Banana's

($)  Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa suffer from a dearth of public children’s parks. No slides, no swings, no monkey bars, at least with the safety and variety we are familiar with in the US, Canada, and elsewhere. Luckily we have Banana’s, an enclosed playroom for young kids and toddlers. They have what are probably considered jungle gyms, but they are covered in colorful padded mats, so that even a stumble can be fun. They also have an area for coloring and arts and crafts, kid-sized shopping carts and plastic groceries, building blocks, and a lounge area for waiting parents who are letting their kids roam around. Banana’s can be used for babysitting or parents can play along with their kids. There are always at least 3 staff members present.

just the facts, ma'am: Banana’s is open Monday through Saturday, 9 am to 8 pm, and Sundays 10 am to 7 pm. The first hour is 30 pesos, and each additional hour is 10 pesos. Although Banana’s no longer has A/C at their new location, the air is fresh and a cool breeze blows in through the upper windows. Also, there is a lovely serve-yourself snack bar, with coffee, sodas and snacks, but if you don’t want your kids to help themselves to a truckload of sugar, bring your own healthy snacks, and make sure the staff know not to give your kids anything but what you’ve brought.

don't miss: For extra fun, pay the extra 50 pesos per hour and take your toddler to the stimulation area. The entire area is covered in padded mats, and your child can run around and slide down padded slides, stack huge padded blocks and roll around on padded cylinders.

meet me @: Banana’s is now located on Calle Catalina Gonzalez, on the corner of Cinco de Mayo in Zihuatanejo Centro.

filed under: sport & adventure by Bev (Jul 07)
tagged: kids play