Aqua parks, swimming and paddling pools

Meander Park Swim Centre at Orawice Just over the border, in Slovakia, on the slopes of the Tatra Mountains, a Polish group opened Meander Park Thermal Baths just over 4 years ago. The centre is still being enlarged, although the works going on don’t disturb bathers at all: this is a marvelous swim centre with 6 or more pools of naturally hot thermal mineral waters from the underground sea under the Tatras. Indoor and outdoor, massage jets, water massage beds and seats, sunbathing, wave pool, children’s pools and a huge flume slide, a day at Meander Park will be a family favourite. You can also book a full or part body massage with the fitness instructors at the centre. Our driver will take you there – a 45 minute trip from Raba Wyzna, with a stop in Chocholow wooden village if you wish - and either wait while you enjoy a 3 hour session, or leave you for the whole day, returning to collect you all at the end of the day. The centre opens at 09.00am and closes at 21.00pm. There is a poolside café, a restaurant, a bar, a snack bar. Orawice is on the edge of the National Park: before or after your swim session, you can take a peaceful car free walk up into the trees and enjoy the silence. Or take the chair lift up into the hills and enjoy the view of the mountains around you. The restaurant is outside the pool area: you can enjoy and evening meal there if you wish. We charge 250zl between 2-6 people for the 2 way trip. An all day ticket to the Centre costs 17€ adults, 12€ 7-14, f.o.c. 6 and under. In the winter, the ski slopes beside the swim centre have chair lifts and great slopes, for a variety of levels of experience. For big groups of 7 or more, spending the whole day here, we leave the Zafira in the car park and leave you the keys so you have a place to store ski/swim gear when not in use. Swim: http://www.meanderpark.com/PL/page.php Ski: http://www.meanderski.com/PL/page.php
	Bukowina Tatrzanska Thermal Baths A great family day out but you must go early to avoid a long entry queue. Built on a slope just east of Zakopane, in and facing the Tatra Mountains, this swim centre is a feat of architectural engineering, with the waters supplied from the great volcanic underground sea, under the Tatras. http://www.termabukowina.pl/en/home.html . Naturally hot therapeutic mineral water, slides, a lovely selection of pools for small children in their own area, a good café, massage and fitness centre, and about 15 different pools make this a recommended day out. One draw back – lots of wet steps so best to bring children some non-slip poolside footwear. We’ll charge 120zl to take you all there, between 2-6 people in the car, and fetch you at the end of your day. All day pass: 85zl adults, 58zl children. Price may go up in the summer but it's well worth it.
At Raba 500 playing with the local children Our younger guests love spending the day at home, and there's no need to pay to travel anywhere. Just being here around Raba 500 is a holiday for children. There are about 15 children, aged 2 to 16 living around Raba 500. The children play outside spring through autumn, and run from garden to garden with a freedom that is refreshing to see. Most homes have pets or farm animals: the children will see chickens, geese, turkeys, (many of which roam free in the lane) sheep, goats, rabbits, cows, horses, dogs, cats, hamsters, fish and, in the forest above Raba Wyzna, wild deer. Your children are sure to be invited into neighbouring children’s homes and are welcome to reciprocate as all the local children know that our door is always open to them. They may want to join the children helping their parents in the fields beside each house, raking hay, and then riding down to the farm on top of the horse drawn cart full of hay. In our garden, we have a climbing frame and slide, paddling pool, play house, swing and sand-pit and loads of out-door toys. In the evening, the children can host their own BBQ, inviting their local new friends round to cook sausages over a small fire. Our daughter will accompany them to the shops to buy supplies. Summer holiday evenings, June 21^st to 1^st September, usually find all the local children playing some sort of mass game until darkness sends them inside to bed around 21.00. During school time, however, children are usually in bed around 19.00 as they start school at 07.45. In the winter, sledging groups gather and all our guest’s children are welcome to join in. We have 4 ‘apple’ sledges and 1 bigger traditional frame sledge for their use.
	Spytkowice Swimming Pool About 15 minutes drive away, at the base of the local ski slope, is the Beskid Hotel which has a public access indoor swimming pool, fitness centre and beauty treatment and massage facilities. Check out the website for details: http://www.narty.spytkowice.pl/index_html.php?p=page&t=zabiegiSPA and we’ll book you in for a treatment session and drop you and collect you later, free of charge.
Szaflary Thermal Baths Just south of Nowy Targ, 100m off the east side of the Zakopianka, the Thermal baths at Szaflary are fed from underground mineral water springs in the area. Indoor and outdoor, the pools are ideal for small children as there are a number of slides in the bigger indoor pool. An all day pass costs 50zl for over 7’s and adults. Under 7’s pay 2zl. You can either get the bus from Raba Wyzna, or the train, or our driver will take you, drop you off and collect you again at the end of your day: 30zl each way between 2-6 people. http://www.termypodhalanskie.pl/en
	WySPA Mszanka The WySPA Mszanka fitness centre at Mszana Dolna has a wonderfully equipped gym facility and a peaceful, child free swimming pool. No offence to children, but sometimes it’s nice just to float and enjoy relaxing sounds and lighting, without a flume or fountain in sight. Full treatment details are available on WySPA Mszaka's website, link given below. We can book you in, take you there and collect you at the end of your session: driver charges 30zl each way between 2 – 6 people. Or we'll find out the times of the buses and trains for you, so you can go it alone if you like. On a Tuesday, you can visit the market at Mszana Dolna in the morning then spend the afternoon at WySPA Mszanka. http://www.mszanka.tit.pl/index.php?name=Home&lev=1&path=/Home&lang=pl
Niedzica and Czorstyn castles Driving east through Nowy Targ and into the region called Pieniny, brings you alongside Lake Czorstyn which in summer mornings often has a magical mist rising from it, so photographers take your cameras. You can visit Czorstyn Castle, a mediaeval gem of a place, then drive on across the dam bridge where the Dunajec river carries on east past the lake, and visit Niedzica Castle which was inhabited by the last family owners until the 2^nd World War and includes a torture chamber which children will love to view. Walk down to the lakeside and take a boat trip around the lake, then swim and sunbath on the lakeside beach. There’s a nice café above the beach, or take a picnic with you, so you can enjoy a full day out for 350zl for 2 – 6 people.
	Rabka Zdroj open air swimming pool At Rabka Zdroj, the next town 10 minutes drive away, is the open-air swimming pool, open between June and September. There is the big pool and a baby pool with little slide, lots of grassy area around for sun bathing, changing rooms and toilets and a sand base volley ball court. Snacks, drinks and ice cream are available and sometimes, they offer grilled snacks, but we usually take our own picnic. All day entrance fee is 14zl for adults, 7zl under 14’s for an all day pass. We don’t charge to take you and fetch you, or you can come and go by bus. We supply big towels and have a variety of inflatable pool toys.
u Bogdalu BBQ and farm fun My best friend and neighbour, Krystyna Bogdal, lives with her family across the road from us. Their small farm is a regular venue for fun and games! You and your children can learn to milk a cow and then have the milk you milked with cereals for breakfast next morning. The family will put on a BBQ for you, and you can wander around, meet the horses and the bull, the dogs and wild cats and dance in the grass to local Goralskie music. In summer, a paddling pool is ready for children and adults alike. A very ‘real’ experience, and adults should not expect to come home sober. No transport charge of course, even if we have to drive you home (!). A very full afternoon or evening, with snacks, BBQ, drinks etc. costing 50zl each. Another ‘to go where no other tourist group has been before’ experience.
	In the garden at Raba 500 The garden at Raba 500 covers some 2000m sq, all safely fenced and gated so even small children can run out and play anytime. We have a splash pool, play house, climbing frame and slide, sand-pit and swing and a wide variety of out door games and toys, bike, skate board, roller blades and so on. You can host your own BBQ if you wish – the ladies at the local butchers will be delighted to help you choose your sausages. Sun shines most days throughout the summer: sun bathe or sit in the shade of the apple tree, sit in the pool with a cold beer, or under the sunshade at the bar with an iced drink: you don’t need to go anywhere for the day when you stay at Raba 500.
Zakopane pod Skoki childrens play area On the south side of Zakopane, through the centre and up, under the ski jumping centre at the base of the Tatras, is a marvellous play area for children. About 10 huge inflatable bouncy castles, slides and ball parks (10zl per child all day), a shallow pool with floating inflated balls that you get climb into and then try and run – bit like a hamster ball on water - 5zl for 15 minutes. There are bars and cafes and it’s a great place to site and watch the children play. You can travel to Zakopane either by train at 09.58, return 17.33, cost 10zl return, or our driver can take you, 50zl each way between 2-6 people.
	Ride the flumes at Zakopane Aqua Park You can travel to Zakopane either by train at 09.58, return 17.33, cost 10zl return, or our driver can take you, 50zl each way between 2-6 people. The Aqua Park is about 5 minutes walk up the hill from the station. Indoor and outdoor, slides, flumes, waves all sorts, the Aqua Park is a great day out even if it’s raining. The flumes (slide tubes) are amazing! For age 7 and up only, although a tall 6 year old can lie. Don't try them if you get vertigo! Not for the faint hearted. We supply you with extra towels. http://www.aquapark.zakopane.pl/ Adult all day ticket is 50zl, 4-13 30zl, 0-3 free entry although the area for small non swimmers is small and you'd be better taking toddlers to Bukowina Tatrzanska or Szaflary thermal baths. The train back to Raba Wyzna leaves Zakopane at 17.33.