Aqua parks: what’s your take on them? We’ve just been reading some reviews of Ölüdeniz Water World Aquapark.
One person wrote, “Who doesn’t love an aqua park?”
Errm, is it just me, then, who looks up at water slides and gets an uneasy queasy feeling?
There’s a bit of longing there, too, of course.
I really wish I could skip up all those steps, heading ever upwards, itching to sit at the top of the slide. Looking down into the watery abyss way below.
Before hurling myself forward and leaving it to the water slide gods to decide how fast, and in which direction, I hit the pool at the end.
Hmm, some of us like a little bit more control over what happens to us than that.
Ölüdeniz Water World Aquapark
In our relationship, Barry and I tend to agree on most things…except for aqua parks.
Barry’s like lots of other people in the world. He thinks water parks are just great fun.
He just can’t get enough of water slides like Sultan’s Aqua City in Çalış.
He’s eagerly awaiting our friends’ kids to get to an age where they, too, will be wanting to career down slides. That way, he can be babysitter and play the part of ‘big kid.’
In the meantime, he grabs any opportunity he can to get on a water slide.
He loved it a few years ago when a friend came on holiday to Ovacık and invited us up to spend the day at Grand Ucel Aquapark.
Recently, while exchanging tweets with Ölüdeniz Water World on Twitter, they invited us up there for a look around and to spend some time there.
Well, why not, eh?
One of us was proper excited. One of us thought it’d be nice to get some photos of the place.
You’ll know which way round that is…
Ocakköy, Ovacık
First thing to point out is the great setting for Ölüdeniz Water World.
The aqua park isn’t in Ölüdeniz, at all, but in the beautiful hillside setting of Ovacık, between Fethiye centre and Ölüdeniz.
It’s in the tiny village of Ocakköy, just off the main road as you approach Ovacık from Fethiye.
We decided to go there by dolmuş and walk down the road towards the aqua park.
The walk from the main road is around 10 minutes along a tarmac road which winds gradually downwards until, eventually, you hear the music. And spot the flashes of colour through the trees.
Ocakköy is a bowl-shaped haven of cool breeze and mountain views.
Once you enter Ölüdeniz Water World, the huge mountain that is Babadağ forms a beautiful backdrop, visible from just about everywhere in the water park.
The Slides At Ölüdeniz Water World Aquapark
Well, that’s what you go to a water park for, isn’t it?
Barry couldn’t wait to get going. So we plonked ourselves down on one of the plentiful sun loungers in the shade and he was off; straight up those steps!
This is where I feel a bit like mum with kid, watching (and photographing) Barry as he hurtles down the waterslide and badooshes into the pool at the bottom.
Ölüdeniz Waterworld is apparently the biggest aqua park in the area and there were a number of slides for him to ‘try out.’
Big grin on face each time he clambered out of the water to race up the steps again.
“They’re fast!”
“Great, I definitely don’t need to waste any time in trying them out for myself, then, do I?”
I could see the outline of the lifeguard at the top, making sure people waited their turn and only went down the slides at certain intervals.
No crashing into each other at the bottom, people in tandem shooting out of a covered slide at the edge in inflatable dinghies.
“Hmm, I could do that, maybe,” I thought.
And then changed my mind as one inflatable flipped its occupants straight off as it hit the water.
They emerged, laughing away and went straight back up the steps for more.
Each to their own…each to their own…
Food & Drink At Ölüdeniz Water World Aquapark
It’s thirsty work all this sliding and photographing.
So, once Barry felt he could tear himself away from the water slides we headed off towards the food and drink area to refresh ourselves and get some shade.
It’s a cash free system that’s operated at Ölüdeniz Water World. So, on entry, we’d paid a deposit for a payment card and put some pre-paid lira on it.
If you’re at the aqua park with your family for a full day, this is a great system a locker and it means you’re not carrying cash around all day.
Should the credit run out on it, you can always top it up again.
We’d already eaten before entering Ölüdeniz Water World so the lira we’d loaded our payment card with was easily enough for us.
We ordered a couple of beers – same prices as Fethiye town centre – and were given a receipt to show how much we’d spent and how much credit we had left.
Then we just sat in the shade and enjoyed a bit of people-watching for a short while.
Lots of people were ordering food which looked like typical water park fare; burgers, pizzas and fries etc.
Swimming & Chilling At Ölüdeniz Water World Aquapark
So, it’s a roasting hot day and I’m at a water park and I’m yet to get wet!
What is there to do for people like me who have no intention of hitting the water slides?
Well, if you like to take things really easy, there’s a ‘lazy river’ that winds its way through the park.
You can bob along at a ‘lazy’ pace in a rubber ring – some people were doing this and bravely (or stupidly) tapping away on their smart phones at the same time!
Or, you can just have a sunbathe and a swim in the large kidney-shaped swimming pool in the centre of the park.
There are oodles of sunbeds around the pool. And throughout the whole park for that matter.
So you can just set up camp around here and let everyone else go off slippin’ ‘n’ a slidin’ whilst you chill out for the day, taking a dip when the heat gets too much.
We didn’t do the lazy river bit.
But we did spend a bit of time in the swimming pool. And then, when we heard the announcement that the wave pool was about to start strutting its stuff, we headed over there, too, to take on the waves.
That’s about as much adrenaline sport as I need, thanks very much.
The Kids Area
No, not the big kids. Now, we’re thinking about the real little kids.
What is there for them to do if you go to Ölüdeniz Water World for the day?
Well, the kids’ area is a decent size, actually.
A good-sized shallow pool with numerous slides (that even I would have a go on) for them to try out.
Again, there are a good number of sun loungers around the kids’ pool area.
You could spend a good chunk of your day here if you are here with youngsters.
There’s even a little inside activity room, too, if you need to get the kids out of the sun for a while.
Or bring them back down to earth a bit from all that slide excitement.
We didn’t stay around too long at Ölüdeniz Water World – just long enough to give ourselves a taster, really.
If you remember, we’d also decided to stop by and visit some friends at their hotel in Ovacık, Hotel Leytur.
However, photos we’ve put to our Instagram profile and our own Facebook profiles since, has had friends commenting that “we are SO going there when we come to Fethiye.”
So, guess it looks like we’ll be back at Ölüdeniz Water World Aquapark again before the season’s out.
Might even try the food, next time…but probably not the slides…
Ölüdeniz Water World Aquapark – Useful Info
- Ölüdeniz Waterworld is in the village of Ocakköy in the Ovacık neighbourhood.
- It’s easily reachable by dolmuş if you’re doing the trip under your own steam, with a 10 minute walk down the road to the park.
- If you are staying in Ovacık, Hisarönü or Ölüdeniz, there is a free shuttle service to and from the park.
- If you are looking to do Ölüdeniz excursions with a travel agent, a day at Ölüdeniz Water World is usually on the itinerary.
- And, if you are staying in Çalış and want to visit the water park, you can also book trips with the travel agencies in the area.
- Food and drink is paid for with a pre-paid card for which you pay a deposit. When you leave the park, hand your card in and you’ll get your deposit back, along with any unspent credit.
- There are loads of things you can do in and around the Fethiye area. Once you’ve enjoyed the aqua parks, here are some other Fethiye activities not to be missed, too.
mette
Wednesday 31st of August 2016
When it comes to Aquaparks, I have my reservations and not even kids could tempt me. But I'm a prissy with all kinds of water that doesn't come through a tap or a shower.
Turkey's For Life
Friday 9th of September 2016
Ha ha, I'm exactly the same, Mette, and it's really annoying because I could see everyone was having a great time at Ölüdeniz Water World...but I just don't do slides! :D
Alan
Thursday 18th of August 2016
. . not my scene at all, each to his/her own! 'And good thing too you boring old sod!' I hear you say. :-D
Turkey's For Life
Thursday 18th of August 2016
Well, you'll see that I'm not one for getting the most out o places like Ölüdeniz Water World, Alan. :) Ha ha, knew it wouldn't be your thing. :)