A Weekend at Royale Chulan Damansara, plus Ice Skating!

So after a few days of hearing Aiden exclaim "I am boring Mummy!", plus my unsuccessful attempt at looking for adventurous weekend getaways within KL, I finally threw the towel and decided to just head to yet another mainstream hotel in KL. (By the way Aiden, you are not boring at all. You are a very interesting child! *kisses*)

We started with deciding to go to Kidzania. Hotels close by were One World Hotel and Royale Chulan Damansara. What clinched the deal to go for the latter (not to be confused with Royale Bintang Damansara) was the fact that the hotel houses its own ice skating rink!

(The last time I went ice-skating was at least 15 years ago. Back then, with my limited ability to skate (on roller skates), at least I was able to stand upright and barely skate without falling splat on my face. But then again, that was eons ago. To be honest, I was quite nervous about the whole thing. Falling on my rear in front of my son is definitely not the most macho thing to do!)

It was certainly an impromptu getaway. We decided at 9am, made the necessary bookings at 10am, packed at 12pm and checked in at 4pm! Check-in was a breeze, thanks to a certain someone who is also a staff at the hotel. *thanks again, cuzzie!* Not only did we get an unexpected room upgrade to the executive floor... we were also given complimentary ice skating tickets! Definitely a memorable short holiday.

Aiden doing a Superman jump at the walkway heading to our room.

The two brothers posing by the king sized bed. The blinds on the right offers a view of anyone using the loo. Talk about being cosy!

Ian testing out the phones.

Beautifully decorated.

Best decent photo I could get of them two.

Since we were upgraded to the Executive Floor, of course we took advantage of the complimentary afternoon tea (430pm till 730pm). Unfortunately, although the Executive Lounge was just 15 steps away from our room, they did not allow kids under 12 to enter. However, the lounge reception was gracious enough to allow us to take the food back into the room for the kids. They even arranged for someone to send the food to us (that was how much food we piled on the tray... *chuckles*)

They had an impressive food spread too! From finger food such as sugarcane prawns, saba fish (yes fish!), miso soup, egg vol-au-vent with caviar, hotdog rolls (Aiden loved this)... to freshly made toast (your choice of filling plus sprinkles and nuts)... to dessert such as scones, cream puff, pastries, cakes and even kuih melayu!

The executive lounge.

So much foodddddddd.....

What we stuffed our tummies with. And this was probably round 3 of 5... or something as crazy as that *grin*

Ian 'tersandar kekenyangan'.

After stuffing ourselves silly, we decided that we really needed to burn some calories by ice-skating. Just to set your expectations - the rink is about half of the Sunway Pyramid rink. Just nice as a laid-back-with-kids activity.

Some tips for anyone heading to the ice skating rink; ticket prices vary (prices at the end of this post) and they are cheaper on weekdays and before 12 noon. Gloves and socks are compulsory. Since we had our own, we just used ours instead of having to purchase them new. Also, it is really quite cold there. Don't go with your daily clothes. We actually bundled the kids up with a long sleeved shirt and a sweater. There are lockers available to stash your things (unless of course, you are staying in the hotel). Toilets are also within the skating area, hence you do not need to take off your skates off to pee. Last but not least, let your kids build their confidence on the ice by renting a penguin aid (pictures below). It was well worth it for Aiden!

(Just by the ice skating rink, we found a playroom just for kids below 6 years old. Entrance is not free though, RM15 for hotel guests and RM20 for walk-in. Open between 10am-9pm. I poked my head in to have a look, and it was definitely outfitted for kids below 6. Aiden would be terribly bored there... but at least there was a place for the younger toddlers to play, whilst their older siblings skated to their heart's content.)

Aiden checking his shoe size.

The ice skating rink also has a lounge area... ice skate party anyone??

Looking mighty proud with his ability to stand with his skates. Little did he know that it wouldn't be as easy on ice!

Since Ian wasn't allowed on the ice (minimum age 5 years old), Aiden and Daddy went first, while Ian and Mummy had to stay behind.

Aiden's first step on the ice. Check out the panic (but excited) face!!! *chuckles*

Smiling... and then falling. Hehehe...

After like three rounds of going around the rink (while holding on to dear life to the railing!), I took pity on Aiden and rented him the Penguin Aid. I was quite impressed that he lasted that long, though. Most kids would have called it a day already! 

Even with the Penguin Aid, Aiden showed remarkable courage at venturing on the ice alone. Slowly but surely, he was becoming more confident at his stability on ice. Good job, Aiden!

Hubby on the other hand, was skating like a pro! I caught him falling on his rear once though, on video. I thought that was extremely hilarious!

The cute penguin aid!

Note that the ice skating rink closes for half an hour at certain intervals to resurface the ice. You cannot bring the penguin aid out of the rink, hence it is best to remember the number printed on your penguin - just in case someone kidnaps your little friend while you are outside the rink.

Family photo while waiting for the ice to be resurfaced.

Next, my turn! Aaarrrggghhh... so much pressure, especially with the long line behind me, and a confident Aiden on his penguin aid, cheering me on.

I guess I was going too slow for him because after this photo, he simply vanished - leaving his poor Mummy dangling at the side railing. 

Finally, a picture of me standing on the ice!

In a nut shell, I have definitely lost all my ability to skate. It was either that, or I simply didn't have the courage to skate on my own - especially since Hubby wasn't in the rink with me. Yer lah.. if I fall down, how long would I have to lie on the ice until someone pities me and helps me up? *grins* So better stay close to the railing or share Aiden's penguin aid for added security. (For the record, the ice skating rink has coaches supervising in the rink, and to help you up when you're down... literally!)

As for Ian, he had a field day walking around the lounge and cheering on for his big brother. Once he got bored, I lost a lot of calories chasing after him as he wanted to start digging through the trash can. *chuckles* He settled down though, after I bought him some fries. Thankfully he's a french fries junkie!

Watching Abang Aiden having so much fun on the ice. 

Ian killing time.

The next day, we spent the day swimming and at Kidzania. But I'll save that for a separate post. 

So that was how we spent the school holiday weekend. I hope you and your kids had a great school holidays too!

The Royale Ice Skating Rink

No. 2, Jalan PJU 7/3, Mutiara Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

10am - 10pm daily.

Entrance fee weekdays RM25 (before 12noon) RM30 (after 12noon)

Entrance fee weekends RM30 (before 12noon) RM35 (after 12noon)

Gloves (RM8), Socks (RM6), Locker (RM2 per lock)

Penguin Aid rental RM25 per hour