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The Lost Paradise of Dilmun Waterpark (LPOD) opens its doors to thrill-seekers today after a winter break allowing for major investment of BD1 million to cover extensive renovations and the promise of new attractions to come.
Pierre Vasseur, the calm Frenchman who oversees both this desert complex and the nearby Al Areen Palace Hotel & Spa, has revealed the next stage of the popular aquatic paradise’s evolution in detail to GulfWeekly.
Set to be officially unveiled towards the end of April, a new ‘rocket slide’ aims to supplant the two existing speed slides as the premier attraction for adrenaline junkies and provide a boost to the kingdom’s tourism sector.
Pierre said: “I’m confident that the rocket slide will be a huge hit with LPOD fans. It’s going to be launched from the same platform where the current family raft ride starts, already the tallest structure in the park.
“It’s a single slide where you stand in a rocket replica. A timer then counts down from 10 to one, and then the floor suddenly opens and you shoot down at high velocity.
“Not only that, but it will have fancy lighting effects inside. Our research says that the new generation of water parks all employ coloured slides, but we wanted to go one step further and have this on the inside as part of the experience.
“However, I don’t want to spill the beans completely about what exactly it constitutes, so I implore all guests and slide fans to come down to LPOD and solve the mystery for yourselves!”
Workers have been busy preparing for the new arrival since the park closed in early December for its annual break in operation. The foundations are currently being dug for the rocket slide and the soil is being checked and replaced where necessary.
Then, when the groundwork is complete, the parts for the attraction will be shipped from a supplier in Turkey ready to be constructed and it will take two weeks to carry out all the necessary safety tests. At the same time, the slide will be painted and prepared to thrill.
Pierre continued: “We have two main demographics among our visitors: teenagers and young adults, and families and children. We have one new attraction for each to satisfy both, so the rocket slide is for the thrill-seeking youngsters, whilst we have a new pirate ship for the younger children to enjoy.
“This will consist of a galley which children can play on, and then five mini-slides coming out of the side for them to go down. We’re putting this in one of our existing leisure pools and have filled it in accordingly, so that it is only 50cm deep to ensure safety.”
Aside from new rides, a wave of other renovations has taken place. The entire sandy beach connected to the wave pool has been replaced with fresh sand and a new outside bar has been built right next to the beach so guests can enjoy refreshments from their sunbeds.
All of the staircases leading up to the ride towers have been replaced too. The old cement stairs have made way for fibreglass, which is not only rust-resistant but easier to maintain and considered safer. There are no longer gaps between steps, and each one has anti-slip pimples on them for extra grip while climbing.
Furthermore, as reported earlier in GulfWeekly, The Mid Summer Café has appeared at the entrance to LPOD, having gobbled up a section of the original retail store. It is being used as a general café for the public and can be accessed without having to go inside the park itself. It also has a function room to stage larger events.
LPOD’s operations manager Esmail Ebrahim explained: “Funnily enough, the three months between December and March when the park is closed is actually one of our busiest times of the year. We do so much renovation work and maintenance that it’s non-stop. Of course, with the weather not being so hot, it’s the best time to do it.
“This is our largest overhaul by far since the park opened. It’s not just the general replacing of rusted elements and re-painting, which we do all year-round anyway, but also the new attractions, refreshment outlets and LED lights in the changing rooms. These were introduced not only to cut down on energy costs, but to make them much brighter as before the changing rooms appeared quite dark.”
It’s not only the structures which have had a fresh coat of paint over the winter either, but the personnel too. Lifeguard training has been vastly increased over the break, and now all lifeguards on the venue have been fully certified by a governing body from the US and boast licences which they must renew every year by undergoing tests and completing a certain number of training hours per month.
Ebrahim added: “We are now aiming to have a completely incident-free year. We’ve never had a major accident in the history of Lost Paradise, but occasionally guests get over-excited or don’t follow the rules and occasionally bang their heads or get a scratch.
“Now we will have a no-nonsense policy and the lifeguards will ensure they are extremely vigilant with regards to the timings between people going down slides and there will be full CCTV around the park to ensure safety.”
This major revamp is not the end of the road (or lazy river) for the waterpark, though. Already, Pierre is planning to paint all of the slides with stripe designs this year to distinguish them from each other and get away from the monochromatic beige colour.
Additionally, he is aiming to introduce the next generation of slides and hopes to have two more in place by 2018, while he is also pushing LPOD as an attractive venue for group and entertainment events, such as concerts, birthday parties and even weddings. Finally, if the new attractions prove as popular as expected, the car park might be turned into a two-storey shaded complex to cope with increased visitor numbers.
He added: “Aside from bringing in new guests, we want old fans to return. Our statistical research shows that those who bought our season passes came on average four-to-five times during the year. However, we want them to now come 10-to-15 times and really get their money’s worth and enjoy our upgraded facilities and attractions.
“It’s exciting times for LPOD, and it’s only going to get better from here on. Most importantly, we hope visitors enjoy the new facilities as much as we have sprucing them up!”
The Lost Paradise of Dilmun Waterpark opens its doors for the new season today. For more information about attractions, ticket prices, season passes and more offers, visit https://www.lpodwaterpark.com/
