Forever Young

BIG KIDS OF THE UAE LISTEN UP: YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO GROW UP. OUR CITY HAS BECOME ONE BIG PLAYGROUND – FROM CRAZY GOLF AND TREE-CLIMBING TO SWEETIE SPA SESSIONS AND HOVERBOARDS – BOOK-ENDED BY A HUGE SAND PIT TO THE SOUTH (READ: THE DESERT), AND A GREAT BIG PADDLING POOL TO THE NORTH (READ: THE SEA). SO, ABANDON YOUR ADULTHOOD, HERE’S HOW TO START ACTING LIKE A CHILD IN THE UAE

1. Head to a new kidult-friendly playground

Remember the summer fairs and indoor playgrounds of your childhood? The bouncy castles? The climbing frames? The slides? Well, the humble soft-play centre has been given a grown-up makeover at Air Maniax in Al Quoz. Here you can frolic with your friends inside a whopping 23,000 square foot indoor park featuring more than 15 indoor activities to tackle. Not only does it feature an enormous inflatable arena complete with an It’s a Knockout-style rotating wipe out machine, there’s also a massive inflatable obstacle course that you can race through against your mates.

Elsewhere, you’ll find a speedy zip-line that weaves its way across the top of the warehouse, a bouncy basketball and volleyball court, and a Miley Cyrus-inspired wrecking ball where you need to bash your mates off their podium to win.

Away from the inflatable arena, there’s an arcade-style laser tag, another warrior assault obstacle course (this time with a cool interactive element), a climbing tower, and a big foam pit at the end. With all that lot to try, don’t be surprised if you end up hiding in the foam pit while you recover.

Air Maniax, 16 Street 1 (opposite Dynatrade), Al Quoz Industrial First, Dubai, Sat to Wed 10am to 7pm, Thur and Fri 10am to 9pm. Prices start from Dhs80 for one-hour standard entry or Dhs120 for two hours. Tel: [phone]. airmaniax.com

02 Fly high, but indoors