Zoomarine - A Theme Park of Aquamarine Prison (Zoomarine (Guia, Albufeira))

Member Name: Carysb

Product:	Zoomarine (Guia, Albufeira)
Date:	28/07/09 (149 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Shows, Pools, Rides, Food

Disadvantages: Animals in confined spaces

On the information leaflet given to us by our holiday rep in the Algarve was an offer to go on the Zoomarine excursion. Loving all forms of sea life (from a distance) I was immediately planning what day would be best to go. We decided on Wednesday and promptly found our rep to book our trip.

Booking & The Journey based on 2008 prices

Our ticket voucher cost Euro27 each so Euro55 in total paid to our rep who rang through our booking confirmation. We were to catch the coach at 10.30am from the bus stop outside the 5* hotel next door. This we did and the bus drove straight past us with the driver waving dismissively in our direction as we stood dismayed and angered at the roadside. It took us 5 minutes to decide we would return to the complex and complain to our rep. 2minutes into our journey back and I learnt that my legs could still run extremely fast as I found myself crossing the road and flagging down a Zoomarine coach. Puffing and panting after my monthly exercise our voucher was accepted and we settled back into our seats. It would seem that when bus number 1 is full, but number 2 completes the next leg of the pickups, something we were not told about and something to definitely bear in mind if you ever find yourself in the same situation.

We stopped at several other pickup points en route to our destination and on arrival we were informed that the return journey would commence at 5pm; it was only 11.15am when we arrived!

On Arrival

Not to be deterred by the 5.45 hours ahead we entered the Zoomarine accepted a map and declined having our photograph taken as soon as we walked through the archway - an offer extended to all customers.
It's important to mention that the staff were very efficient on the gates and there was no queue for entry. Our tickets were scanned and accepted quickly and quietly and we were waved through the turnstiles.

Whats On?

Our first attraction was the dolphin show. I am constantly amazed at the ability of dolphins to do "tricks" and in this case nose a ball directly at my forehead which narrowly missed me as I ducked out of the way. The dolphin show lasted approximately 30minutes and incorporated 7 dolphins, 1 whole family and 3 trainers. It was amazing to see the relationship between trainer and mammal. The dolphins were trained to play games, rescue humans and also interact safely with children and the display gave an insight into each of these skills. There is an opportunity to swim with the dolphins, it costs Euro145 and was beyond my budget but you can book this at the dolphin information office on the day or I believe in advance. Next we went on a Viking boat, the kind that swings and also a big wheel which overlooks the whole park and the building site next door. We then wandered around the areas containing alligators, crocodiles, tortoises, terrapins, various ducks, swans and fish (obviously all in separate enclosures). The animal areas are all open top enclosures with signs telling you not to place your hands over the wires and into the enclosures. We then saw the Aquarium which wasn't as grand as I was expecting. It is a walk through building with various fish and crabs etc in the walls (in tanks). We saw many species of terrapins, fish, crab, sea life and then wandered around the edge of a leaking tank holding wray fish, turtles, sharks and fish. It was a tiny space compared to the size of the two sharks it was home to and the amount of sea life it also housed. I was genuinely upset at how enclosed they were and it wasn't a good example to children as the sharks looked resigned to a life of floating backwards and forwards, because swimming at any speed would be impossible due to the lack of room available to them. As we exited the Aquarium we entered the merchandise shop, a ploy to encourage you to buy soft toys and key rings after being hassled by your children.

Our next exhibition was a seal and sea lion show which would have been 100% better without the human pantomime. Performance, aimed more at children and less appreciated by adults, however it once again displayed the ability of these animals to interact with humans. This show lasted approximately 20minutes but was nowhere near as good as the dolphins which was factual as well as impressive. I cannot forget to mention the mute clown who introduced both shows. He looked a bit like Mika (the singer) with a clown's nose and put on a mini comedy show, inviting one or two guests from the audience to interact in his sketches and raising the audience as a support act does at a gig. Again directed more at the kids in the crown but received laughs from all ages.

Okay so with a bit of wandering in between we managed to wind the clock to 2.20pm then we began to wonder how we were going to fill the next 2 hours and 40minutes. We went to the 4D cinema; shows ran every 30minutes from opening till close. The show staff give you silly glasses and guide you into the auditorium. On sitting you are presented with a 15minute educational film based on the effects global warming and deforestation have on the animals. We saw polar bears watching the ice melt, turtles watching fish be swept away in nets and monkeys falling from chopped trees with a panda at the bottom of the forest suffering the consequences. It was very good and very very clever. I would definitely recommend going to see this 4D show with or without your kids. Either way the whole family will enjoy it and get a lot from it.

The clock now read 3.15pm (we ate in-between) and decided to look for the birds of prey and exotic birds. We found some parrots. We missed the bird shows and I guess they go into hiding when they are not being shown off, otherwise they had flown away as there was no sight of them anywhere.....3.45pm. Now seriously bored and having seen everything the Zoomarine had to offer we went to the games room to waste our Euros. The games room had 3 out of order games and 3 that worked plus some pool and hockey tables; a very big space for a minimal amount of entertainment. There was a staff member seated at a desk ready to change money and remove any unruly teenagers, but otherwise it was a dull games room with no atmosphere. By 4pm we had shopped. There are 2 smaller gift shops and a larger one with general Zoomarine memorabilia on offer as well as tat. 4 eateries are dotted around the park and I would avoid lunchtimes as the queue was massive with just 1 till open at each outlet and very few members of staff around to serve the large number of hungry tummies. On offer were burgers, salads, and pasta, sandwiches and kids meals like the kind you get in McDonalds, all reasonably priced. There are also 2 bars and various ice-cream stands scattered around in convenient places. There is a large food hall to sit in and devour your meal but we chose to sit outside on a grassy patch near the swimming pool.

The park offers 2 swimming pools and lush grassy area, there is also a water ride that was rather large and that I avoided like the plague, however unless you went looking for it you would think it wasn't associated with the complex as it was only accessible by a long path and badly signposted. Other attractions included a carousel, log flume and kids train, a rehabilitation centre which you cannot access and seemed a bit pointless signposting as all you can see is signs with each animal's vital statistics on them.

Overall Opinion

The Zoomarine is a lovely place but I do feel that by the time 5pm came around we were bored and could have left at 3pm quite happily. The park wasn't exactly busy, though it wasn't quiet either and everybody appeared to be a holiday maker or not local. Despite how lovely the place is I was very disappointed by the lack of space the marine life had in their enclosures. There was a sea cow in a very small confined space with little room to move let alone swim around happily; it saddens me that these mammals are not considered important enough to be given a large living area where they feel more in their natural habitat rather than just an object to be watched by onlookers.


Cost

Prices without a rep excursion voucher are:
Euro14 Children (5-10)
Euro23 Adults (11-64)
Euro14 OAPS (>65)

Opening Times
The Zoomarine opens between:
10-6pm - 17/3/08 - 22/6/08
10-7.30pm - 23/6/08 - 5/9/08
10-6pm - 6/9/08 - 31/10/08

It does say open all year round, but other times were unavailable on the leaflet. Zoomarine is situated in Guia, Algarve approximately 20minutes from Albufeira where we were staying.

The Shows
Dolphin shows happen at 11.45am and 3.15pm (30minutes each)
Seal and Sea Lion shows happen at 1.45pm and 4.30pm (30minutes each)
Tropical bird shows happen at 12.45pm and 5.30pm (25minutes each)
Birds of prey shows happen at 10.30am and 2.30pm (20minutes each)
Cinema 4D starts at 12.30pm - 5pm (every 30minutes all day)
Conscience exhibition - 10.15am / 1.15pm and 4pm (45minutes each) - we didn't see this.

Aquarium opens at 10.30am - 1pm and again from 2.30pm - 5pm

What Else?
For the kids are toy cars with handles to be pushed around in and there is a first aid base near the games room for any emergencies.
If you are a fan of Zoo's and Large mammals, then it's worth a look around, give yourself enough time but do not stay too long it's not the biggest park in the world. Also if you do find yourself upset by animals in confined spaces I would suggest you go elsewhere. It is for this reason I doubt we would return to the park. The care and relationships between staff and animals was fantastic but the space just wasn't big enough for them and that's quite sad when there was no attempt made to adapt their surroundings to what they would experience in reality.

Also on Ciao as Carysb

Summary: Zoomarine in Portugal