Monday, March 19, 2012

Snow House at i-city, Shah Alam, Malaysia



Snow Walk at I-City Shah Alam


A long time ago, when  I was still in school, I remember my friend said she went on a holiday to Kuala Lumpur and visited a snow city at Mines Resort City. While my father takes us to road trips to Malaysia all the time, we have never visited Mines Resort City as a family. So, when we first shifted to Kuala Lumpur, Mines Resort City was one of the first places that we took our kids. Sadly, the snow city there no longer operates, the zoo is also very dismal, you kind of feel guilty for visiting the place as you feel like you are in cahoots with the operators for providing such a heartbreaking environment for the animals and the light show in the evening is well simply not worth the wait. The only tourists you see at Mines Resort City are Middle Easterns and Chinese tourists. Frankly speaking, tourism Malaysia should de-list Mines Resort City from their attractions list. 

Anyway, enough about Mines Resort City, so, apparently, there is a new place called I-City at Shah Alam and they also have snow there called Snow Walk plus a lighted up city walk. Someone commented that it is even better than Snow City in Singapore, so.. intrigued we decided to give it a go. 

Finding information about I-city is very difficult. Their official website offers no helpful information whatsoever with regards to attraction, operating hours and pricing. I wonder who handles their website content, design and programming. The information that we got also came from another blogger. 

I-city is at Shah Alam, and it's about 20 mins drive from Sunway Lagoon (we picked up our friend who was staying around the area). Admission fees for I-city are as such:

Entrance to I-city: 
RM1 per entry (6.00am - 6.00pm) and 
RM10 (6.00pm - 6.00am) 

Snow Walk ticket price is at 
RM 25 (adults) RM 20 (kids) (before 6pm)
RM 35 (adults) RM 30 (kids) (after 6pm)

Operating Hours : 
10.00am - 1.00am (Mon - Thu, Sun & Public Holiday)
10.00pm - 2.00am (Fri - Sat & Eve of Public Holiday)

It was quite an impromptu visit for us as we originally thought that we will be meeting our friends for dinner only but it turned out that they did not visit I-city the night before as the taxi fare is quite exorbitant since not many taxi ply that route so we decided to go with them that night. 

Snow City Malaysia:My poor baby with sandals!
Frankly speaking, we strongly advise against going to I-city impromptu if you plan to go for the Snow Walk. Unless, you are already wearing jeans and socks with sports shoes or sneakers on. Boots are even better if you plan to enjoy the place thoroughly. My kids were wearing 3 quarter pants and sandals. I had thought that It will be like Snow City Singapore where they provide gloves, jacket and suitable shoes. We learned the hard way that they didn't. Well, maybe due to the cheaper entrance fee but hey, if you don't provide, at least sell those items at the site or even inform people on your website to wear proper bottoms and shoes. That's common sense isn't it?

Snow City Malaysia: an excited 4 year old
So, even though, yes, it's much better and bigger than Snow City Singapore, there's not many people that can enjoy Snow Walk I-city, Shah Alam thoroughly. And that is such a sad thing as it really is a big place with lots of fun. There are multiple ice slides and a mini football ice field, an igloo, an ice tunnel and many more. I didn't even get to explore it till the end as my kids are already screaming from sheer cold (from their feet) and I was also limping around from the unavoidable ice that keep creeping into your shoes. Sheer coldness! And it wasn't only us. I saw many other people wearing sandals and slippers, quite a pity. 

These are some pictures taken at the Snow Walk. 


Snow City Malaysia - The Ice Slide

Kuala Lumpur with Kids: Inside an igloo!

Kuala Lumpur with Kids : Snow Walk Malaysia


We didn't get to go for the City Walk to see the lights as it was raining that night. There was not much shelter and we stuck around for a while at the arcade / fun fair area ( a bit dated) before going out of I-city since I had to change my kid's diapers and the toilet at I-city smells. The surau / prayer room at I-city is also very small (fits 3 person max) and is just beside the smelly toilet which makes it uncomfortable to perform your prayers there. I would advise all Muslims to perform their prayers first before going to I-city and all mommies and daddies to check the kids' diapers before visiting Snow Walk at I-city and bring lots of wipes for emergencies!

Kuala Lumpur with Kids: A smaller slide for kids and adults

Travel with Kids: Can you see the mammoth and sabre tooth tiger?
To summarize my pretty long review for I-city, Shah Alam: Go, if you are near the area and wearing suitable clothing and footwear and go only for the Snow Walk and the City Walk and then get out fast before nature calls!

Map of I-city Shah Alam:





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5 comments:

  1. Thanks for the post. I was struggling to find the info about I-City too.

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    1. You are most welcome, though my review is not really complete as I didn't really fully explore the area due to the rain. But facilities are a bit lacking at i-city, there are still some construction going on there. Not really sure what's the master plan and target visitors. Whether it is meant for the locals enjoyment or more targeted for tourist. By the way, the photos are also pretty expensive at RM60 for 3 pcs and you cant opt for only 1 pc.. But the Snow Walk is truly enjoyable with proper attire :)

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    2. This sounds very similar to the Singapore one, but we weren't allowed to take our camera in at all. It was a real let down. I just blogged about it. http://travelwithbender.com/travel-blog/singapore/snow-in-singapore/

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  2. Is there dress codes in I-city snow walks ?

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    Replies
    1. Dear Grace,

      As far as I know there is no dress code, the jacket provided is about knee length. Some visitors wore three quarter pants and slippers. But, if you can't stand the cold, I'd go with jeans and sport shoes (proper shoes are essential as the ice creeps into your shoes if you just put on flats).

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