{"id":1049,"date":"2014-04-20T07:25:45","date_gmt":"2014-04-20T07:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.laurafulton.org\/?page_id=1049"},"modified":"2014-04-20T07:25:45","modified_gmt":"2014-04-20T07:25:45","slug":"hili-fun-city","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.laurafulton.org\/?page_id=1049","title":{"rendered":"Hili Fun City"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tons of Fun in the Garden City’s Favourite Theme Park <\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

An edited version of this article appeared in Abu Dhabi Week magazine in\u00a0April 2011. It no longer appears online. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMummy, look at me! I’m going to do a trick!\u201d The shiny red motorcycle revs loudly as my youngest son screws up his face in determination, hunches forward and pops a wheelie.<\/p>\n

Have I gone insane and let my five year old onto the back of a Harley trick bike? No \u2013 but this merry-go-round style kiddie attraction is fast becoming the best time he\u2019s ever had. With all the glitz and glam of Ferrari World, it’s easy to overlook the UAE’s old amusement park but you can still have a great day out \u2013 for way less money \u2013 at Hili Fun City.<\/p>\n

The sun is sinking lazily as we drive into Al Ain \u2013 I have no idea where I\u2019m going but, as I\u2019ve hoped, the brown tourist signs lead me directly to Hili Fun City without a hitch. The park only opens at 4pm, so we\u2019ve missed the heat of the day.<\/p>\n

Wednesday is Ladies Night at Hili Fun City and the park is already buzzing with activity. Though the park has been reduced in size from a gigantic 65 hectares to a much more user-friendly 20 hectares, there are still plenty of wide open spaces.<\/p>\n

Unlike your typical amusement park, these lawns were made for lounging \u2013 several groups of ladies have brought blankets and picnics, setting up shop for the evening. Gorgeously landscaped, the park is set up so that there are plenty of reasonably secluded spots where families can spread out and get comfortable.<\/p>\n

You might think the rides would be empty on Ladies Night, but I\u2019m reminded again the foolishness of making assumption as I see hoards of graceful, swishing Arab girls in high heels and perfect make up queuing for the thrill rides \u2013 the Hili Swinger, the High Flyer and the aptly named Twister Mountain are all rocking this evening.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, there\u2019s plenty on offer for the little ones. The minimum height for kiddie rides is generally 30in (76cm) up to 48in (122cm) for the slightly bigger attractions. Even better, of the 28 attractions on offer, admission to 25 of them are included in the very reasonable price of the entrance ticket.<\/p>\n

Others like the pony, camel and boat rides cost a bit extra, but AED 10 seems a pretty small price to pay, I think, watching my oldest son navigate a remote controlled miniature dhow across the pond, threading the little boat through an arching stone.<\/p>\n

Climbing into the Circus Swing \u2013 a smaller version of the Hili Swinger \u2013 the children squeal as the swings start to spin. My little boys wave as they come by at what feels to them like rocket speed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi mummy, bye mummy!\u201d they call out in unison with every pass, the joke remaining equally as funny with the last rotation as it was the first.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no wonder Hili Fun City is in such great shape these days \u2013 the park\u2019s senior manager Viviane Paturel-Mazot tells us the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) officially took over operations in September 2010.<\/p>\n

\u201cTDIC\u2019s ten year plan is being finalised now and further improvements will be unveiled soon,\u201d says Viviane. \u201cTDIC hopes to continue with the success that the first stage of renovation brought in 2009 which saw improvements in service and safety, brought more attractions and revamped the whole park.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having moved on, our new favourite ride is Sinbad\u2019s Farm \u2013 the kids climb into the driver\u2019s seats of vintage looking cars, steering us carefully through a farm of fibreglass animals. That the cars are fixed to rails is no deterrent to the children\u2019s glee.<\/p>\n

\u201cTa la! Bunnies!\u201d points out my little chauffeur. “But Mummy they’re only glass but you have to be careful \u2013 don\u2019t take off your seatbelt because there’s lions and tigers and bears. I\u2019m a good driver.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the rides that are better these days \u2013 there\u2019s a brand new live stage show featuring magicians, clowns, singers and dancers, plus lots of ways to stay active like the paddle boats, bicycles and a playground.<\/p>\n

Everything in the toilets is new, clean and well maintained, and they\u2019ve put down eco friendly Astroturf in some high traffic areas that looks real but uses way less water to maintain. They\u2019ve also put in recycling bins alongside every trash can, and \u201call the benches are made 100 percent out of recycled plastic manufactured in Jebel Ali,\u201d says Viviane.<\/p>\n

While there are ten new attractions and several more in the works, some of what makes Hili Fun City great today is what made it great before the upgrades.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis park has always been family friendly and it still is,\u201d says Viviane. \u201cThe whole family can have a good time from the children to the grandparents. We\u2019ve improved the barbeque grills as well, and we encourage people to bring their own food and have a leisurely day in the park.\u201d<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t packed a picnic, so we head over to one of the park\u2019s two eateries, Station Plaza Restaurant. As we sit outside tucking into sandwiches, chicken nuggets and chips, we catch an accidental glimpse of a mother praying beside her small son in a secluded corner of lawn.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a beautiful little moment \u2013 one Ferrari World isn’t likely to match.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tons of Fun in the Garden City’s Favourite Theme Park An edited version of this article appeared in Abu Dhabi Week magazine in\u00a0April 2011. It no longer appears online. \u201cMummy, look at me! I’m going to do a trick!\u201d The … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":969,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurafulton.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1049"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurafulton.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurafulton.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurafulton.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurafulton.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1049"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurafulton.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1050,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurafulton.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1049\/revisions\/1050"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurafulton.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurafulton.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}