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After reading all the advertising about the new excitement there is at the Splash and Fun park, I decided to take my family like the majority of the Maltese people do when there is a venue where we can take our children to enjoy themselves.
This day turned out to be a nightmare from the minute we stepped in. When we were asked to pay Lm6 per head for me and my husband, and Lm3.50 each for the children, I asked the cashier whether we would have the facility of a deck chair and an umbrella.
Obviously she assured me that the pool boys would see to that immediately. As soon as we entered the premises we couldn’t believe our eyes at the amount of people there where. It was like seeing a farm full of chickens all running on top of each other.
Naturally once we were in, the kids went running to begin their new adventure. A new adventure alright, but not for us parents in a place where one is forced to take care of the children.
After looking around for a deckchair and an umbrella for 30 minutes in the heat, with no pool boys around to be seen, I managed to get the attention of an attendant that was in charge just under the slides.
He ridiculously offered to give me and my husband a chair to sit right next to him under the water slides near where all the people go for the stairs to the rides.
Obviously after paying all that money we didn’t accept but had to settle with two deckchair cushions on the floor next to a very small rubbish bin overflowing near us. This was about 45 minutes after entering the premises.
After settling down as best we could I met some friends of ours who had arrived before us. I was very disgusted when one of my friends told me she had a slight injury and had to go to the first aid room and I quote her: “It was more like a pig sty than somewhere hygienic as it is supposed to be.”
She had hurt herself on one of the slides because the wedges are embossed, one woman even tore her swimsuit on them.
To top it all, there is no swimming pool where adults can go and cool down, the only pool there is available is the small one for the water slides in which one cannot relax and swim. Then there was this ‘lazy river.’ I can assure you that if you are trying to get a lazy day, this is not the place to be in.
Every body crowded and on top of each other in this so-called river, one cannot help but notice that, all the piping that holds the electrical wires is haphazardly exposed. Coming out of the tunnel, you can find the ‘beautiful view’ of a load of construction debris. A little bit of wind and you are completely blind.
And what about the food that is available at the restaurant? One isn’t supposed to take in any food or drink, but I can assure you that if I didn’t take something to eat for my kids, I would have kicked myself. To buy a hot dog you have to pay Lm1.30, and you can have something extra too: loads of flies on top.
While the advertising for the Splash and Fun states that the fun park is open ‘till late,’ when I had phoned I was told that closing time is 9pm, but at 7pm the rides were discontinued and everybody had to leave.
These people want to make money from us Maltese people. We are the tourists in Malta, because I can assure you nobody spends as much money as we do when we want to enjoy ourselves. But when we see that Maltese proprietors try to rip us off I can assure them that their business is in big trouble.
The least they could have done is tell us that the premises is full up, and we could have gone another day, but after about an hour of being there, I still couldn’t believe my eyes. A group of about 25 students came in looking for a deckchair as we did. They paid their Lm6 each too so felt entitled to deckchairs, but none were to be found. In conclusion may I add that such parks should provide adequate and appropriate facilities for their visitors should only be open to the public when construction is finished.
I felt as if we were being asked to finance the completion of an under construction ‘fun’ park.
Adriana Farrugia
San Gwann
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