Lovely tranquil boat ride near the entrance ....

It has been some years since my last visit to Terra Mitica, so off I went with 3 children last weekend (they were aged between 12 and 15 - yes brave I know, especially as 2 weren´t even mine).
I was curious to see if there had been any changes since management of the park is now under the Aqualandia group and to also hear the opinions of my three charges.

The two that weren´t mine were Spanish - one lives in Madrid whilst the other was from Valencia. All 3 were excited to be going and ready for an adrenalin rush from the rides.... but did they get it?

New Bumper Cars for the young ones

The layout of the park remains unchanged, apart from the far section being partitioned off - just after the Drop Tower. This is to accomodate the new Iberia Village which has a separate entrance near to the main entrance just before the ticket booths.

The rides remain in pretty much the same order except that they have some new children´s rides near to the entrance - when I say children I mean under 5 - well young, I´ve forgotten it was too long ago. The bumper cars were quite popular... the main children´s area infront of Colossus, the huge wooden roller coaster is also still there so if you are going with little ones there is a wide variety of rides to keep them amused.

Falls of the Nile water ride

The first water ride we came to was the "Falls of the Nile" - which appears to be enjoyed by everyone that goes on... they all come off excitedly showing you how wet they got!
In the full heat of the sun you dry off fairly quickly but it may be handy to take a spare dry t-shirt with you, especially if you are doing all of the water rides and then have to get back to your hotel!

New jacuzzi area

Then I came across the first new attraction at the park ... the jacuzzi/spa area. You need to remember your swimming things for this one. Its an area full of spa´s, jets and jacuzzis where you can take a dip and relax - and no extra charge. There is a lifeguard on duty and lots of visitors were going in.

Next comes the "adrenalin zone" ... the area which my boys were looking forward to the most. Probably the most daring (not that I know personally as I don´t do any rides more daring than the swings) is "Synkope" - a huge red pendulum that spins at the same time as going back and forth. You really have to be brave in my opinion but those that like daring rides certainly seems to relish the thrill. There must be a great view from up there if you actually manage to keep your eyes open to look!


Next to the giant pendulum is "Titanide" - this ride has been relocated from the far side of the park and is a loop the loop roller coaster - it was probably one of the few rides that actually had a queue to get on, but having said that it didn´t take too long to get on.
The queues here at Terra Mitica are nothing like those you get at Disney or even Alton Towers in the UK - I was there on Saturday afternoon and considering it is mid July it wasn´t really that busy. I noticed and heard a mix of nationalities - many Spanish as well as Brits and lots of people without children. Normally I would associate theme parks with children but they are not a requirement!

Throughout the day there are various shows in the different zones... you can pick up a leaflet along with a map of the park near the entrance giving you the times in English so you can plan your route.

There are plenty of shady seating areas dotted around the park and refreshment kiosks. I read before coming that McDonalds had an outlet there too, but its not like a typical one you see down the High street. It is more of a restaurant set up called "McMitica" near to the entrance but I must say that I was astonished at the prices ... an adult meal which consisted of a hamburger, I assume it must have been a Big Mac, regular fries, drink and dessert (states dairy ie yoghurt) was 10.95 euro! Considering that you can get a 3 course Menu del Dia with half a bottle of wine for under 10 euros or even a 3 course Chinese for under 5 euros it is expensive. They also offered a kids meal which had chicken nuggets for I think 6 euros. This I believe is far more expensive than your normal McDonalds - not that Iam a regular customer by any means but I suppose its a captive audience so can get away with it?

The Drop Tower is the last ride - after that the park is sectioned off for the new "Iberia Village". This is a bar and restaurant complex, which in theory is a good idea. However, you cannot access it from the theme park and it is only open in the evenings after 7pm - and not Monday or Tuesday, which is when I decided to pay a visit! As I mentioned it has a separate entrance and it was part of the theme park originally.

Iberia Village

There are lots of bars and at the moment only one restaurant - "La Brasa" which has a bbq where you can order literally any sort of meat. It is very pretty and peaceful and a good concept but I can not help feeling that with no access from the main park they are missing a trick here. At the weekends they also have a live band playing and the village is open whilst there are still customers there - I spoke to the restaurant manager and he told me that last weekend they were still serving food at 1.30am.
If you fancy something a lot quieter away from the buzz of Benidorm town centre then it may be worth a try - but having to drive there and back and so no drinking I feel will put a lot of people off. They need to attract those that are already at the park I think.

The number 1 bus goes from town

So the overal opinion of the park .... the kids enjoyed it immensely and non had a detrimental comment. As an adult I found it lacking. I feel if they reduced the entrance price, which at 35 euros for an adult and 26.50 for a child I think too pricey, they would increase footfall. Stop giving out discount vouchers, which costs money to print and distribute and a 2nd day free pass - you can do the park in half a day unless there are long queues for the rides and reduce the price. Having said that you will pay 24 euros for an hours use of a pedalo down on Levante beach so make up your own mind!

My other bug bear is that they still charge for parking which adds even more to the cost of the trip. The car park at Aqualandia is free and as its now under the same management needs to be addressed. Alternatively get the bus from the Avd Mediterraneo or a taxi from the centre of town is 10 euros.