On a day marked by rain and wind, half an hour after the park opened at 11:00 am, lines were already forming at the access counters to the equipment, with the park reaching more than half of its maximum capacity in less than two hours, which is 500 people, said the director of Aquashow Indoor, Diana Santos.
Located in the tourist town of Quarteira, in the Algarve, the first covered water park with slides on the Iberian Peninsula occupies an area that in the 1990s was a nightclub, joining the open-air water park that has been there since 1999, in a complex where a hotel with 148 rooms was also built, opened in 2011.
With an ambient temperature close to 32 degrees, similar to that of the water in swimming pools, the park has five slides, one of which proposes a “journey” from a 26-meter tower, where visitors can listen to music and visualize light effects. related to the chosen topic.
There are also four other slides, two descending with mats, one with buoys and another with body, and on the lower floor there are also pools for family relaxation, hot tubschildren’s water slides, a children’s pool and a baby pool, water jets, waterfalls, an adventure pool with a climbing wall and a wave pool.
Another of the park’s attractions is the spaexclusively for people over 13 years old, where visitors can enjoy a relaxation pool with hot tubswater jets, water beds with bubbles, a sensorial tour of contrasts, bath with bucket, Scottish shower, essence pool, sauna and Turkish bath, among others.
According to Diana Santos, from the idea to the execution of the project it took about five years, which included three years of work, with some delays due to the covid-19 pandemic, in a total investment of 32 million euros that had financial support. of Tourism of Portugal.
According to the director of Aquashow, managed by a family company, the objective was for the park to be “complete as soon as it was born” and, as the hotel is also open all year round, to serve as a complement to guests, who can enjoy discounts at park entrances.
“The Algarve needs this type of offer and more, to bring more tourists to the Algarve in low season. Today the house is as you see it [com ocupação elevada] because they are also the school holidays in some countries like England and Switzerland”, he says.
Taking advantage of the academic break in Switzerland, Luz Mestre and his family were some of the hundreds of people who were at the park on the first day of operation, showing themselves satisfied with the opening of this type of equipment in the region, which in Switzerland is relatively common.
Also on vacation in the Algarve, the Brazilian Mariane da Cruz, who lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with her husband and daughter, praised the facilities of the indoor water park, as it includes entertainment and activities for people of all ages, stressing that she enjoyed , particularly in the area of spa.
The prices for access to the park for adults start at 20 euros (lasting one hour), and can go up to 65 euros (full day), with Diana Santos recommending a four-hour stay in the park (39 euros).
There are also reduced prices for children aged between six and 12 and for those over 65 years old, starting at 11 euros for an hour and going up to 55 euros for a full day. There are also reduced prices for pregnant women and people with disabilities, and babies up to two years of age do not pay a ticket.
