This was scheduled as a proper rest day at Aquatica. We hopped on the iRide to be at the park for 9.00, we arrived to find Aquatica closed – it opens at 10.00 – doh! We were told by the concierge at our hotel is was 9.00, but this was no big deal apart from the toilets being shut! Chatted to a nice couple who also got their time wrong.
We pre-booked a cabana on the private island between the two wave pools. There are only three cabanas here and we were the only people booked in – YES! The cabana came with a fridge containing 12 bottles of water, towels, sun loungers, chairs, a fan, a safe and guest services on hand to bring us drinks or food, which you had to pay for, obviously.
This was total bliss, away from the crowds and one of the best pre-holiday decisions we made. Once we settled into private space we made our way out to the water rides. As the park is only 5 years old everything felt new and getting up the stairs wasn’t as scary as Wet n Wild. The park was exceptionally busy, this was a Sunday and the weather was fairly hot. The rides are much tamer than Wet n Wild and on par with Typhoon Lagoon.
We had a bite to eat and settled back into our cosy cabana for a relaxing afternoon. I dropped off to sleep, whilst Hotdog sat reading GQ. When I woke, Hotdog said he was wondering how he could consume all those bottles of water without having a Forrest Gump ‘I gotta pee!’ moment!
The park closes at 5pm – the loud Tannoy does like to make you aware of this too and really spoils a fun day out! We did a few more slides, only missed Tassie’s Twisters and HooRoo Run. Our favourite was Ron’s Rapids and we would definitely go back again. $116 for the Cabana sounds steep, but it was worth it for the peace and quiet, and to be away from the crowds. If you are on honeymoon or want a special treat as a couple or a group of four – we would highly recommend this. Overall, we really liked Aquatica, the day flew by and it was time to leave.
Back to the hotel for a refresh. Decided on Black Angus Steak house for dinner – was OK, apart from a large group of ‘we are the loud latino brigade’, taking over the place and having little respect for other diners. We often found the waiter/waitress would walk us around the entire restaurant before sitting us at a totally unsuitable table, which was frustrating! Sometimes we were surrounded by huge loud groups other times we were shoved in a dark corner like lepers.
Back to our room for a cheeky snifter as tomorrow is Hotdog’s birthday and a trip to the Kennedy Space Centre!