Sunday, April 6, 2014

The Netherlands - Tiki Bad Waterpark, Wassenaar

It's been 6 years since the last time I went to a water park. I finally got the chance to visit Tiki Bad in Wassenaar, close to The Hague. And 'bad' means "bath" in Dutch. It's not the good and bad "bad" :)


The theme of this water park is tropical, and it's actually indoors. I heard from my friend that the opening hours are typically longer during winter just because there are normally not that many things you can do in winter, and the water in the pool is actually warm.


The entrance fee varies by time:

  • 3-hour entrance: 14 Euros
  • 4-hour entrance: 15 Euros
  • Full day entrance: 17 Euros
  • 30 minute extension: 1 Euro
I think 3 hours is enough to try every single attraction, including the waiting time. But if you want to have a more relaxing day by resting once in a while, then I'd recommend the 4-hour. The full day package sounds more profitable, but only if you're willing to spend that much time in the water park. There is a cafetaria on the second floor of the park, selling French fries, frikandel and other snacks. They also sell hamburgers and broodje Unox (bread with sausage; it's like hot dog with tough bread instead of buns). The price is of course a bit pricey (around 6 Euros for a meal, 3-4 Euros for the snacks). But you can bring your own snacks if you don't feel like spending more.




There's an open shower (not enclosed in a room) and for each entry ticket, you are entitled to a locker that you can open and close any time. There are also plenty of changing rooms available. Hand driers are available to dry your hair (the driers are positioned such that it's directly above your head). I don't think they sell toiletries, towels or anything like that, so don't forget to bring everything you need there.

The attractions vary from very relaxing Lazy River to something fast and extreme like the Cyclone. I personally like the Lazy River after spending a tiring weekday.




On the other hand, I also like thriller rides. My favourite extreme attraction is Cyclone. It's not the typical slide. It's slide, plus some open-air spinning. It's like you're the ball spinning on the roulette. Except that in the last part, you're plunged into a 3-meter pool.



The Cannon Ball can hurt your nose a bit. It's another high velocity ride, but very short. In about 2-3 seconds, you're already plunged into the water. 



This one as well. I think the name of this vertical slide is Flamingo. It's kind of like Cannon Ball, but this time you see everything, including how high the slide is. The pool is also 3-meter deep. I barely reached the floor after the plunge.


Not a big fan of overly scary attractions? Don't worry, there are also the 'normal' slides. You can even pick the speed. If you take the Family Ride, it's veeeery slow (to me). I could even go down the slides while sitting down, holding my phone as I attempted to take video.



Or if you really don't want feel like engaging in any kind of activities involving any movement... the Jacuzzi is always there for you, warm and bubbly. I think there are about 3 Jacuzzis around the park, but beware that the Jacuzzi is almost always full.  



On the other hand, if you're up for some bromance buddy-buddy time with your friends, it's also quite gezellig



It's not exactly warm outside, so the outdoor pools are not open yet. But if you feel like getting some fresh air, there's a small outdoor section close to the Lazy River.


And lastly... it was a really good chance (or I'd say, gamble) to bring my Xperia Z1 underwater!


It worked. And after some time, my phone kind of went dead and I got some anxiety attack. But after 2 days of incubation in rice, it worked again. But I'll never bring it underwater again, especially that SONY actually doesn't recommend chlorine water. The Xperia Z1 ads are very misleading! They won't fix your phone if it's under chlorine water because the manual says "fresh water" even though the ad shows swimming pool.

My neck hurts the next day after Tiki Bad, but after stretching it for 2-3 days, my neck went back to normal (phew!).

Up for some fun with water? Definitely go to Tiki Bad :)

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