Alexandra Palace Ice Rink — Attraction in London

I go to Alexandra Palace Ice Rink sometimes and most of the times I had a very pleasant experience. The staff members were nice, friendly and professional and the facilities are great. However, the last time when I visited somehow my ice skates broke so I went to hire one of the ice skates. There was an older gentleman at the skate hire desk, reading his newspaper. When I attended the desk he wouldn't even look up or greet me and my partner (it was his first visit to this place, not a great first impression) and he could care less if there were people there or not. When I asked him if I could please hire skates because my one broke his response was "what do you think" in a very arrogant and sarcastic tone and the face he made just made me wanna leave the place immediately because it really made me angry that he treated me and my partner like this. Then he asked for the skate size so I told him and I started to take my own skates off. Then he said go and sit down but in such a humiliating and condescending way that it really upset me. When he finally gave me the skates I went to enjoy the rest of our skating session with my partner as much as I could. However, this very upsetting, unpleasant experience with this very rude and unprofessional older man had definitely impacted our day. People like him should never be working in a customer facing environment. When we finished our skating session and went to the desk again, he was too busy reading his newspaper that he couldn't even be bothered to get up or serve any customers, luckily there was a young lady at the desk...

We had to book in advance due to covid. However, upon turning up, the ice rink was really overcrowded. If we weren't in the midst of the covid pandemic and adhering to social distancing rules, this wouldn't be too much of a problem but it seemed as busy as it would have been pre covid. Either way, skating experience was fine. The skates on the other hand were not so great.

I have large feet (13.5) and they actually said they have size 14 as well. Although the skates fit well, they looked as if they were just saved from a pair of tigers fighting over them. They had several deep scratches, lots of peeling and a crack that almost went right through. The other thing is the skates are so uncomfortable you couldn't make use of your 1 hour timeslot as your feet wouldn't be able to make it that long. In fact, my partner ended up coming off the ice within 30 minutes as he could no longer skate comfortably. I'm sure this is done to make sure you don't stay on the ice too long. However, any ice rink I've been to has had the same issue with the skates they hire. If you want to make the experience as best as possible, invest in your own COMFORTABLE pair of skates.

All that said, I'd probably...

We have visited a few times and are considering joining their ice skating courses. The ice rink is open all year round, making it perfect for last-minute plans for families, fun with friends, or dates, especially for those rainy days. The venue has its own magical atmosphere. On the other hand, for the nicer days, there's also a beautiful park with a boat lake and cafe nearby, or a pub on the other side of the Palace with a terrace and other stalls. Not to forget the lovely restaurants of Muswell Hill in a walkable distance. Ice rink is kept clean and polished. There are plenty of staff ensuring safety and efficiently and politely enforcing rules and happy to assist those new to skating (aids also available). You may bring your own skates or rent at the venue, but keep in mind that only figure style blades are available. There was music playing. Toilets were clean and in a good state. After the session, whilst waiting for the rain to pass, we took advantage of the café and tried their hot dogs. Nice coffees and great tea selection. We would also suggest mulled wine to be added earlier than at Christmas. Hotdogs were large and tasty. Red velvet cake was unfortunately dry. We will...