“When we visited Wendy’s the first thing I noticed was that the toilets had toilet seats and they also were very clean, up until now I had been astounded to find a lot of nurseries expecting the kids to use toilets with no seats and sit directly on the cold ceramic!!!!

The nursery is a family business, for children aged from 4 months to 3 years.  It is divided into four groups – babies, kittens, lynx and tigers.  Babies and kittens are together most of the times, each of the groups has 2 teachers.  There is a separate room where little babies sleep and toddlers nap if they want to.

There is a kitchen on site where they prepare fresh food, the children have a balanced warm meal consisting of three courses every single day.  They never force-feed the children and do not force them to finish their lunch or food, but they do not give them their dessert or birthday cake if they don’t.

My daughter was very happy in Wendy’s and learned a lot of Spanish which came handy when she started Spanish public school.  Wendy’s is a bilingual educational centre – and it is properly bilingual.  Most of the staff are Spanish speaking with little English but there is one Scottish lady and one lady from Mexico who speaks fluent English. Teachers swap so they teach the kids Spanish most of the time and English some days (I believe two) of the week.

I also found that Wendy’s is very competitive as they offer flexible prices.  We pay 240 Euros a month from 9 till 2.

I can honestly not find any downsides or negatives except perhaps that the garden areas could be nicer – but I much prefer the staff to be nice than the grass to play on, don’t you? ”

Address: Urb. Hacienda Cortez, C/Calamar 17a, La Canada, Marbella

Telephone: 952 772 910 Email: hadawendy@terra.es

___________________________________________________________

This is a new mother, baby & toddler coffee morning that is is starting up in the next few weeks.  It is going to be located at The Black Horse Tavern (formerly The Streets of London).  This is a great location with an enclosed garden that has a bouncy castle and slide and I seem to remember seeing some crazy golf there as well.

The meetings are to be held on a Tuesday morning from 11am, Starting from Tuesday 11th August 2009.

As it is a new meeting, Hannah is asking that anyone who has spare toys, ride ons / push alongs, please bring with you.

We are sure this meeting will grow over the next couple of months, so if you are looking to meet other mums or want somewhere different to go with the kids give it a try.

As soon as we know the dates we will let you know

The nursery is designed on ground level, with plenty of spacious rooms for each age, outdoor areas offer your child a range of experiences and are split to allow children of a similar age to play together safely.  The nursery is protected by an electronic entry system and CCTV

Our friends at Indybel.com send one of their girls there, here is what she has to say about it

“I definitely think Bella’s development has come on in leaps and bounds since starting nursery. The monthly themes are set out for parents to see and her age group explore things like colours, shapes and numbers. I have noticed she understands certain Spanish words and phrases and most of all is much better at sharing and playing with other children now. It’s so sweet to hear her talk about her little friends and to tell me what activities she has done during the morning”.

Address: Calle Muerdago 2, Benalmadena, 29639  Tel: 952 448 007

Visit website www.costakindercare.com

Discounts are offered for weekly and monethly bookings and also for 2nd and 3rd child places.

The play scheme is for children aged 3- 12 years and is run by bilingual staff.

For more information check out the website www.costakidsinc.com

This is definitely the biggest and the best of soft play areas along the coast.  There are two separate play areas, one for up to 3 years old which has a small ball pool, play house, trampoline and great little car and slide ride.  There is a baby and toddlers morning every Tuesday and Thursday 11am – 1pm for 5€ (including juice and cookies)

The big area is huge, where do I start, 3 bumpy slides, a big trampoline, another slide and ball pool, several runs, tunnels, steps and a whole 2 floor room with sponge balls and air guns to fire them from.  Although my son is only 2 he loves the air gun room and can quite easily go up to the top of the slides, we do hold hands on the slides though but it won’t be long before he goes down on his own.  He still loves the younger section too. 

There is also a party room that you can hire for birthdays, they provide a selection of party food and some party bags for the kids to take home, you supply your own birthday cake.  If you hire the room you also get a big table outside for 2 hours so parents have somewhere to sit and rest before they are whisked off to the play area again.

We both had our kids parties there and they loved it.

Kidz Kingdom gets very busy at weekends and rainy days so be warned its not for the faint hearted.  It is also great for the summer if the sun gets too much for you and you need a bit of air conditioning!

You must remember to take socks for both you and your little ones, and try not to take a bag as there aren’t any secure lockers to put things in.

The cafe has a selection food from, snacks and sandwiches to main meals and desserts and they are a licensed bar which I do find very strange in a kids play area.  Be warned they are a little on the slow side but then they do get very busy, just make sure you order in plenty of time.

[[Show as slideshow]]

Opening hours:

Tue – Fri    4pm – 9pm

Weekends 12pm – 9pm

Prices: 10€ non member   5€ member   4€ under 3’s

You can also bulk buy your visits in advance for a reduced rate

Tel 952 928 936

email info@kidzkingdom.eu

www.kidzkingom.eu

Casa Loca is an indoor soft play centre situated a few yards from the big BP garage in La Cala.

As well as a soft play area, there is also a trampoline, tree house climbing frame / slide, mini bowling alley and a small babies area with soft blocks which is handily gated so the little one’s don’t get trampled on by the older children.

A nice café serves a good selection of adult snacks and children’s meals and there is even a little ‘sweetie shop’. The centre is open 6 days a week and there are ‘mother and toddler’ mornings twice a week which are a great way to make friends.

Because it’s underground Casa Loca can feel a little ‘dark’ but the management are very friendly and helpful and there are plenty of activities to keep little one’s amused for a good few hours. Also available for children’s parties.

N340, La Cala (Next to Sunshine Golf)

Tel: 952493415

There are three meetings a week, Mondays are for mums to be and mums with under ones and Wednesday and Friday for 0 – 3 years.  Its nice to have somewhere to go, especially in the mornings, and you can find out so much information from other mums of what else there is to do on the coast (or look on our site of course).

Times         Mondays         10.30-12.30 (under 1’s)

                  Wednesdays    11.00-13.00 (0-3’s)

                   Fridays           10.30-12.30 (0-3’s)

 Place         Aloha Gardens, Nueva Andalucia (above ‘El Jardin’ bar)

 Price         5 euros per session or pay 15 euros for 4 sessions

 Contact     Rachel tel. 669 772 133 or e-mail bouncersmarbella@hotmail.com

This is a great new service for all the parents that have their kids in Garabatos. Their food is absolutely delicious, you already smell it every morning leaving your child there….and now you have the chance to buy their baby food for only 1€/portion or a 2 course menu for yourself for only 5€!

I’ve already tried it many times!! It’s not only very nice ans tasty but also it saves you time thinking of your own food at lunch time…as well as saving you a lot of money

________________________________________________________________________________________

This nursery is very close to my heart. Here is were my little boy goes every day with a big smile in his face.  I found this place through a friend that lives around that area, they only had opened it a year before I took my son there. I chose “Garabatos” because it was big, bright, happy and had a huge outdoor playing area. The manager Elena is full of passion and loves children…you can really feel that. The best way to experience this on your own is visiting the c ntre yourself. Elena is more than willing to show you around anytime.

This is Spanish nursery, but the do have some English teachers coming in once the children are around 2 years old to play and sing in English. they also provide with a German teacher for those children that will be attending the german school in Elviria. 

For more information visit their website: www.guarderia-garabatos.com

EN ESPAÑOL