We took advantage of the long National Day weekend and escaped to Bangkok, Thailand for a short family vacation. One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to the TrueLove@Neverland Cafe….a themed dog cafe located in a residential district on the outskirts of Bangkok. We hired a taxi driver for a day to bring us to the Bangkok Safari in the morning, followed by the Cafe at noon.

Here’s a sneak peek!

It was quite a surreal experience – being in the same compound with twenty over Siberian huskies and of all places, in Bangkok, Thailand. Bangkok never ceases to amaze us with its myriad of interesting activities beyond the typical malls and massages. This visit to TrueLove@Neverland Café has now topped our places to visit in Bangkok!

When I told the hubby about my plans to bring the kids to this Café “full of Siberian Huskies’ (which comes highly recommended by my colleague), I was met with skepticism. “Would the dogs bite?”, “Are they aggressive?”, “Will there be animal cruelty?” , “Will they spread diseases?”. I understand where he’s coming from. He’s just being the concerned, cautious Daddy after all. 

When we arrived at TrueLove@Neverland Cafe after a 45-min taxi ride from the Safari, it turned out these worries were unfounded. The huskies here are pets of the Café owners and lovingly cared for – each sporting gorgeous, well-groomed coats of luscious fur and look healthy, happy and well-trained. Fact is, Siberian huskies are among the most friendly dogs one can find. Even our 2 year-old overcame his inhibitions and enjoyed interacting with the Huskies while our daughter, Dana was completely in her element hugging and taking selfies with the dogs.

The Café:
TrueLove@Neverland Café is housed in a double-storey bungalow within a large compound. It is the home of the Café owners along with nearly 30 gorgeous Siberian Neverland Huskies and their leader – Mo Mo, the Shizu. Serious! 

What used to be the living room of the house and the front patio have been converted into a Café which seats easily 40 to 50 people within the air-conditioned interior and the alfresco outdoors. The place is remarkably clean and cosy. Surprisingly, we actually find the visit rather therapeutic, even as a grown adults!

The huskies are ‘released’ at designated sessions every day (twice on weekdays and thrice on weekends) for the crowds to mingle with them (best is to call the Café to confirm on the day of your visit). Visitors are charged 350 Baht each as entry fee which goes back towards the grooming and maintenance of the Huskies. With the entry ticket, you’ll get to enjoy a cake and drink of your choice (including their delectable ice-cream cakes) along with a pair of blue plastic footwear. Each Husky interaction session lasts an hour and you can choose to pause your interaction midway and return to your tables to grab a bite/drink then re-enter the enclosure to play with the Huskies again.

The Café serves some delicious Thai modern fusion food at very reasonable prices and some impressive desserts. The cost of any additional food and drink orders is not part of the entry fee. We had a late lunch at 3pm after playing with the Huskies and found the meals satisfactory.

The Interaction with Dogs – Priceless:
While we have much to rave about the ambience and food, the real purpose of coming to this Cafe is to meet the Huskies. About 10 minutes before we were ushered into the dog enclosure, we were asked to change our foot wear into blue plastic wrap-around ones issued by the Café staff. This is to ensure a high level of hygiene in the enclosure for the dogs.

We then watched a short video introduction with a humorous safety briefing (in English) informing us of the ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ when playing with the Huskies. After the briefing, we stood in line to wash and sanitize our hands before entering the enclosure. Glad to see the Café owners enforcing these rules strictly with the welfare of the Huskies at heart!

The Dog Enclosure:
The compound where the Huskies are housed is segregated into three distinct enclosures. This is a great idea which allows both humans and canines not to be too overwhelmed by one another. Visitors can ask the minders for permission to go in and out of different enclosures, which is what we did. We particularly love following fluffy little Mo Mo (the leader of the pack) around. Honestly, it was quite difficult choosing a favourite dog as they all were so tame, warm and friendly.

Each interaction session lasts about one hour and right at the end, these beautiful huskies (together with Mo Mo) will make a unique dash into their air-conditioned kennel. Stay for it. It’s quite an experience!  Dana enjoyed the visit so much she requested for us to bring her back again the following day.  Guess TrueLove@Neverland Cafe will be included in our Bangkok itinerary permanently from now on!

Here’s a sneak peek:

 

TrueLove@ Neverland Siberians Café, Bangkok

Address: 153 Paholyothin Soi Ari Samphan 2, Bangkok, Thailand

Nearest BTS: Ari Station. Tuk-tuks are available to and from BTS Ari Station to the TrueLove@Neverland Café and would cost around 30 to 40 baht each way.

Open Tuesday to Sunday: 12.00pm to 9pm.

2 rounds of Huskies Interaction on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 12:30 pm – 01:30 pm and 03:30 pm – 04:30 pm

3 rounds of Huskies Interaction on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 pm – 01:30 pm; 03:30 pm – 04:30 pm and 06:00 pm – 07:00 pm.  Closed on Monday

Contact: Phone: +66 90 101 9669

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neverlandsiberians/

For more kid-friendly things to do in Bangkok, refer to our post ‘Bangkok, More Than Malls and Massages‘.