Kids in Prague

Tropical Islands Aquapark Getaway, Germany

Swimming Activities, Weekends Away on 03 January 2012 by Darina

A guest report by: Dagmar McCaffrey, The Villa

Are you wondering how to escape the dull winter months that has been impaired by the smog situation? Well I might have the answer for you. The place you want to find yourself in is called Tropical Islands. It’s a 3 hour drive to Germany, count 4 hours if you plan to incorporate toilet breaks or a lunch break. On arrival, which by the way is very well signposted and easy to find, there is plenty of space for parking, then just gather up the family and enter a paradise that awaits you in the ‘dome’.

The dome was originally built to serve as a hangar for a cargo airship. That airship was never constructed and so the hangar and its surroundings were bought by an investor who turned the hangar into an indoor tropical habitat. The dome offers a rainforest, beach, artificial sun, palm trees, orchids, accommodation in lodges, tents and designer rooms, restaurants, all sorts of rides, including a balloon ride around the dome, a massive kids playground and more.

The temperature of the dome is said to be kept at 25°C, but it was around 27°C most the time throughout our visit. The water in the lagoon or tropical see is anything around 30-31°C. So I highly recommend bringing enough summer clothes, a bathrobe, inflatable toys, beach toys and the like.

We opted for a stay overnight. There are various options. These vary from staying outside the dome to several options staying inside the dome. In the dome you can stay in a tent in a beach like campsite or you can choose from several lodges spread around the dome. The website does not offer clear information as to what kinds of lodges are where, nor does it show galleries of all the interiors. But from what I could see most looked very cute from the outside and clean and appropriately equipped inside.

The only issue seems to be space, which of course is limited. So when travelling with children and planning to stay over night, it may be necessary to book a big enough lodge well in advance, or else to opt for the designer rooms, which can sleep a family of 4. You can book either via their website or by phone. Also there is a Czech travel agency* that may be of help, see contacts below. We booked direct by phone. The phone offered an option to have an English speaking operator; however the communication was not very easy.

The Indoor kids playground offers extensive attractions. For one thing it has one of the biggest jungle gyms I have ever seen, with lots of climbing, sliding, riding, access for wheelchairs in one section. It has a sort of ‘dopravní hřiště’ incorporated around the jungle gym, offering kids to ride paddle cars. It has a maxi lego section, where kids can build towers and houses of their own size. It offers a paddle boat ride river. There is a trampoline section and a sit down section with board games and crayons and such.

Care to go for a splash? You can choose from two areas: 1. Balinese Lagoon and 2. Spa and Sauna section
the Balinese lagoon also offers a wild river, Jacuzzi pools and a waterfall. There are two slides for the less courageous, smaller kids can accompany parents on these. The whole place is surrounded by deck chairs and sun beds, but if you sleep in, you will hardly find one free. If you are travelling with kids, you are very likely to move around a lot, so it does not really matter. The lagoon area is generally quieter with fewer children around too. So if you have very small children, I would recommend hanging around here as it seems calmer and quieter.

The sun beds in this section are even more packed, some of them are never free, as we noticed people also spend a night without booking any accommodation, just sleeping over on one of the sun beds. There are two beach volleyball courts nearby and of course the huge waterslide complex which includes a very high and steep speed slide for the brave lot. Alongside the Tropical Sea area you can also find a mini golf course.

All over the area you will find enough snack bars, restaurants, all with fast service and reasonably priced food of reasonable quality. Look out for special deals, like combination of Variety show + BBQ dinner tickets, or ‘all you can eat’ options. You will be pleased to find some nice tropical treats on the breakfast or dinner menu, such as fresh mango, lychee, jack fruit and the like.

When you have had enough swimming and jumping, why not take a relaxing stroll through the tropical rainforest and learn about the different plants or maybe see some animals (parrots, peacocks, fish, turtles, insects etc.).

If travelling as a family maybe you will appreciate to take turns escaping the crowd and commotion of the beach by visiting the Spa and Sauna section. There is a number of saunas available, whirlpools, meditation room and some treatments that you need to book for.

All in all a very fun place for people of all ages.