldn’t drag the children away after two hours! Bonkers have separate areas for toddlers and babies; a ball pool, slide and swing ropes; and an adventure area for older children. We also enjoyed the puzzles on the walls; the wooden marble one is lovely! Parents can see most of the play areas from the seating area, although, tables fill up quickly during busy times so parents don’t always get a seat. Coffees, teas and drinks at the Bonkers café are very cheap; although it is a pity they only sell junk food for kids.

I visited Bonkers with my niece (3yrs). She especially loved the ball pool and slide and with the younger ones you can go in with them. Then we moved onto the soft fire engine that you can climb inside (the older ones climb on top). It is a fairly small area so you can easily sit at one of the tables around the edge and still keep track of where they are. There are no toilets inside Bonkers but they are not far away and have baby changing facilities. You pay by the half hour here which can be good if you are only staying for an hour, but gets expensive if you decide to stay longer. It can get very busy on wet weekends so be prepared to queue.

Bonkers is a great place for toddlers and pre-school children. There are separated areas for babies and very young children, an enclosed ball pit with tunnel slide, an area with air cannons that fire out soft balls and a small play frame too. My son is 7 and he still enjoys the cannons and play frame. It’s more suited to the younger ones though. It can get quite busy at the weekends, especially on a rainy day, but during the week it is usually quite quiet. You can’t eat your own food there but they have a small café serving hot drinks, lovely cakes, and snacks plus ice creams for those that have worked up a sweat. You pay by the half hour so you need to keep track of the time but this way it ensures it doesn’t get overfull. Once the children are 5yrs you can leave them there while you have a peaceful look around the garden centre. A great place to take kids up to around 6 years old.