The World’s Top 10 Water Park Hotels Revealed. Ready to Dive In?

What kid (big and small) doesn’t love a waterpark?

I have ridden the waves and braved the twisting chutes to check out some family favourite hotels around the world that’ll see you and your little ones getting wet and wild.

Kicking off with one of the best-known biggies in the world of waterparks.

Poised at the top of the famous Palm Jumeriah in Dubai, sits the palatial Atlantis the Palm Resort.

In addition to the hotel’s 1,500+ rooms, more than 30 restaurants, two infinity pools, private beach, mesmerising aquarium and Dolphin Bay, the resort’s waterpark is one of the emirate’s prime attractions – Aquaventure.

This waterpark is bursting with adrenaline and it all comes complimentary to guests staying at the hotel.

You’ll have more than 105 (!) slides and attractions on tap, including the world’s tallest waterslide – Odyssey of Terror. Be prepared for countless twists and turns before a final unexpected drop when you’ll experience near weightlessness while you fall.

For those brave water warriors out there, the legendary Leap of Faith awaits. Kudos goes to anyone who can step off the edge and plummet down this sheer, vertical body slide. And if you can tick off this one, then how about Blackout, labelled as ‘the scarier sister’?

Three in the family can compete against each other as they whizz down the triple-slide Hydra Racer. Or brave the water coasters: Surge, Stinger and Storm. And hold on tight as you ride the raging river rapids.

For younger water babies, Aquaventure has a whole area dedicated to little thrill seekers. Splashers Lagoon and Cove is overflowing with slides, climbing courses and bucket dumps. Hours can be whiled away as they go again and again and again.

Another biggie. Sun City is a humungous, sprawling resort of hotels and attractions just two hours from Johannesburg in colourful and cultural South Africa.

It’s got beaches, it’s got golf courses, lakes and it’s right next door to the Pilanesberg National Park where safaris are fabulous. But taking centre stage in Sun City is Valley of Waves.

This waterpark is themed as an ancient lost civilisation smothered in jungle. Guests walk along jungle paths to discover slides, pools, waterfalls, caves and bridges.

The main attraction at Valley of Waves is the Roaring Lagoon – a 6,500sqm pool in which every 90 seconds the waves reach nearly two metres high.

Meanwhile, only the bravest should take on the 70m drop at the Temple of Courage or dare to face the Tarantula, the Scorpion, the Viper and Mamba – the names say it all.

And if that’s not challenging enough then how about the sheer vertical fall from Boomerango or the gravity-defying 360-degree loop that you’ll do on AquaLoops?

Beyond the waterpark, more wet and wild activities await on the Waterworld Lake - think water skiing, spinning and speeding inflatables of all shapes and sizes, parasailing and jet skiing.

The lake is located in front of the rolling lawns of the Cabanas Hotel, the perfect bolthole for a family wanting to tap into all the Sun City attractions. Kamp Kwena supervised kids’ club, the animal farm, bird aviaries and Valley of Waves are all easily reached either on foot or using the resort bus that passes the hotel every 15 minutes.

Cabanas has a large swimming pool and children’s pool, plus mini golf, bumper boats, trampolines and a huge playground on the bank of the lake. The hotel has lots of larger rooms specifically for families.

Admittedly this hotel doesn’t have a waterpark. However, it’s only a mile from Europe’s biggest and best-loved waterpark: Siam Park in Tenerife.

General day tickets normally cost £35 per adult and £25 for a child, so it’s a steal – especially if you intend to go more than once to what is perennially voted “The Best Waterpark in the World” by TripAdvisor reviewers.

The big hitters here are the Tower of Power and The Dragon.

Only daredevils need apply to hurtle down the near vertical 28m-high Tower of Power, reaching speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. And be prepared to defy gravity as you raft through the jaws of The Dragon into a fast-spinning cone.

Alternatively catch the surf at the Wave Palace and unleash the tots on The Lost City – a fortress teeming with bridges, waterfalls, tipping buckets and nine slides suited to youngsters.

And when you need a breather, relax on the white sands of Siam Beach or glide along the world’s longest lazy river as it snakes round the park at a much more leisurely pace.

Start and finish each day back at your family bungalow set around the HD Parque Cristobal hotel gardens. The two-bedroom villas easily sleep up to five people and have kitchenettes with microwaves – so they’re ideal for families.

The hotel has two swimming pools, the beach is just a five-minute walk away and shuttle buses to Siam Park, just a mile away, pass the hotel every 15 minutes.

This is one of our all-time fave hotels. It’s located in Paphos right on the beachfront.

As well as having no less than six outdoor pools, including two children's pools, it’s also got the fantastic Oasis Splash park, complete with all sorts of jets, sprinklers, spouts and slides that twirl and turn providing hours of fun.

Take your pick from high-speed slides, lazy rivers and the wave surge pool. Thrill seekers should try the Free Fall, Kamikaze or Cannon Drop, while tiny tots can make a splash in the Mini Volcano and Mini Bubble.

Back at the hotel, if you want to dry off, then you’ll find a children’s beachside playground and a supervised kids’ club.

You’ll have six restaurants to choose from and parents will appreciate the gorgeous spa here, the state-of-the-art gym and the ability to hire and store bikes, perfect for exploring the area.

This family-favourite hotel located on glorious Grace Bay on the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos, takes the all-inclusive concept to another level.

Absolutely everything is included and the facilities are impressively vast. In addition to its 10 pools (yes ten), this hotel has its own waterpark - Pirates Island.

Nine slides will have you twisting and turning and plunging. Be prepared to be catapulted into a vortex of whirling water before pitching into a pool.

Alternatively, hit the surf on the island’s only surf simulator. It’s a great way to learn to surf or to hone your board skills before hitting some real surf.

And when it’s time to slow things down, lay back and meander along the lazy river. For the little ones there’s Splash Deck, a whole area for tiny tots with climbing frames, swings and water jets.

Being located on a 12-mile stretch of beach all manner of watersports await. Kayaks, windsurfs, banana boats, hydrobikes, snorkels, hobie cats and paddleboards are just some of what’s on offer from its box of beach toys. The kids can even join a sailing course or learn to scuba dive – although as expected these courses do come with an extra charge.

Other than that, everything else is all included. You’ll have 20 restaurants to dine at – all unlimited at any time. All your drinks and ice creams are thrown in too around the clock.

The Kids’ Club has a busy programme for tots to teens with certified nannies on hand to rock tiny babies right up to a nightclub for teenagers.

Welcome to Neverland - Egypt’s vast entertainment city within which is an enormous waterpark.

At the Jungle Aqua Park you’ll find a phenomenal 47 pools. Pretty much everywhere you look there’s a pool to dive into. In fact, with 81 slides in the park you’ll probably find yourself sliding into them – possibly at great speeds!

The fun doesn't stop there. Tennis, beach volleyball and football are all on offer, alongside a kids' club, playground, water bumper cars, ice-skating rink and a huge area with free arcade games. Regular shuttle buses also take guests down to nearby Dana Beach.

And once per stay, guests are given a free invitation to the Neverland Night Show – a captivating evening full of entertainment, including live music, theatre performances and dance shows.

The bungalow-style rooms of the Pickalbatros Jungle Aqua Park Resort are dotted around the grounds, so you're never far from the water. And when it comes to dining, there’s a choice of 11 themed restaurants to choose from.

The Aqua Paradise Resort sits next to Bulgaria’s biggest waterpark, Aquapark Nessebar. Stay at this resort and your name is on the guest list of the waterpark for your entire stay.

Here you’ll find 60 attractions and 38 slides, like the four-track Dragero, the Looping Rockets and King Cobra. Plus, there's a surf machine, a kids' zone, a lazy river and a variety of restaurants.

At the hotel itself you’ll have an additional two pools, two restaurants and a wide choice of family rooms, with the two-bedroom family suites sleeping up to five people.

Nessebar’s best bits are all within a 20-minute drive of the hotel, including a couple of sandy beaches and the town’s church-filled old quarter.

Travel for 15 minutes up the coast and you’ll be on the blue flag swathe of Sunny Beach on the Black Sea.

This is a real show stopper. Sitting right on a soft, cotton-white sandy beach, Royalton Splash doesn't do things by halves. Not only are its restaurant numbers in double digits, it also has an enormous waterpark – and it’s a biggie.

With 14 monster slides, two separate splash areas for little ones and a pair of lazy rivers, the kids love this beachside, fun-filled paradise.

Alongside 12 restaurants, 10 of which offer à la carte dining, there's a food truck by the beach and an ice-cream parlour.

Thrills of a dryer kind are also to be had in the indoor trampoline park, bowling alley and laser tag arena.

And with the two supervised kids' clubs and huge soft, padded play area, Royalton Splash ticks so many boxes for families.

How about checking into the Aqualand Resort in Corfu, next door to the island’s thrilling Aqualand Waterpark?

As well as 49 slides and the world’s third-biggest wave pool, expect super steep, speedy chutes, rafting rides and multi-lane racers.

Little ones from two to eight years old make a splash in Fantasy Island, while babies have their own pool and there’s a pirate-themed splash zone full of jets and fountains.

For high thrills take on the free fall slides, the Double Twisters and the Kamikaze. Families can join hands on the Deep Blue Kayak, the Black Hole or the Catapult.

Aqualand Resort has 150 rooms and apartments, a buffet and an à la carte restaurant, a kids’ club, two outdoor pools, spa and gym.

OK, admittedly this isn’t a traditional hotel. It’s a floating resort.

In a bid to outdo each other with ever more wow facilities on board, cruise lines have thrown themselves head-first into the world of waterparks. Call it the ‘battle of the slides at sea’.

Going head-to-head are ships belonging to Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean.
It’s the latter that seems to be leading the way, with Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas the current winner in this game of one-upmanship.

As the largest ship at sea (as of December 2024), Icon’s waterpark is ominously called Category 6. It’s worth noting that Category 5 hurricanes are rated the strongest on the planet, so Royal Caribbean is setting the bar high in the thrill stakes.

You’ll find six waterslides on board, spanning five decks. And none are small. In fact, every single one of the six waterslides is a record breaker or first-at-sea.

Kicking off the Category 6 storm is Frightening Bolt. This is the tallest drop slide at sea. But that’s not the hard bit. The hardest bit is standing in a capsule and waiting for the floor to vanish below you with zero notice. You’ll plummet down until the G-force sets in and shoots you up and around the 360-degree loop.

Even more dare defying is Pressure Drop, an open free-fall slide that offers brave riders a few moments of weightlessness before plunging into the abyss below. It’s the shortest slide of the bunch at 33 metres, but don’t be hoodwinked – it’s also the fastest.

Meanwhile, the two Storm Chasers are the longest mat racing slides at sea – there’s two of them so you can go head-to-head with your opponent to see who’s first to finish the exhilarating journey filled with hairpin twists and turns.

And then there’s Hurricane Hunters, the first family raft slide at sea and Storm Surge, the first suspended family raft slide at sea.

The thrills continue on the Flowrider – Royal Caribbean’s beloved surf simulator funnelling 30,000 gallons of water into perfect swells.

And when you want to dry off, tackle the rock-climbing wall or strap up and explore the ship’s Crown’s Edge, a mix between an obstacle course and ropes course that just happens to hang off the side of the ship.

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Whether you’re looking for the perfect waterpark resort or you’ve already seen an option that’s caught your eye but aren’t sure if it’s right for you, I are here to help. I'll fill you in on everything you need to know to make the best choice for your family.

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If you’d like some advice or help planning your next family holiday, just give me a call or click 'Enquire Now' below. 

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