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The Ark

  1. Poole
  2. Poole Park

Reviews, get directions and contact details for The Ark

The Ark

About

Situated at the heart of Poole Park in Dorset and just 10 minutes from Bournemouth, The Ark is next to Swan Lake in Poole Park

Story

Whatever the weather The Ark is open and offers guaranteed fun for the whole family. There's a fantastic play-frame with three levels of soft play, tunnels, slides and interactive zones including a dedicated toddler area.

All year round ice-rink and a scrumdiddlyumptious cafe, terrace and ice-cream parlour to relax and unwind in.

Address: Parkstone Rd, Poole BH15 2SF, UK
Phone: 01202 717197
ku.oc.krapeloopkraeht@ofni
State: Poole
City: Poole
Zip Code: BH15 2SF

opening times

Monday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Update Info

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Reviews
The Ark is a nice place to take the kids on a rainy day. Beautiful views from the windows and an outside seating area. £9.50 per child for two hours of play isn't too bad. There are better play areas out there for the same price or cheaper. There were a few people without socks on or wearing shoes which I found disgusting. No one was there to monitor this or to tell the individuals they needed to wear them. Could probably do with better signage on the entrances to make people more aware of this. There is a sign near the under 3's play area, to the right of the counter which you wouldn't really notice unless needing the toilet and another one on column which no one really pays attention to. No member of staff asked me to read the rules or if I understand the terms and conditions prior to setting the children free. Plenty of signage about not bringing your own food or drinks into the Ark and several about safeguarding children. The staff were polite and friendly. I think the food is a little over priced for what they have to offer but this is a personal opinion - Paid just over £10 for 3 ice lollies.nThe car park has cramped spaces and can be awkward to get small children out of the car or if one is a little larger than the average person when cars are parked so close to another when parked well within the lines.nI like the idea of a locked gate at the front of the entrance which can only be operated by a member of staff behind the counter. Means you don't have to worry about your child vanishing out of the building if you have taken your eyes off them for a short time. The only downside to that, you may have to wait several minutes before a staff member notices you to let you out...A small price to pay for security.
We visited twice my daughter absolutely loved it, Sunday was so hectic I wouldn't recommend visiting on a weekend as it was so busy and so many people. We went back on Tuesday as it was a miserable day and it was like a completely different place hardly anyone there so my daughter could run and play around without the worry of being pushed around or slammed in to. She wears AFO which means she needs to wear her shoes with it and the manager was very accommodating to her needs! We paid £11.50 for 2 adults and 1 child for over 2 hours of play, well worth the money, they have an under 3s area which I have to admit needs more work but the older kids part was so much fun for my little girl. If we're ever back that way we will make sure to go again!
We visited the soft play area, which prices have massively risen in recent months. For two adults and a 19 month old it was £12, which has more the doubled in recent times and is very steep compared to comparable soft play areas.nnHowever, my issue was not the price, although it was a bit of a shock as a repeat customer. We entered the soft play at 10AM, having also booked the Santa experience in the same building by the same company at 10:30am. At around 10:25 we mentioned to staff we were going to the Santa experience and would be back shortly, however we were told we would not be able to return to the soft play if we left. So after around 50p per minute of playing we left the soft play. We saw Santa which was actually really thoughtfully done and wonderful for the kids and left extremely frustrated at the lack of common sense by staff. The Santa experience was not long, around 10 minutes and we would have loved to continue our play session.
Had a lovely mother’s day pottery painting session, plenty of space, dogs welcome, could eat there too and no rush to finish. Everyone’s pieces came out really well too. Would recommend.
Service was shocking. Order was confirmed at till, but not listed on receipt. When I challenged, was told I had to go to back of long queue to place fresh order for that one item. Was not offered receipt second time; server pointedly screwed up receipt and threw it away. Cakes and coffees were good, though.
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