Waterparks. You've got to love them. Here are some of the awesome waterparks we have been lucky enough to visit on our travels.

LPOD

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I’ll start with one of my favourites. Lost Paradise of Dilmun (Dilmun is an ancient name for Bahrain) is a waterpark that is situated in Bahrain in the Middle East. The location is quite remote for the small island and is near the formula 1 race track. It is a brilliant blend of adrenaline filled rides and fun with plenty of opportunity to relax and chill out. There are lots of choices when it comes to rides and even though it gets busy it never becomes a problem. The Raft was an awesome experience for up to 6 people and threw you around and hit some pretty fast speeds. The beach was great and is a place where you can have a base for the day. There were even cabanas to hire for a bit of privacy. One cool feature was the movie evenings where you could float in the pool or lay on a lounger and watch a movie on the big screen. The entrance fee was reasonable and the prices and quality of food is quite impressive seeing as you are a captive audience.

Alton Towers Waterpark

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This is where our love for waterparks first started. Alton Towers is a theme park located just outside of Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the most popular and largest amusement park in the UK. The waterpark is situated inside the Theme parks hotel. It was the first time I have experienced a water ride that pushed you up hill as well as dropping down (The Master Blaster).

Blizzard Beach

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This is one of Disney’s own waterparks in Florida. It is based on a snowy landscape which is pretty funny seeing as it was 40 degrees while we were there. Their main feature was Summit Plummet which is a vertical drop slide that is 120 feet tall. It’s a reasonably big park with a lot of choice of things to do with the usual Disney quality.

Ramayana

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We now go to Thailand and a new waterpark that is situated just south of Pattaya on the Eastern Seaboard. It is a fun place to go for all ages. There are some terrific adrenaline rush rides like Aqualoop and Freefall, both of which you have to climb into a launcher and then a staff member hits the button and you drop. There are also lots for the little ones to do with play areas and characters.

PortAventura

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It was a long time ago that we went to this park and for only one visit so the details are sketchy but I remember being blown away by the options. This park is based in Salou, Spain, not far from Barcelona. It was big enough that we didn’t get around to using all the attractions but the ones we did use were great. It has gone through a lot of changes over the years and is now part of the PortAventure world which includes the theme park which was separate when we visited. The top rides are King Khajuna a 31 meter drop and El Torrente a rapid raft ride.

Typhoon Lagoon

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Another of Disney’s waterparks in Florida and this one is based around a ship wreck from a typhoon. This is a colossal waterpark with so many choices and certainly too many for just one days adventure. The wave pool was a real feature and lazy river is absolutely epic. Again a nice balance of fast and slow pace. Absolutely tons of rides for young and old and the food was shack style burgers and that type of theme. There was also a lot of places to create a base camp and stay in some shade.

Atlantis The Palm Marine and Waterpark

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This is a little bit of a cheat because I’m including the whole experience of Atlantis in this choice but the place is incredible. We stayed here for 3 days as we were leaving the Middle East and moving to Thailand. We found a special offer that was excellent value as it is a little expensive otherwise. The waterpark itself was great fun and the rapids were pretty wild. We also got to interact with dolphins which was a very special moment. The whole experience was amazing and I would suggest putting it on the bucket list and keeping an eye out for the deals that come up every now and then. It is worth it!

Wahooo

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This is a second waterpark from Bahrain but what makes this one special is that it is built into the roof of the City Centre Shopping Mall. It is one of the smaller waterparks in this list and you would ideally spend only three or four hours max in here but they would be hours well spent. They have a surf machine which I confess I never mastered, a few vertical drop rides that lean over the edge of the building and the Boomerang which does come back!!

Cartoon Network

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The second of my Thai choices is the Cartoon Network. Located in Jomtien on the southern part of Pattaya. This is an impressive park with a lot of choice. It does get really busy which is a drawback but there are plenty of areas to chill and relax and do alternative stuff to the usual. As you would imagine with the CN they have a lot of stuff going on for the younger visitors and they also have a lot of events on site. There are some great rides there, my favourite being the Goop Loop but XLR8-tor was pretty cool too.

Therme Bucharest

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Save the best until last. Therme is located in the north of Bucharest close to the airport. I’m cheating a little because Therme is a lot more than one thing only. It is a waterpark and a good one but it is also a spa, relaxation centre, hot pool and it has 2 beaches, swim up bars and countless play areas. It is so cool that I will be featuring it in a post very soon. There are three sections in this massive complex and the rides are based in Galaxy which is the area where children can go, the others are adults only and contain the massage areas and saunas as well as the countless bars and restaurants. The water rides are fun and are mainly aimed at the younger ones with the exception of The Galaxy, Quasar and Pulsar. If you’re ever in Bucharest be sure to check this place out it is unmissable.

I hope you enjoyed my 10 favourite waterparks.

Thanks for reading.

Gaz