A breathtaking themed water park the 'Lost Paradise of Dilmun' in Bahrain,the region's first, is poised to become the magnet for tourists from the region and around the world. The $50m water park is themed around Bahrain's rich cultural history. The Lost Paradise of Dilmun is the last word in family entertainment; a place where thrill seekers of all ages can experience an adrenaline rush. It's also a perfect place to unwind, sit back and have a great time. Nasser Al Harthy finds.
Imagine a sudden cool downpour in the midst of suffocating heat under a peak summer broiling desert sun. This is what one would feel coming face to face with the multi-million dollars state of the arts water park inaugurated early this month in Bahrain. As we stepped in the $50m park dubbed 'Lost Paradise of Dilmun' the Middle East's first fully themed, largest and most technologically-advanced water park, I genuinely can't think of better recreation spot for holidaying families with youngsters.
Not only did the water park make a refreshing change from the usual amusement parks which don't offer anywhere near the same facilities or comfort, but then again we found our full day and part of the evening at the Lost Paradise, a little bit like stepping back in time.
The park is extensively themed around Bahrain's rich cultural history, from a time 4,000 years ago when Bahrain was the centre of the Dilmun civilisation; a place with an abundance of water, springs and shallow wells; the legendary source of eternal life.
Bahrain's history as a successful trading nation goes back 4,000 years, when the Dilmun civilisation lay at the heart of the world's trade routes. The water park is extensively themed to reflect this rich cultural heritage, recalling a time when the islands of Bahrain, or Dilmun, were considered a magical destination a place where travelers and traders alike were assured a warm welcome. At just about every turn one could only admire the motifs, symbols and architecture from the Dilmun era which had been incorporated into every aspect of the park's architecture.
The park's promoters are confident the Lost Paradise of Dilmun will promote Bahrain's rich cultural traditions by integrating them into the park's theme, saying the park evokes the spirit of ancient times by drawing attention to the beauty of the Dilmun ruins, furthering visitor enjoyment by creating an escape into the past.
The park combines regional history with an entertaining experience for the whole family. The lost Paradise of Dilmun is the last word in family entertainment; a place where thrill seekers of all ages can experience one adrenaline rush after another. It's also the perfect place to unwind, sit back and have a great time.
Stepping out from the main gate, there was no shortage of things to do on site with an array of slides, water fountains and pools offering a great range of water-based fun, play and relaxation activities to enjoy.
Visitors are greeted by the park mascots, Delmo and Delma and an array of slides, including the Falcon's Dive, the giant Superbowl, Boomerango and the Family Raft Ride, the park's tallest water slide seating four people. 'The Souq', another unique feature of the park, is a 1,000 square meter retail area selling branded merchandise and souvenirs, resort wear and swimwear.
For the more practical, there are themed food and drink outlets serving freshly-made Arab and Western fast food specialties and ice creams. Covering 77,000 square metres and featuring the very latest water park technology designed by Malaysia-based Sim Leisure Consultants, the park strategically divided into six zones and dotted with 14 slides, pools and fountains, has plenty of fun for the whole family all day long.
What makes the Lost Paradise of Dilmun unique is that in addition to the unrivalled attraction of "Dilmun Artesian Spring", recreating the idea of Bahrain's ancient springs, the park has the largest wave pool in the Middle East and the only one with a sandy beach, an attraction for visitors of all ages.
The pool is enclosed by replicas of Dilmun ruins designed with thatched, shaded lounge areas and extensive landscaping. For children there is a large interactive wet play area, with an extensive range of theme-based play equipment offering a dozen slides, water sprays, water curtains, mini tip buckets and a host of knobs, swivels and levers to adjust and direct a series of jets and sprays.
Around the wave pool, acting as a natural navigation path through the whole water park, is a lazy river which meanders through a series of themed tunnels, each with wall paintings, replicated ancient artifacts and treasures and accompanied by sounds and visual effects. The water slides, wave pool and interactive structures constructed and installed by Canada's Whitewater West are all new to this part of the world.
Lost Paradise of Dilmun developed by Al Areen Holding Company is located in the Areen Development, near Al Zallaq, a five minute drive from the Bahrain International Circuit and 25 minutes from the Seef district of Bahrain's capital Manama The park's officials are confident the unique water park and other tourist attractions under development will reposition Bahrain as a leading tourist destination in the Middle East.
"The new leisure destination along with Banyan Tree Desert Spa and Resort-Al Areen and Al Areen Development, we are optimistic Lost Paradise will soon become one of the region's leading tourist and leisure destinations", says Esam Janahi, Vice Chairman of Al Areen Holding Company.
For Lost Paradise Dilmun Chairman, the water park will not only act as the ideal leisure and entertainment destination for families in Bahrain but also visitors from neighbouring GCC countries and from around the world. The park's officials hope to attract over 200,000 visitors each year. The park spread in an overall area of 77,000 square metres, including a built-up water park area of 45,000 square metres is built to handle 5,000 visitors per day. While discovering the magic of Lost Paradise, the park's designers have installed the most modern water park technology on the market to protect visitors' health and safety, and reduce the park's environment footprint.
Every ounce of the park's fresh water is fully recycled to World Health Organisation standards, assure the park officials. Besides, up to 70 lifeguards are on duty at any one time. It is to be recalled that the Lost Paradise has a total capacity of 10.5 million litres of fresh water, the equivalent of 1,150 standard swimming pools. The Lost Paradise of Dilmun is the second component in the unique $ 1.3bn plus Al Areen Development and is located near the high-end luxury Banyan Tree Desert Spa and Resort.
© The Peninsula 2007
