7. BATTLE THE TEMPLO DEL FUEGO
park, and not advisable after a taco lunch. You’ll get a good view of the resort on the way up, but don’t expect to see anything on the way down, as it takes just three seconds.
THIS is one of the 40 shows you can catch across the parks, from Wild West shooting stunts, to Polynesian dancing.
In the Templo, which is set inside a replica Mayan pyramid, you’ll follow an explorer through a series of challenges and dodge shooting flames and unexpected explosions.
8. HURTLE DOWN A TIN MINE
A FIRM family favourite is the runway mine train called El Diablo. With just enough thrills to keep the kids happy without terrifying mum, the Express passes mean we repeat this several times in a row, and then a few more times, just to make sure we haven’t missed any of the sharp corners.
9. RACE IN A STAMPEDE
ONE of the first rides built in the park more than 20 years ago, Stampida has two click-clack big dippers that ‘race’
EMILY SHELLEY
each other. Pick a side – red or blue – and prepare to have your bones shaken as you fly over the giant wooden construction. Sometimes blue wins and sometimes red wins, but whether by design or chance, we never find out.
When you emerge, there are a host of US county fair-style attractions to play on, or you can catch a can-can show.
10. GET WET WITHOUT GETTING COLD
ALONG with the Caribe Aqua Park, there are several ‘wet’ rides in the main park: Grand Canyon Rapids, the Silver River Flume, and the water-shooting Angkor river ride, not to mention the Tutuki Splash ride through a volcano.
That’s when the Spanish sunshine comes into its own, as for the first time ever, it’s actually quite a relief to cool down on one of these things.
Even better, bring your swimming costume and head to the resort’s Caribe Aquatic Park. It has the tallest water slide in Europe: the King Khajuna. There’s a white sand lagoon where you can get your adrenaline levels back to normal on a sun lounger.