Last Updated on October 8, 2017
I think it is safe to assume that someone in the Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department has something of a dry sense of humour. Well, it is either that or they truly do believe their own warning signs that most of the playgrounds here are really designed for 5-12 year olds – which surely seems unlikely?
In fact, although you really can’t knock the number or size of playgrounds in Hong Kong – compared to their European counterparts anyway – many of them do seem a little unimaginative and rather safe. Not that I’m arguing that this is a wholly bad thing; I, like many children of the 1980s, clearly remember the terror of hurtling down crazy high slides onto concrete paving slabs – and I’m not one of those people who believe that the experience was character-building. However, if you do have a keen climber on your hands, it is probably fair to say that few of Hong Kong’s playgrounds offer a great amount of variation, excitement or challenge – especially now someone has decided to remove the cool, blue drawbridge slide from Victoria Park and the long yellow tube slide from Hong Kong Park*. Mutter mutter.
All of which is why both me and my little boy always enjoy our trips to Elements Rooftop Playground in West Kowloon. And if you’ve never explored the playground on top of one of Hong Kong’s biggest shopping malls – but you have children who like to climb, bounce and spin – let me heartily recommend that you do. In fact, come to think of it, you better be quick – before the summer closes in and outdoors once again becomes a no-go zone.
So, I hope I’m not over-selling this. The playground isn’t huge, and will offer you a good morning or afternoon out rather than a full day, and it certainly is no picturesque park – but compared to many other Hong Kong playgrounds, there really is a great variety of equipment: from tyres to climb through, a range of fairly challenging climbing frames, a good slide, to moving balance beams.
For young toddlers there is a smaller climbing frame, featuring a mini-rope bridge and climbing wall – and I imagine most little people will probably get a kick out of riding on the bouncy jeep and, of course, general tearing around.
No swings here, I’m afraid, although there are two roundabouts as way of compensation: one rather space-aged one where you can choose to walk around or just cling-onto for dear life, and one pedal-propelled one which is great fun for little and big kids.
And as an added bonus, in and around the rooftop space, there is lots of room to scooter, a small community basketball court and a small patch of grass, if you want to kick a ball for a bit.
Hunger Pangs?
If you explore the other side of Elements’ rooftop, you’ll find Civic Square, which has lots of restaurants with outdoor seating. The bonus of eating here is that restless kids can run around or scooter whilst you wait for your meal to arrive. The downside, however, is that you may be waiting a while – we inadvisably chose to eat at Stormies one day, and after close to an hour and a half, my husband left without still having had a meal! The other slightly frustrating thing about the square is that there is a small open fountain area, which would be perfect for kids to splash around in during the hot summer months, but for some reason I can’t fathom, it isn’t allowed. All that being said, the Grand Central Bar and Grill gets fairly good Open Rice reviews, has booster chairs, and might be worth a punt.
On a recent trip to the playground, we decided to skip Civic Square in favour of heading back inside the mall to ‘Chip Republic’. Nestled just near the cinema, on Level 2, this isn’t quite the grease-fest you would expect from the name – and although its menu chiefly does revolve around burgers, chips and milkshakes – the seating areas make you feel that you are in a relaxed café rather than a fast-food joint. No highchairs, although there are some low sofas and tables which may work well with little ones.
Other child-friendly options for snacks and light meals are Pret-a-Manger and the sizeable Starbucks, both which have highchairs. If you fancy some family-friendly dim sum, Lei Garden is a good choice and also has booster chairs, although it might be best to book ahead.
Extra Stuff
If you get caught in a shower outside, or want to make a full day of it, you can always head inside the shopping mall for some more entertainment. Here are some are the most child-friendly options:
- The Grand Cinema on Level 2 shows the latest blockbusters, and there is normally a child-friendly film showing;
- Fancy doing something more active? At The Rink, you can either rent your ice skates and go gliding, or 3 year-olds and up can have a 30 min drop-in lesson (fairly expensive although great for parents of younger children who don’t want to head out onto the rink themselves) ;
- Metrobooks on the second floor of Elements is one of my favourite Hong Kong bookshops. It is spacious, has a great selection of children’s books, games and toys, and has little seating areas scattered around to encourage you and your kids to peruse the books before buying – and happily hardly any books here are wrapped in annoying cellophane. Perfect for a quiet 20 minute post-playground break.
Getting There
Public Transport: If you are travelling by MTR, just hop off the train at Kowloon Station (on the orange Tung Chung line) and, once you’re though the barriers, take the lift up to level U5 to get to the rooftop of Elements Mall. Walk up the steps in front of you (there is a stroller-friendly path too, curving around by the PIPS preschool) and then take the small passageway to the right, past the basketball courts, and the playground is just there (you can also take a look at this handy floor plan). For comprehensive advice about buses and minibuses, click here.
By Car: Click here for full details of parking at Elements Mall, and then make your way up to the roof.
Address: 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
So, my apologies if this is all old news – we just always have such a surprisingly good time here, I thought I’d spread the word…
*Oh and if you want to petition to have the yellow slide returned to Hong Kong Park, take 30 seconds and sign this.