Ilusiona Málaga

Ilusiona is a new arcade and bowling centre in the Málaga Plaza shopping centre in the city, on Calle Armengual de la Mota right behind the larger El Corte Inglés — the centre sits between the two Corte Inglés buildings, so it is an easy walk from anywhere in the middle of town. It takes up a whole half-floor of the building, with an escalator running up to a big branded entrance arch, and it is immediately clear how new it all is: every machine is sparkling, the flooring and neon are fresh, and the whole place is absolutely spotless.

The arcade is the part that impressed us most. The machines are new and modern, all of them were working, and the pricing is reasonable — we played a current VR shooter for €1, which is good going these days. It is clear that a heavy investment was made here, and the mix leans towards the better games rather than the tired cabinets that fill a lot of arcades. Machines pay out tickets and there is a prize desk to redeem them, though we were not chasing tickets so we cannot say how many a prize actually costs.

The kids' soft play is space-themed and well thought out, with five private party rooms for birthdays alongside it, all carrying space names of their own. It is not a huge play area, and realistically an hour is about what it holds a child's attention for before the size starts to tell — though ours managed close to two. What makes it work is the price: €7 per child, and we were told there is no limit on how long you can stay, so we came away feeling we had got our money's worth.

Bowling is the other anchor: nine lanes, super modern, with very good quality equipment, new shoes, plenty of balls and all the supports younger children need if they want them. We really enjoyed it. A game runs about 45 minutes and cost us €30 including shoes and a soft drink — OK value rather than great.

Where the place falls down is service, and it is a consistent theme rather than one bad moment. The chap on the counter at the kids' park was very chatty and very friendly and put us at ease, but he kept disappearing, and you need someone there to let you in and out for the toilet — so we found ourselves waiting on more than one occasion. At the bowling we were served only after the woman running it had finished her text message. Not a hanging offence, but it does not leave you feeling like the customer matters much.

The café area sits right next door to the play area, and getting to it means going out and back in again — the same in-and-out that needs staff on hand. It was unmanned too, and we watched two people trying to order food with nobody to serve them. It may simply have been closed, but there was no sign either way, which is the kind of small thing that is easy to fix.

There were very few customers while we were there. Some of that may just be a Thursday afternoon in August, but the lack of staff was noticeable regardless of how quiet it was.

One promotion worth timing a visit around: signage at the desk offers children aged 4 to 12 free entry to the kids' park plus 50% off a one or two game bowling promo, on Saturdays and Sundays until 16:00.

Overall we enjoyed Ilusiona, but with friction. It is a smart, modern, comfortable place to spend a couple of hours out of the heat, and the arcade and bowling are genuinely good. We would not rush back, though — the play area is small for the money once the novelty wears off, and there is no knowing whether the place will be properly staffed or the food available when you arrive. If that side tightens up, the verdict changes.