Gambado
4
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
About
The UK's most exciting indoor play and party centre. Our mission is to be the best quality family indoor play provider in the UK. We offer children the opportunity to play, run free and explore in a fun, safe and stimulating environment. Giant Play Frames, Huge Slides, Ball Pits, Dodgems, Carousel rides and a full size climbing frame - all included in one standard admission price. Great value annual pass available plus party offers all year round.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
217 reviews
Excellent
98
Very good
55
Average
30
Poor
13
Terrible
21
Dae
1 contribution
Feb 2020 • Family
Had an excellent time at Gamabados watford for my sons 2nd birthday. All the kids enjoyed it very much. Nice and clean and lots for the kids to do! Luke was in-charge of the running of my sons party. He was attentive and patient and a huge credit to the team! Thank you Luke!
Written March 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review.
It is fantastic to hear you son and his friends enjoyed his 2nd birthday party with us.
We will ensure your comments are passed onto Luke.
We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Written March 20, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Simon23
London51 contributions
May 2017 • Family
We visited Gambado on a bank holiday Monday, so I guess it's to be expected that it would be busy, but they had so many parties on, the softplay area was really ramped. The staff do try limit the inflow of people as well as have a time limit, but neither seemed to have any effect and for the amount of money you pay, it was quite an unpleasant experience. Having said that, it's still has great facilities, but I'd think twice about going again purely because I found the softplay area to small for the crowds they let in, on the flipside the kids still seemed to have fun nevertheless.
Written May 2, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We're glad you were able to try our great facilities - and yes, Bank Holidays can be busy, as we are able to offer so much for your entry fee - dodgems, climbing wall, carousel and of course the giant play frame and slides.
I do hope you're able to try us again, perhaps on a quieter time, so that your children can have another session of fun.
Thanks
Gareth
General Manager
Written May 11, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
pcsc2015
Amersham, UK79 contributions
Apr 2019 • Family
Got a 3 year old, definitely recommend an annual pass.
Booked a birthday party, the only thing is the staff are not that helpful with the party.
Booked a birthday party, the only thing is the staff are not that helpful with the party.
Written April 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, Thank you for your review and your recommendation of our annual passes.
We're disappointed to hear you were not satisfied with the service provided by our party hosts. To enable us to look into this further please could you email social@gambado.com
Written April 15, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Swallowed a frog
Windsor, UK86 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
This was our 2nd visit for a birthday party & can safely say will be our last! The place is absolutely disgusting infact that is being kind! Toilets are filthy so much so my daughter who it toilet training i actually put a pull up on her to avoid using them. My daughters socks were black within the first 5 minutes. The cafe area has food trodden in all over floors and tables, bins over flowing. Needs a massive deep clean. Also need to check their own policies re allowing older kids into the under 3s section, not a minutes rest praying the dont get pushed around by older children who shouldnt be in there! Dont waste your money, go DJ's or paradise instead of this excuse of a pit.
Written February 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback, I was disappointed to hear that you were not satisfied with the cleanliness of the centre on your last visit to Gambado, this is an unusual and unacceptable occurrence for which we apologise.
We have procedures in place to ensure the centre is kept clean and it appears that these were not being adhered to on this occasion, the toilet checks were being carried out fully every hour and the centre manager has confirmed that during their peak times they will increase the checks to 30 minute intervals, we do encourage all customers to report concerns to the duty manager during your visit, so action can be taken then and there.
Deep cleans are carried out every week and general cleans daily, the centre manager has confirmed that he will ensure all checklists are being carried out correctly and have an additional staff member monitoring the floors and tables.
You will find that other soft plays don't have the dodgems track we have - the track surface does cause some black dust to be transferred to the floor, we do ask those who use the dodgems to wear shoes to try and reduce any transfer and signage has been put in place to try and enforce this, we can confirm that the track is regularly cleaned.
We do ensure that our centres are a safe place for children to play however do advise that it is the parents responsibility to look after their own children when on the play equipment, additional staff have recently been recruited to enable the areas to be more closely monitored, in particular one member of staff to be on the Under 3 area at all times.
Written February 17, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Syeda R
1 contribution
May 2014
I went to gambado last week with my 1 year 7 month old, whilst he was playing in the soft play area I noticed he was picking up something, on closer look he was picking up glass, I immediately went to the manager and all he had to say was 'thanks for letting me know' and walked off! I have since called and emailed many times expecting some sort explanation and an apology but I have had nothing! I am digested at the attitude of the staff in an environment where they cater for children, still waiting for a call and will continue to post my experience on every child related website so people are made aware of what gambado has to offer! !!
Written May 14, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lindoslilac
Hemel Hempstead, UK37 contributions
Sep 2018 • Family
I visited Gambardo today with my daughter and two grandchildren aged 12 and 8, both myself and daughter. It’s took at least 10 minutes to get through the gate even though there was no one in front of us, this was due to the staff on the reception being under trained. My daughter and myself had to pay to sit and watch, which is fine when the surroundings are clean and comfortable, but this place is dirty, every table, seat and floor area had food waste, dirty crockery, empty food packets strewn all over. If you are charging every person who walk through the door you must have the money to employ enough staff to keep the place clean, and train your staff properly. I spoke to a manager and asked the question why adults have to pay, I was told that if we visited the Zoo we would all have to pay so they have the same policy! Not quite the same really. Anyway we won’t be back there are plenty more soft plays that don’t charge adults and are able to maintain a high level of hygiene.
Written September 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello,
Thank you for your feedback, all feedback is important to us, for us to be able to review our customer experience and processes.
Our adult admission allows us to invest in premium rides and activities like our dodgems, our carousel and climbing wall, which are not available at other children's indoor adventure centres.
I was disappointed to hear that you were not satisfied with the cleanliness on your last visit to Gambado. Please be assured that this will be passed on to the team who were on duty during your visit as this is not the experience we would expect for our customers.We encourage all customers to report any problems to our staff to enable us to rectify these immediately.
We are sorry to hear you will not be visiting us again as we have said this is not the Gambado experience we expect our customers to receive.
Written September 25, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Keels
London, UK60 contributions
Dec 2018 • Family
This is not the first time we have been here, but will most definitely be the last. Hot, busy, hectic, expensive. An actual nightmare on earth. We visited on Sunday 9th December, when they had a ridiculous amount of children; more than what seemed safe for guests or manageable for staff. Frequently there were big kids in the under 2s and under 3s softplay section, being boisterous and throwing balls from the ball pond around. I informed a male member of staff manning the carousel, and he cleared them out, before they later returned.
The climbing frame was FULL of kids, with no space to move. Perhaps they were being too greedy and took on too many parties! They were numerous going on at once. There was no one manning the slide, and my 2 year old son and I were both hurt when kids went down the slide straight after us. One child bumped heads with my son,the other crashed into my lower back. Not ideal when you’re 8 months pregnant!
Finally, after we had lasted only an hour only, having paid £12 for my son and I, their rude and inefficient staff at the front desk refused to open the gate to let us out. I was hot, feeling faint and needed to leave with my son immediately. When I asked the young ‘lady’ at the desk to open the gate, she rudely shouted out ‘I’m serving’, turning back to an incoming customer to prioritise their profits and taking even more people in, rather than letting a whole queue of us leave. That is not acceptable and is illegal to keep people in this awful place against their will.
Avoid avoid avoid at all costs!
The climbing frame was FULL of kids, with no space to move. Perhaps they were being too greedy and took on too many parties! They were numerous going on at once. There was no one manning the slide, and my 2 year old son and I were both hurt when kids went down the slide straight after us. One child bumped heads with my son,the other crashed into my lower back. Not ideal when you’re 8 months pregnant!
Finally, after we had lasted only an hour only, having paid £12 for my son and I, their rude and inefficient staff at the front desk refused to open the gate to let us out. I was hot, feeling faint and needed to leave with my son immediately. When I asked the young ‘lady’ at the desk to open the gate, she rudely shouted out ‘I’m serving’, turning back to an incoming customer to prioritise their profits and taking even more people in, rather than letting a whole queue of us leave. That is not acceptable and is illegal to keep people in this awful place against their will.
Avoid avoid avoid at all costs!
Written December 10, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Charlie,
Thank you for your review, We are sorry to hear that you did not have a good experience on your last visit to Gambado.
At Gambado we always ensure that we adhere to our maximum numbers with party guests and site visitors combined.
I was concerned to hear that you felt our toddler areas were poorly monitored on your last visit to Gambado. The safety of all of our visitors is extremely important to us. We have raised this straight to the Site Manager to review as a priority.
We are disappointed to hear that you did not receive the service expected from our staff on your visit. We will be speaking to staff on duty during your visit and will ensure that we provide any necessary retraining.
Currently the slides are not monitored by a specific member of staff, going forward this is something we will review at bringing in during our peak times.
Kind Regards,
Written December 19, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Smileyspeople
4 contributions
Aug 2013
I ve no objection to businesses making money but to charge an adult £2.99 to come sit and buy their coffee or small pumped coke at £1.70 is just not a nice or straight way to do business. Great facilities for the kids but why do they think its good business to "whack" the adults who pay for it? Adults attending children should be given a free coffee and free entry and more bonuses the more children they bring. That would be good business. Instead I come only when desperate or pestered.
Written August 9, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JHCowan
Ashley Green, UK45 contributions
Aug 2013 • Family
Quite expensive when compared to other indoor play places. Today their main attraction the bumper cars is not working. Was not working before we arrived, when we paid they of course did not inform us of this. When we asked for a discount as the ride would not be working for the day we were informed that it’s in the fine print - Gambado reserve the right for none of their rides to work without having to issue a refund or discount. We reserve the right not to return!
Written August 8, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chet630
London, UK4 contributions
Nov 2018 • Family
They may have abolished the membership, but the pricing is ridiculous.
Charging adults a price which is usually applicable to children in neighbouring soft play centres is ludicrous.
No seating available, as they ensure maximum profit by occupying all with kids parties.
Coffee was stone cold.
Staff lacking.
Down right filthy with a lack of staff to clean areas.
Shame on you Gambados.
Charging adults a price which is usually applicable to children in neighbouring soft play centres is ludicrous.
No seating available, as they ensure maximum profit by occupying all with kids parties.
Coffee was stone cold.
Staff lacking.
Down right filthy with a lack of staff to clean areas.
Shame on you Gambados.
Written November 18, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Chet,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. Please be assured that we take your views seriously and regularly review feedback from all our customers.
Our adult admission allows us to invest in premium rides and activities like our dodgems, our carousel and climbing wall, which are not available at other children's indoor adventure centres.
I was disappointed to hear that you were not satisfied with the cleanliness on your last visit to Gambado. Please be assured that this will be passed on to the team who were on duty during your visit as this is not the experience we would expect for our customers.We encourage all customers to report any problems to our staff to enable us to rectify these immediately.
We hope to see you at Gambado again soon.
Written November 19, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hello, We are hosting a birthday party at Gambado - Watford this weekend. We will be bringing our own cake and want it to be served to the children once it is cut. Do you allow the children to have the cake over there or do we need to bring boxes to pack the cake slices and give it the children?
Written February 27, 2018
They normally let the children have the cake there and then if that's what you would prefer. The staff are very flexible.
Written February 28, 2018
Do you have an enclosed area for babies only? My little one is 7mths old. I find that in most places bigger children run around baby area which makes it unsafe.
Written February 3, 2017
Yes. We have a special area for babies at the centre which our staff regularly monitor :)
Written February 3, 2017
mechelle1978
Watford, United Kingdom
Whats the easyest way to get to u I know where watford town is and football grounds
Written February 17, 2015
Granny155
Greater London, United Kingdom
Intending to visit with 5 grandchildren of varying ages. Need to know please what ages Gambados caters for. Is the Softplay area a little young for an 11 year old. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Written February 16, 2015
Hi,
It depends how much time you want to spend there. There have dodgems too, so I think that older kids would enjoy it. I organised party there last year and there were couple of 9-10 year old who used dodgems for most of the time. There is also a climbing wall, which I think might also be an adventure for them.
However, I am not sure when do you want to take them, but during half term the queues are unimaginable! I never even managed to get in. They put you on the list and say 'you can come back in an hour. What exactly am I supposed to do for an hour with a kid that wants to play? Plus, obviously, there is a mayhem inside as they run at full capacity. So no fun queuing for each play.
I hope it helps.
Kind regards,
Written February 17, 2015
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