I visited the huge new £12million waterpark at one of Britain’s cheapest holiday parks
THERE’S no better way to keep the kids cool in the heatwave than splashing in the pool – and there is a huge new £12million waterpark you can now go to in the UK.
The new water attraction, Lost Lagoon, has opened at Haven Kent Coast holiday park just in time for the summer holidays, and I was one of the first to visit.
Taking a turn on outdoor flume Atlantis Falls, it should come with a health warning – its so addictively fun that you won’t want to leave it.
What I loved about the water ride is that it’s a cross between the outdoor rapids you find at other pools, which are usually set into the ground and can be a bit meandering over a gentle gradient, and a flume with a steeper slope.
I was certainly taken by surprise, especially when I was unexpectedly bumped up into the air at speed right at the end…
As well as Atlantis Falls, the pool upgrade has an indoor splash pad with slides, sprays and tipping buckets.
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My boys absolutely loved racing each other down the side-by-side slides at one end of the aqua- play frame called Coral Play, while the twisty tunnel water chutes at the other end of the splash pad also got the thumbs up.
Even my teen found it fun, so it’s clearly been designed for different ages to splash about together.
For younger guests it has a shallow baby pool as you enter the waterpark, which is perfect for little ones heading for their first swim.
There’s also Tiddlers Tide Pool, with its own little slide, water table and play area aimed at toddlers.
And the new indoor swimming Aqua Haven has been created by extending the building over the old outdoor pool.
The sprays coming from the play frame were perfect for cooling down menopausal mums during the heatwave as well…
For my family of five, heading to the pool is a non-negotiable on any holiday, so there’s a couple of things you need to know before visiting.
The pool isn’t currently opening on changeover days during term time, which is usually on Mondays and Fridays (although it will be open every day in peak periods).
You can book up to 14 hour-long swim sessions per break on the MyHaven app, four weeks before your holiday starts.
You’ll want to do this in plenty of time, as most of the hour-long slots were full to capacity well before we arrived.
And you need to be 1.2 metres tall and a strong swimmer to go on the outdoor rapids, even if you have an adult in tow.
But it’s all worth it if you want to keep the whole family entertained.
Don’t worry if you don’t end up booking into the waterpark however, as there is loads to do at the holiday park outside of this.
It’s host to a huge adventure village, with everything from climbing walls and bungee trampolines to high ropes and kart hire.
There’s the onsite Wetherspoons, massive indoor arcade linking the pool, the two drinking holes, and the activity hub.
One thing that families will love this summer is that Haven is giving each child a £7.50 activity credit as part of the Great British Summer of Savings, the government’s VAT cut on kids’ activities.
We used ours towards booking some extra fun at the pool, including a go on the aqua jets for one child and a turn on the aqua inflatable for another.
You need to spend all of your activity credit in one go as you will lose the balance otherwise.
But book your stay far enough in advance, and you can snap up a four-night break for four people from just £49, which is equal to just £3.07 per person, per night.
What more could you want?
