On a grey day during the Easter holidays, I was looking for somewhere that would entertain my 10-year-old twin girls and my friend’s 11-year-old son who was staying with us, giving them some fresh air, but also the option to go indoors when the inevitable rain arrived. We decided to head to Oaty & Joey’s, to take advantage of their Easter Holiday Meal Deal promotion. For £10.95 each, kids can play in the playbarn, have 10 minutes on the trampolines (despite having a trampoline at home, this is still one of my girls’ favourite things to do in Guernsey!), a meal from the kids menu and a drink, plus half price mini golf. We hadn’t tried golf at Oatlands before, so my girls were excited to give it a try, and it’s safe to say, the golf was such a big hit, we’ll certainly be returning for another game.
Mini Golf - but which course to choose?
Once we arrived at Oatlands, the kids ran off to investigate the golf, and it was only then that we realised there are 2 golf courses to choose from – Miniature Golf with 18 holes and Crazy Golf with 14 holes. They peeked around the side of the hut where you pay, and as soon as they saw the obstacles on the Crazy Golf course, there was no question which they were playing…Crazy Golf.
Crazy Golf
The Crazy Golf course is a fine balance between great fun and great frustration! Each of the 14 holes has an obstacle that needs to be overcome to get the ball into the hole, and it’s surprisingly difficult. Each of the holes are very short so, on first look, you think it will be easy and quick, however, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In the end we had to impose a 10 shot maximum for each hole, otherwise we would have been there all day! Each of the obstacles are different and like nothing we had seen before, from dodging skittles, navigating a snake, going through a plant pot, over a hill, round a bend, over a ramp and much more!
The trickiest hole ever!!
By far the most frustrating hole you will ever play is Hole 5 Basketball. You have to hit the ball up the ramp, round the bend and in theory it will drop into the hoop. This DOES NOT happen in practice!! Both my girls had to take the 10 shot maximum on this hole, but somehow Ollie managed it in 4 shots, he couldn’t repeat it though when he tried to show my girls how to do it!
Time out
If you need a refreshment break, there are a number of picnic benches dotted around the golf course, including the cutest mini picnic table for tiny children, my girls couldn’t get over how little it was!
More, more!!
The kids all had great fun playing the Crazy Golf course and it would be just as much fun for adults to play too. It took them 30 minutes to complete but they were charging ahead to the next hole when they had finished, and they certainly wouldn’t stop for a break! Once completed, they were really keen to try the other golf course, whereas I thought after one game they would want to go into the playframe (I was hoping that would be the case as it was freezing!), but no, they were super keen to play the Miniature Golf Course as well.
Miniature Golf
The Miniature Golf course is a completely different kettle of fish to the Crazy Golf course. Each of the holes are much bigger, and it is more about accuracy to navigate around large boulders and putt the ball into the hole. I was surprised that everyone enjoyed playing this course as much as they did playing crazy golf, but for different reasons. Whilst playing miniature golf, all 3 of the kids played the same hole at the same time, so they chatted lots, laughed at each other when their ball when straight into a rock or when the ball shot past the hole.
Mind the gap
The favourite hole was hole 15, where you have to get the ball over the ‘water’ onto the green on the other side. Thankfully there isn’t actually any water as Lottie fell straight into it!
It took the kids just under 30 minutes to complete the course, and their attention didn’t waver, they enjoyed playing all 18 holes. Thankfully with golf finished, it was time to get warm in the playbarn.
Oaty & Joey's Playbarn
You’d be hard-pressed to find a kid that doesn’t enjoy playing in the playbarn. It’s by far the largest soft play in Guernsey, in fact, it’s claimed to be one of the UK’s largest play frames! The joey plane hanging from the ceiling is quite a statement when you walk in and adds to the giant scale of the place.
There is something for children of all ages inside the playbarn, with lots of levels to explore, including interactive and sensory areas and a large play area for under fours. My girls particularly love the giant pink 6.3m astra slide, the ball shooter and generally just chasing each other inside the play frame!
Diner time
After an hour of golf and an hour in the playframe, my girls were apparently SO ravenous they coudn’t cope!! Thankfully, Oaty’s benefits from it’s own Diner where they offer a wide selection of hot and cold meals, drinks, cakes and snacks (plus alcohol, but I didn’t feel I could justify it at midday!). My girls chose their usual of fish fingers and chips and pizza and chips and the obligatory slushie. For my girls, a trip to Oaty’s isn’t complete without a slushie (generally because they love to look at their tongues turn the colour of the drink!!).
Bowling fun
Oatys is also home to the Highway 66 Bowling Alley, and we hadn’t tried it before, but after lots of negotiation that my girls wanted to use their own money to play, they gave it a go for the first time. There are 4 small-scale bowling alleys which you don’t book, you simply insert £2 per player into the machine, choose the theme that you want on the screen, add your names, add bumpers if required, then you’re good to go. The balls are much smaller than normal bowling balls, and they don’t have holes for your fingers, you simply hold them in your hand and throw them down the lane, perfect for children. The rules are the same as normal ten-pin bowling (10 frames per game) and they all absolutely loved it.
Top scorer
We had no idea that at the end of the game you get told if you have scored in the top 10 highest scores bowled that day. It made Tilly’s day to have got 6th on the leaderboard!
What, more?!
If all that wasn’t enough, the kids still had a 10-minute session on the trampolines to go, and had a quick stop-off on the air hockey table on the way!
The trampoline barn is located to the right of the large playbarn and houses a selection of trampolines, coin-operated electric vehicles and a great selection of games including a pool table, water blaster and much more!
The trampolines didn’t disappoint, according to my girls they are ”the springiest trampolines ever”! The trampolines are very popular and there is often a queue for them but that never puts my girls off.
Home time
After 4 hours at Oatlands, we headed home with 3 very tired kids who had had ”the best time”. The golf was definitely a highlight, along with the bowling and once again, Oaty’s proved to be the perfect place to entertain 3 kids. Thanks to the excellent free wifi, I managed to get lots of work done whilst they played, win-win!!
I think Oaty & Joey’s is such an asset to Guernsey, and I highly recommend it for any family looking to entertain their children.
Useful Info
Address: Oaty & Joey’s Playbarn, Oatlands Village, Les Gigands, GY2 4YT
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday 9am to 6pm, Friday 9am to 8pm, Saturday & Sunday 9am to 6pm
Contact: 01481 241643 or email admin@oatyandjoeys.gg
Website: oatyandjoeys.gg
Social: Oaty & Joey’s Facebook page
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