Western Water Park (Magaluf) & Aqualand (S'Arenal) Review

As Port d'Alcudia is in the north of Mallorca and I live in Palma I will have to visit Hidro Park another time but last Friday I packed some shorts, sun-screen and a towel and went to try out the two water parks in the bay of Palma.

My first stop was Western Water Park which is just outside Magaluf. Getting to the park is easy enough, the 104 and 105 buses run from Palma to the park and from Palma Nova, Santa Ponca Magaluf and Peguera there are free buses from Monday to Friday during June, July, August and September. I came in on the motorway and followed the road towards Andratx until junction 14. After you leave the motorway you can see the park up ahead and the simplest thing is to follow the signs.

The park is open from the beginning of May until the end of September from 10am 'til 5pm with extended openings during July and August when the gates close at 6pm. An Adult pass costs €26 and a kid's pass costs €18 but you will need some deposit money for inflatable rings once you are in the park.

As it's name suggests the Western Water Park has a Wild West theme and the whole park is set out like a frontier town with a high-street, bank, jail house and saloon. Most of these buildings are just for decoration but some house shops where you can by snacks, food and drinks.

The rides are grouped together with the steepest and fastest at one end of the park. "The Beast" is the biggest of these, this is the yellow monster you can see from the road and it towers over the rest of the park. The queues for this one can get quite long but as the ride lasts only a few seconds it'll soon be your turn to drop down the steep shoot in an attempt to prove to your mates that you're brave.

There are three other slides in this area, all of which drop fast and steep.

For more a more gentle ride that you can enjoy with friends and family there's the "Mega Slide". 260 m long and wide enough that four can ride in a ring together this is a fun ride for everyone but the queues here can take about half an hour so try and get in early before the crowds arrive.

Other popular rides are the newly built "Boomerang", a giant halfpipe which can be ridden by one or two people in a rubber ring and the "Multipistas" where six people can race head-to-head down a track on rubber mats.

The park also has a wave pool and a couple of kids pools and play areas.

The thing that stands out at the Western water Park is the diving show. These take place three times a day and are worth going to see. The show starts off with a comedy routine, most of which is in Spanish and most of which is lost in translation but once the divers take to their boards things pick. Synchronised diving, high diving and even diving whilst set on fire makes it a great show and very impressive.

On the other side of the Bay of Palma behind the popular beach resort of Platja de Palma is Aqualand. This park does not have a theme like it's Western brother but it is bigger and has a much more luscious setting. The rides are surrounded by well maintained tree shaded lawns that makes the whole experience of spending a day at Aqualand much more comfortable and relaxing than the park in Magaluf.

Although there are no shows here there are more rides and some of them are pretty unusual. "Banzia" stands out as a good example. You sit on a plastic sledge which slides down a track and then skims across the surface of the water. Ride side-by-side with a friend for extra fun. There are also some good ring rides as well as a river rapids ride and a couple of head-to-head racing slides.

Like Western Park you will need to pay a deposit for the use of any rubber rings and like the park in Magaluf there are places here to get food and drinks.

Getting to Aqualand is not as easy as getting to Western Park, which is a shame as it's bigger, has better rides and is in a much nicer setting. From Palma you can take the number 23 EMT bus which stops outside the park, otherwise you'll need your own car.
Entrance to the park costs €25 for an Adult and €18 for a kid's pass and the park is open daily from 10 am.

If you are staying in the Bay of Palma area and want a days entertainment then either of the water parks is a good option. If you have a car I'd recommend Aqualand over the Western Park mostly because of it's green surroundings and comfortable setting which makes it a better place to spend the whole day. Either way though there are plenty of rides in both parks for kids of all ages and plenty of fun to be had in the water.