Summer is in full swing – I know this because I killed eight mosquitoes in my bedroom the other night and have been washing swimsuits almost daily for weeks – and if you’re in Beijing this season, you have got to visit Playa Maya water park located at Happy Valley. I just spent a whole day there with four kids, and it was an absolute blast (though my whole body’s complaining today). Check out the short video below to get a glimpse of all the wet and wild action at the water park!
My top 3 reasons for visiting Playa Maya:
1. It’s affordable
There are plenty of things to do in Beijing during the summer, but most of them involve high price tags that will eat through you wallet quickly. That’s why my number one reason for loving Playa Maya is its very reasonable price tag of RMB 99 for kids below 1.5m or up to 10 years old. Even better, if you’ve got tots below 1.2m or 5 years old, they get in for free!
Adults pay RMB 199, but there’s a family package price of RMB 468 for two adults and one child which saves you about RMB 30. There’s also an adult night ticket option for RMB 169 that gives you admission from 4 pm to 9 pm – perfect if you want to avoid the sun.
Do note that kids below 1.4m aren’t going to be able to ride the really big rides and slides located on the far side of the park when you enter. But there’s still the Happy Village (water playground), Rainbow Slide, Jungle Adventure (lazy river), and a bunch of other water activities that will definitely keep your kids occupied from opening to closing time!
Pro Tip: Sadly, it appears that you cannot bring your own water guns and floats into the park, though they are available for rent and sale at various booths around.
2. It’s clean
Any parent is going to worry about water parks being a common source of viruses and bacteria, especially if hygiene standards aren’t upheld. I’m happy to report that even my local germaphobe friends could agree that the water looked clean enough and all our kids are not sick!
3. It’s not as crowded as you might think (at least for now)
Though we were wary of visiting the park knowing that local Beijing schools had all been let out for the summer, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the park was not packed the way Universal Studios or other such major tourist attractions would be. Of course, we cannot promise that this will always be the case when you visit during the summer holidays, but we advise that you go on weekdays and early, or late, as we definitely saw a surge in numbers around the afternoon from noon to 3 pm.
PRO TIPS BEFORE YOU GO
– Bring a waterproof case for your phone. They sell them at the park, but you can save money by bringing your own, or a ziplock bag.
– Wear distinctive water shoes/sandals. Footwear are put into cubbies at every ride, and you won’t believe how many times we lost Crocs sandals that look like everyone else’s. Aqua socks work best for navigating the scorching hot ground without the hassle of removal when entering the water – you can also buy these at the park.
– There are a whole lot more F&B options + sheltered seating at the ends of the park. Don’t get stuck in the middle just because it’s the closest to the wave pool! Alternatively, we saw many people turning the floats that they rented into seats/beds that you can conveniently plop down anywhere.
Enjoy the park!
Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush
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