First attempt was heroic in our heads. Early alarm. Everyone hyped. Flip flops because obviously it’s a water park so what could go wrong.
By lunchtime my knees felt about fifteen years older, the kid had stopped responding to his name, and I was angry at a concrete path that had done absolutely nothing wrong.
The park wasn’t the issue. Benidorm wasn’t the issue. We were.
So this is the do-over version. The one where you still like each other on the drive home.
If you’re staying around Benidorm and you want the big stuff, you’re probably ending up at Aqualandia. If you’re further south, Torrevieja way, Aquopolis Torrevieja makes life easier. And if you don’t actually want to spend eight hours climbing hills, Aqua Natura Benidorm exists for a reason.
That’s the logic. Now the bits you only learn by doing it badly once.
Aqualandia, when you stop trying to win
Aqualandia is not flat. It looks flat on the map. It is not flat in real life. It is basically a fitness test with slides attached.
The mistake is thinking you need to do everything. You don’t. Pick a section, hit the big slides early while everyone still feels optimistic, then drift downhill and stay there.
Every time you climb back up “just for one more”, your body keeps the receipt.
Get a locker. Carrying bags all day feels fine for the first hour and then suddenly becomes your personality.
And sit down properly at some point. Not a rushed sandwich while standing. Actually sit. This single decision changed the whole second visit.
Aquopolis Torrevieja, quietly sensible
Aquopolis doesn’t shout about itself. It just works.
It’s flatter. Tighter. Easier to read. You don’t spend half the day walking between things wondering why you thought this was relaxing.
If you’ve got kids, this is the park where you leave mid-afternoon and still have a life afterwards. We got ice creams. No one cried. I remember this very clearly because it felt suspicious.
Aqua Natura, the relief option
Aqua Natura is what you choose when you realise you don’t actually need the biggest slide in Europe to have a good day.
Smaller park. Shorter walks. Less “are we nearly there yet”. It’s a half-day park and that’s not an insult. That’s the point.
Do it, then do something else. You’ll feel like a genius.
Shoes. This is about shoes.
Flip flops are a lie. They offer nothing. Water shoes or trainers you don’t love will save your knees more than any clever planning.
Also, fewer bags. One bag. Not three. You are not moving house.
The bit no one advertises
The best Costa Blanca water park day is the one you leave slightly earlier than planned.
Not exhausted. Not sun-frazzled. Just done.
First time we stayed until closing because “we’d paid for it”. Second time we left when it felt right and the whole day landed better.
That’s it really.
Same parks. Same place. Different attitude.
And knees that still work the next morning.
