Welcome to Dinotopia at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. Over here, not only do the kids come out to play, but the adults come by to eat. When school is out, the fun begins! A themed-based buffet, happening on weekends, Public and School holidays, where diners indulge in lunch or dinner while the kids enjoy all dino-activities present.
Are your young kids into all things dinosaurs? We are talking dinosaur-themed activities, dinosaur cookies and even cute dino tattoos… If yes, then we just might have a family friendly outing they could sink their teeth into…RAWR!
Of food and expectations
My husband and I walked in with our two kids aged 5.5 years, not knowing what to expect. To me, this sounded like a dream come true. I mean, there’s going to be a buffet where the adults can leisurely eat at, AND there is something to keep the kids occupied.
Right upfront the dining area, is the dessert cart where my kids spotted dino cookies, cupcakes of various flavours topped with creamy colourful icing and super cute dinosaur shaped chocolates, lush chocolate Easter-themed eggs, fresh and crunchy popcorn and a sign that said ‘ice cream’! So here’s when I pretty much knew things would be good. I mean, they were SO happy and they hadn’t even seen the dino activities yet!
The adults were only mildly thrilled with the buffet, since the choices were a bit limited. There were only two other sections besides the dessert counter, one serving chicken rice and the other with a bit more variety such as satay, dim sum, butter chicken masala, mixed vegetables, lamb and pasta.
All dishes were ok, but the satay really hit the spot for me. For the young kids, there was a pre-packed Dino Snack box consisting of chicken nuggets, mini sausages and potato wedges. This was a nice touch for the kids, I thought. Fresh juices were also available.
Dinotopia games and activities
With lunch behind us, we headed to Dinosaur World across from us. There were pop up stands of various games the kids loved. ‘Shoot the Dino’ entailed them using a Nerf gun to shoot dino cut-outs. My girl has better aim than her sibling I discovered.
Next was ‘Feed the Dino’, where kids throw balls into a huge gaping mouth of a T-Rex hoping to ‘feed’ it.
Kids then could try their hand at ‘archery’! ‘Aim The Dino’ is where kids are using a bow and arrow (parents will need to help the younger kids), to ‘shoot’ at the dino targets.
My kids really liked the two messy play stations. One was filled with white sand (think excavation site) with mini dino figurines buried underneath and small tools to unearth these creatures. My daughter loved unravelling them.
Getting their hands messy was part of the fun and it didn’t bother me at all…at all…where are my wipes!! You could also purchase a Tiny Dinotopia Pack here, which comes with dino figures, scoopers, tools, sensory base (coloured salt), fake plants, mini spoons, big and tiny rocks and sago pearls at RM89.90.
In the midst of this dino madness, my little girl got pampered by getting her nails painted as part of the experience and a dino tattoo on her hand to match her brother’s. Puttisu is a kid-friendly cosmetic brand from Korea which can be purchased here.
There were also ‘Claw Machines’ and a ‘Merry Go Round’ ride, which you had to pay for. RM10 gets you three tokens which you can use interchangeably at these spots. I would have thought these games should be complimentary as part of the experience.
Nearing the end of the dino experience, there were several small tables set up for kids to create! There were lego pieces and also colourful beads for kids to create bracelets. Kids could also colour here.
Info
Dinotopia is open for lunch from 12-3pm during weekends, Public & School holidays. There are dinner sessions as well from 6-9pm on Fridays, during weekends, Public & School holidays.
Dinotopia is priced RM188 nett per adult and kids between 3-11 years pay RM118 nett. You can book your tickets here. You can also call 03 2182 1234 or email them here to make reservations.
What we thought:
So does this themed buffet work at a hotel in KL? Yes, if your kids are around 3-8 years old and you manage your expectations with the buffet. It makes for a fun family outing then!
Dinotopia is part of HYdeout – a concept developed by Grand Hyatt KL to celebrate every child’s creativity by introducing an indoor themed and fun learning experience.
Our buffet lunch at The Grand Hyatt was sponsored. However all opinions, as always, are honest and our own.
