A family day out at Desa ParkCity

EduMama is taking a break from writing about schools, and focusing today on her neighbourhood: Desa ParkCity. Here’s her guide to a fantastic day out in this beautiful, family-friendly suburb!  

Morning in Desa ParkCity

Pack the car with scooters, bikes, trikes, swimming gear & towels. It’s going to be a big day!  Come over early – before 9am if you can. As well as being a bit cooler, there will be plenty of parking available at The Waterfront and not too many people around (yet…). If you like, you can hire bikes from the friendly local bike shop, right by MyNews, at very reasonable prices.

Pick up a coffee from 3 Little Birds, who do (arguably) the best coffee on The Waterfront. You can either enjoy your coffee sitting in their outdoor seating looking out over the lake, or bring your coffee to takeaway while you walk.

Enjoy walking, biking or scootering around the lake. It’s a 1 km loop, so manageable even for little ones. The lake is a hugely popular dog-walking spot, and my kids love spotting different types of dogs! You are also bound to see many dogs wearing clothes – shoes, pants, even dresses – and a few in prams (which my kids find hilarious).

Your kids should have fun spotting giant carp in the lake, plenty of sneaky catfish and maybe a turtle or two if they’re lucky. You’ll probably see people feeding them with bread, but try to resist the urge to do the same: there are signs asking people not to do this, for the sake of the animal’s health. Just enjoy watching them instead!

Loop of the lake (or two) done, you could head to the great kids’ playground outside of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf if the kids still have energy to burn; the playground outside Westside One is another good option if the Waterfront one is busy.  

Ready to refuel? Head over to El Meson beside The Social for a great cooked breakfast – or pop into Kenny Hill – The Bakers (on the carpark side) for some delicious baked treats. We love their mushroom tarts and scrummy cinnamon rolls – and it’s worth picking up a loaf of their great bread for weekend sandwiches.

An afternoon of fun

If you haven’t been before, the ParkCity Club is fantastic, and well worth a visit. It’s located less than a 5 minute walk from The Waterfront shops, so you can stay parked at The Waterfront to keep things easy. Guest entry is just RM10 for an entire day – but you’ll need a current member to invite you in. You can easily stay a few hours here while your kids happily swim and play – always an awesome afternoon.

The club has got a deeper pool for older children, a kids’ pool with slides and water fun, and a shallow baby pool. As a bonus, kids get to explore the fantastic outdoor playground, belonging to the International School @ ParkCity’s Early Years Centre – children under 10 will be in heaven here. In case it rains, they’ve also got a movie room for the kids and some covered relaxation spaces, too.

Top tip: The Club’s ‘Cheers’ cafe makes the best chocolate milkshakes in town and has beer on tap for the adults, too. They do snacks and simple meals: the fried rice would be our pick of the bunch.

Don’t have a friend to invite you to the club? Don’t worry! There are plenty of other great kids activities to do while you’re in Desa Park. You could:

• Visit The Fun Factory, an indoor playground at Plaza Arkadia that also does nice food, juices and coffee. Younger kids love the huge slide & the ball pit.
• Drop your kids off at The ArtWorkshop (upstairs at The Waterfront) or Mosaic at Plaza Arkadia where you can drop them off for a fun art and craft class, at very reasonable prices.
• For babies and toddlers, a play session at Noriter cafe (Plaza Arkadia) is always great fun, and we love the fresh juices there too.

Dinner time in Desa ParkCity

Plaza Arkadia is a great spot for a family-friendly dinner. With new restaurants opening all the time, you’ll be spoiled for choice. Here are our family’s top 3 picks:

• Take the healthiest option and visit The FishBowl! They’ve got a small indoor playground which younger children (under 5) will adore – if they’ve got any energy left after such a busy day, that is. They make fresh, healthy poke bowls and as a huge bonus, kids’ meals are completely free. Our kids love their chicken teriyaki kids’ bowls.
• Sit outside at Rock Bottom in one of their super comfy leather chairs, and order one of their fantastic curries. The food comes quickly and service is always good, and they’ve got a great kids’ menu that’s bound to please. Top tip: Book your table through the Eatigo App and enjoy discounts on your food bill!
• Nutz & Boltz, right beside the play fountain, is a firm family favourite here and usually packed in the evenings. They’ve got a selection of puzzles and toys to keep the kids entertained, and the wait staff are great with children. They offer a huge range of meals, from pizza to curries to salads, and have a decent kids’ menu too.

If you are at The Waterfront, Rakuzen is a firm family favourite. The newly openend Dragon-i offers great dim sums and other classic Chinese dishes.

Still going?

If your kids still have energy to burn, there’s still more fun to be had here. Older children have plenty of space to scooter and play around the central plaza area. Younger children (under 10) love playing in the kids’ fountain outside Nutz & Bolts – so pack some extra dry clothes and towels! They’ll also enjoy the mini trampolines and treehouse-style playground nearby. Be warned though: no matter your kids’ age, they probably won’t be able to ignore the tempting ‘ding-a-ling’ from the man selling ice cream at the playground… you may have to pick up a cone for dessert! For more icy treats, check out the newly opened ice-creamery called Helado, a few steps from the playground.

if you’d like to explore ampang instead, check out our guide to ampang for families here