Party, Party at the Fun Ranch

My family and I were lucky to be invited to party with an old college friend for her daughter Zoe's 7th birthday at the Fun Ranch Alabang.  Fun Ranch Alabang is a totally fun play destination for kids south of the metro.  I've heard about the Fun Ranch a long time ago and planned to bring my son and 2 of his cousins on a playdate on his 6th birthday but we never came around to going there because of conflict of schedules and interests.  So as soon as we got the invite from my friend Suzanne Tagarino, I told myself this was the chance for the family to check out the place and I am so glad I accepted the invite.

The Party and the Party Place
 The party was held at the Upper Barn which could accommodate approximately 100-150 guests.  We arrived at exactly 4pm and found the birthday celebrant loitering the entrance of her party venue.  The theme of her party by the way is Barbie, typical of a 7 year old "fashionista". The room was huge and glamorously decorated allover with Barbie pink party favors.   There was a buffet table at the back of the room, one buffet table lined up with Sassy K's chips and dips, and Sinfully Sabrina's yummy treats.  There was a cotton candy machine, a photobooth, a small playplace like the one commonly seen at McDonald's and a small stage with a big "Z" and a "7" which is the first letter of the bday celebrant's name, and that she is turning 7.  There was also this guy walking around wearing a bright yellow shirt and a bright yellow wig which I assumed was the party emcee.  Downstairs, or the biggest chunk of the venue is the expansive play area covering about 200 sq. meters or more.  It is about 3 stories high which is like a large labyrinth with obstacles and a giant slide.  There is also this area for tiny tots who are not yet ready for the big ventures where they can stack foam bricks, a ball pit area, and a captain's ship with a small slide.  There's also this musical keyboard like the one from the Tom Hanks movie "Big."  I also checked out their restrooms on the 1st and 2nd floor and they both were clean, spacious and smelling heavenly.

Balloon dog Ethan captured during the party.

The Food
Aside from Sassy K's chips and dips which Ethan really loved, the Sinfully Sabrina's sweet treats, the cotton candy and bottomless iced tea decorated with a mustache straw for men and a pouty lip straw for women.  The Fun Ranch buffet table was simply delectable.  It was simple and very delicious.  They had this miniature corndogs which my son loved, the tasty barbecue and roast chicken, rice, salad and rice.  As soon as the party host announced that the buffet table was open for guests, people started lining up and food was served by the Fun Ranch. I give them an A+ for the food and the good service.

Smack!!! Kisses to you!

Ethan enjoying the cotton candy.

Something more one can do with the mustache decor from the bottomless iced tea

The Party Games and Magic Show

The kiddie guests with the bday celebrant Zoe.

The party host was very energetic and professional.  The games played were common but with certain twists that made it more fun.  The kids played "The Boat is Sinking with the dancing twist,"  "The Longest Greeting" which was ala "The Buzz" style (The player is seated beside the bday celebrant and is interviewed first by the host - Boy Abunda style), "The Bring Me" game where the first one to sit on the seat provided with the item and shout out what the item is wins, "The "Happy Birthday Sticker hunt" where a group of 4 kids search the venue for bday stickers and the group with the most stickers win, and the "Text Trivia game" where the host would ask a question and the kid who has typed the correct answer on his or her mom/dad's phone wins.  My son was so happy because we totally rocked at the Text Trivia and Bring me game that he was able to bring home 5 die-cast metal matchboxes as his prize.

The magic show was the usual but still spectacular for the kids.  The magician's specialty is making doves appear from anywhere.  The highlight is a picture frame of a dove suddenly turning into a real one.

30 minutes playtime at the big playplace
The much awaited part of the party for the kids was the time they get to play at the huge activity area for 30 minutes.  Being new to the place, it took some time for my son to figure out how to get to the top of the slide.  He had to make his way through the maze without our help.  My husband was so concerned that his 30 minutes would run out without him trying out the big slide but eventually my son figured out the passageways and had a grand time.

Ethan and my husband right after the 30 minute playtime

A portion of the huge span of mazes, obstacles and slides at the play area.

Overall
Overall, we had so much fun today.  Typhoon Quiel was making his presence felt outside but it was just okay as we were enjoying so much.  Our big thanks to the Tagarino's for having us and for presenting us with a really good time.  Given the kind of enjoyment we had here, I pray my husband and I can come up with the budget to provide our son a party like this when he turns 7 in 2012.