Hello! It’s week 3 in Basel and we decided to make the most of another weekend by taking in the best of Basel at AquaBasilea.
Settling in Basel: Residency and Calling It Home
First things first, “settling in” is a relative term – I have no idea if it is time bound. A lot of ticks on our “settling in” list have been made over the past 3 weeks. Sometimes, I wonder if I can say – has it been just 3 weeks or has it been only 3 weeks? It seems like forever and then it also feels like a short period. I remain undecided.
We received our residency permits from the canton, we fixed a school and holiday programs for our little one and just recently we also decided on our apartment. Sometimes it just clicks, and it clicked for me and my husband the moment we stepped into the house we will live in.
Our new life, is sometimes hectic and sometimes a little dull – the lack of a social circle and the hustle bustle of office can do that. The amount of walking we do here on a daily basis, is sometimes unbelievable. The quote I have for this, “In Basel, nothing ever comes to your doorstep – not even a pizza” while in India, especially the times where we are in – everything from grocery to telescopes are delivered at your doorstep. While the weather is sunny and pleasant nowadays, I wonder what will happen especially since “Winter is coming!”
Spending Sundays At AquaBasilea
The last weekend was my husband’s 40th, a milestone birthday was here. While all his “men will be men” trips had gone bust, we spent some part of it buying furniture for the new house in Ikea and some splashing around in AquaBasilea.
I am going to do a whole series on setting up the house, my visits to Ikea and other stores – but I am parking that topic for now mostly because that story is in progress.
Fast Facts: AquaBasilea
We had heard great things about the resort from friends and online reviews. It was described as the perfect entertainment spot for families. It is definitely meant for a couple of hours for the whole family – the water world section.
Where? AquaBasilea is located in Pratlin next to the Mariott Courtyard.
Getting there – You can reach there by train, tram and car. Train is obviously much faster than the tram, you can take an S1/S3 from Basel SBB or tram 14 from various other locations. The part that is difficult, is the 14 minute or 1km walk from the station to the property. I believe there are some buses that take you there, but we couldn’t find them – so in the scorching heat of 34 degrees (Yes in Switzerland) we walked both sides. <<I am still not losing weight! Argh!!>>
Entertainment packages at AquaBasilea: There are different packages that families can take, 2 hour, 4 hour or the whole day – these are extendible in case you go crazy inside. We took the 2 hour package since we had reached there mid afternoon.
There is a green re-usable watch that is handed over to you, which becomes your access to almost everything inside – lockers, food and the rides. The bill for all the additional expenses is settled at the time of exit.
There are packages which include the spa services, hamam and the sauna – but since the children aren’t allowed inside the hamam and the sauna, so we skipped it.
Inside Aquabasilea: Slides and Pools
I cannot talk to much about the other services but I am sure they are great, in fact they are considered the best in class in Basel. The water world consists of 3 main areas – pool services with a variety of jets along with one ride in the first part, pool services with a whirlpool located outside and another area which has the water activities – toddler pools and fountain, wave pool, and all the slides. The slides have different difficulty levels – the yellow one is as close to a free fall as it could get. The orange one is probably the easiest one, and we all went on it together. My daughter, Niyati is slowly turning into an adrenaline junkie. Hopefully she gets there, one day at a time.
Since it was a Sunday, the pools were crowded. There are swarms of children and families so it maybe even difficult to find a nook to practise a breaststroke.
Food at AquaBasilea
The service was nil, and the guy at the counter didn’t seem very happy to see Indians. PS: We really judge restaurants on the basis of service. And picking up trays is not a common practise in Indian restaurants. While my above statement might sound a bit pompous, a DIY culture is new to each and every Indian who newly moves to the western world.
We order our usuals: chicken nuggets, burger, fries and coke, and it was below average. The food was disappointing, even probably cuz it was late by the time we got to eating.
Overall Experience
Despite the food, I will recommend it for families in Basel or travellers with children. For us, it really makes sense to make the most of their facilities (including the hamam spa) plus the children really enjoy themselves here. I look forward to taking a membership for 3 months.
Bookings
For more information please visit their website – it gives you the price lists, explains the facilities and you can also make online bookings.
All images are from Aquabasilea’s website (no phones and cameras allowed).
Also don’t forget to carry sunscreen, bodywash and towels (like we will next time). Thanks for reading!