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family holidays water parks destinations

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Water Parks

Splashing about doesn’t have

to mean splashing out rts o s & res

@Katie_McGonagle k r a ld p r o

ids can be unpredictable. pootling round the lazy river at a w a KThey can’t get enough of leisurely pace, there are chutes, k; se something one day, then can’t flumes and slides guaranteed to r a

stand it the next. But if there’s give everyone a thrill, parents m p a one constant that can be relied included.

upon to keep everybody happy Mum and dad will be just as ook; si s c

on holiday, it’s splashing about excited to find out it doesn’t have a in the sunshine at a fun-filled to cost the earth, either. Sure, m ho . there are theme parks with all Whether hurtling at full the bells and whistles and a price

speed down daredevil slides or tag to match, but there are PICTURES: t

56 travelweekly.co.uk 11 February 2016 11 February 2016 travelweekly.co.uk 57 family holidays water parks destinations

RIGHT: Costa also simpler, local affairs packed pick is the Sunwing Waterworld Caribe at Water full of family charm. Makadi in Hurghada, a resort PortAventura Parks Here, we dip our toes in the If there’s no water that remains outside Foreign water with a few of the best & Commonwealth Office travel below: parks to suit any budget. park on site, pick a warnings. It combines generously Sunwing Waterworld family-orientated sized rooms and a wealth of Makadi w SAVE: KEEP IT SIMPLE resort and there’s sure dining options with a huge on- The easiest way to keep costs to be one nearby site water park that’s home to down is a hotel that includes five slides (including a family water park entry in the price, with slide for tots too nervous to go many resorts boasting facilities it alone), an where the on-site, so kids can come and go floor drops out from beneath as often as they like. unlimited access to on-site water your feet, a and flow First Choice has a choice of 27 parks or entry to parks nearby. rider for would-be surfers, plus SplashWorld hotels across Turkey, The Waterparks brochure even a rain fortress with slides and the Greek islands, Spain, Bulgaria highlights which rides – speed waterfalls. A week’s all-inclusive and the Red Sea, with slides split slides, tube slides, multi-lane in May would set a family of four Adeje, where a week’s all-inclusive excitement in . Less than by age category into Splashers, flumes and more – are available back £1,645, including flights. starts at £389, including a shuttle an hour up the coast, Daytona Sliders and Thrillseekers. The in each, so families know exactly bus to the park and free entry. Beach is garnering a reputation on-site waterpark at Lanzasur what they’re in for. w SPEND: ADDED EXTRAS Back on the mainland, Salou’s for its family product, including a Splash Resort in Lanzarote’s Playa The Med isn’t the only place Even if there’s no water park ever-popular PortAventura theme water park with tickets from just Blanca, for example, combines to go for budget-friendly fun, on site, pick a family-orientated park is well placed for most Costa £20 – a far cry from the cost of white-knuckle rides such as the however. Eurocamp site Duinrell resort and there’s bound to be Dorada resorts. Its Costa Caribe some Orlando attractions. Black Hole, Hydrotube, Aqua in the Netherlands has an on-site one nearby. Siam Park in Tenerife aquatic park brings together the Funway Holidays’ senior Bowl and multi-lane slides ideal water park with more than half is the best-selling water park highest freefall slide in Europe marketing executive, Rebecca for siblings racing each other, with a mile of covered slides. With ticket by quite a distance for and a huge six-lane racer slide Evans, says: “ a gentler wave pool, lazy river and peak-season prices from £105 Do Something Different, with with a lagoon and pirate ship for is outstanding value for money, splash zone for little ones. a night per family, it’s an easy Thai-themed architecture offering younger children, not forgetting and although it’s one of the Thomas Cook’s Aquamania way to keep costs down without a backdrop for 30 waterslides, the Caribbean-themed pool for smaller water parks in Florida, hotels are spread across the most compromising on the fun. including a near-vertical drop adults to cool off in. Attraction it’s fun packed, with fast popular Mediterranean There are also some great in the Tower of Power and the World has day tickets from £21 dropping, racing and twisting resorts, and all deals in the Red Sea, as hotels 240m-long Singha, which opened for adults and £19 for under-10s. slides. There’s also a giant wave include compete to attract customers last summer. Across the pond, Orlando pool and lazy river, plus an put off by the dip in confidence Monarch recommends is an obvious choice for any exciting four-lane racer slide, around the region. Red packaging this up with a stay at entertainment-hungry family, so you need a full day to do Sea Holidays’ top the Dream Villa Tagoro in Costa but it’s not the only place to find everything there.”

58 travelweekly.co.uk 11 February 2016 11 February 2016 travelweekly.co.uk 59 destinations water parks family holidays

w SPLURGE: SPLASH OUT If having fun is a higher priority than Water saving pennies, families will no doubt Parks prefer Orlando’s big three theme parks. Tickets don’t come cheap, but with so many attractions squeezed into each park, they provide serious bang for your buck. is the splash-focused option among SeaWorld’s trio of parks, with everything from high-speed slides to sandy beaches the size of the Wembley pitch. Adrenaline junkies can get their high on Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, where the floor falls away sending riders into a 24ft-per-second drop down a spiral slide, but there’s a family raft ride and splash park for those who selection is set to grow even further like a gentler pace. Entry is included in with Resort adding sample the Ultimate Package If having fun is a higher water park next year, to and three-park ticket, both of which the south of Cabana Bay Beach Resort. product now come with free parking. priority than saving, Dubai is also expanding its theme Over at Walt Disney World, water families will prefer park repertoire with the construction babies can take their pick from the Orlando’s big three parks of Legoland Dubai – which will include ski-themed Blizzard Beach, featuring a water park with a Build-A-Raft River First Choice bobsled rides down Mount Gushmore and Imagination Station – though the offers a week’s and a 55mph plunge down the Summit opening date is yet to be confirmed. all-inclusive at Plummet, and the tropical Typhoon In the meantime, kids have plenty Lanzasur Splash Lagoon, a saltwater snorkelling pool not only offers thrills and spills on to be getting on with in Wild Wadi Resort from £413, where kids can come face-to-face the four‑lane Aqua Drag Racer and Waterpark or Aquaventure at Atlantis based on a family with butterfly fish, grouper and even swirling coaster The Storm, but also The Palm. At Wild Wadi, 13 of the 30 of four sharing, bonnethead sharks. fun for little ones on the six-storey rides are connected, so riders don’t with flights from Meanwhile, Wet ’n Wild Orlando castle at Blastaway Beach. And the even need to get out of the water to Gatwick on May 3 move from one thrill to the next, and and transfers. with entry free to guests at Jumeirah firstchoice.co.uk hotels, it’s a great selling point for those properties. Do Something Likewise, Aquaventure entry is Different can included with stays at Atlantis or sister book day tickets brand One&Only, making it even more for Siam Park, worthwhile to splash out on these Tenerife, from luxury properties. As well as rides and £26 for adults and slides, the 17-hectare park features a £17 for three to Shark Safari, a walk along the bottom of 11-year-olds. Shark Lagoon and cownose ray feeding. dosomething There’s a similar variety on offer different.com at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Emily Underhill, Travel 2’s A Walt Disney assistant product manager for the World Orlando Caribbean, says: “This resort is home 14-day Ultimate to the Caribbean’s largest water Ticket – currently park, which has nine family pools, the same price as an extra three fun pools for children, a seven-day ticket and a range of slides including high- – costs £299 for speed tube slides and some that are adults and £279 submerged in the aquarium. The hotel for three to nine- also offers a huge variety of children’s year-olds, offering ABOVE: Wild activities, including swimming with access to all six Wadi Waterpark dolphins, marine animal trainer Disney parks. RIGHT: Atlantis experiences, remote-controlled car disneytravel Paradise Island racing and a teenagers’ nightclub.” agents.co.uk

60 travelweekly.co.uk 11 February 2016