10 Best Amusement Parks of India

IHR is unveiling a new series of informative articles this summer. To be termed as the “10 Best” Series it will showcase some of India’s best loved places, big and small, entertaining and learning across the four corners and beyond. These places would be based on actual experience on the basis of journeys undertaken by our researchers and writers.

Amusement Parks amuses kids and no less the elders. So we thought of starting our series with 10 Best Amusement Parks in India. At the outset we must clear that it is the fun quotient that will be the deciding factor.

Essel World and Water Kingdom, Mumbai IHR Rating: *****

The Essel World together with Water Kingdom is a water theme park of international class. Essel World is located at Gorai village few kilometers away from Mumbai city limits. This amusement center, spread over an area of 64 acres is claimed to be the largest in Asia. The journey to the park is equally exciting if you opt for a ferry ride from the Marve Beach.

Essel world in Mumbai

An assortment of rides makes kids and adults alike to go berserk. Some of the attractions include Ricki’s Rocking Alley, Arctic Circle the ice skating ring, Coin operated Game Arcade, the Convoy Truck, Rio Grande Train and a host of other attractions makes for a perfect break.

Shanku Water Park, Ahmedabad IHR Rating: ****

Shanku Water Park is just 60 km from Ahmedabad on the Mehsana Highway. Shanku Water Park is supposed to be the first of its kind in the country. This park has some amazing rides for the children that include towering slides, twisting rides, Aqua Tubes and rollicking wave pools. A beautiful lake with a crystal clear water and full fledged, fitness club and sports complex are the other attractions here. Children below 2 years are allowed free entry and for adults the tariff is Rs 160.

Veega Land, Kochi, IHR Rating: ***

Veega land located to the east of Kochi in god’s own country Kerala is just 24 kms from the city limits is an amusement park with excellent water sports facilities. The place is very picturesque as it is nestled against a verdant hillside. Attractions here include wet and dry, adventure rides, laser shows, musical fountains, virtual reality theater et al. kids below 90 cm in height are allowed free entry.

Snow World, Hyderabad IHR Rating: ***

Want to experience the snowfall of Kashmir or Switzerland in the scorching heat of the Deccan summer? The place to head straight is the Snow World. Located Lower Tank Bund Road in Hyderabad, the place is one helluva of a place that thrills kids and adults alike.

Snow World in Hyderabad

At temperature below zero degree centigrade visitors can look forward to a snow –filled fun holiday. So along with sliding and skating one can also indulge in throwing snowballs at each other. However, the snowfall the prime attraction here takes place for ten minutes in a session of every one-hour.

Worlds of Wonder, Noida IHR Rating: *****

Coming to our very own Noida, Worlds of Wonder amusement park located as part of the Great India Place, in front of the sector- 18 market is perfect for adventure seekers. We have no hesitation to say that it is the best amusement park in the national capital region(NCR) of Delhi. Spread over an area of 145 acres, the park has a gaming zone, open air cafeteria, rain dance music and more than 30 rides, including those for which you need some real nerves.

Worlds of Wonder Noida

The park has been segmented into three entertainment zones – for kids, teenagers and one for the families with own set of attractions. Children above 3 feet of height are allowed to take rides. For 3 rides the price is Rs 200 and Rs 400 for unlimited rides.

Baywatch, Kanyakumari IHR Rating: ****

Baywatch proves wrong the popular notion that Kanyakumari is all about pilgrimage and temple. High on the fun quotient Baywatch is located on the Kovalam Road just 2 km from the Bus Stand. Though it is the namesake of the famous TV serial featuring Pamela Anderson, but it has got absolutely nothing to do with it. It is the first Amusement park in India that has received ISO 9001:2000 certification. Apart from the usual rides what makes it stand apart is a Wax museum something of a first in India. The celebrities who have their wax models here include Mother Theresa, Manmohan Sigh, Tamil Nadu’s ex CM J. Jayalalitha, Saddam Hussein, superstars Amitab Bacchan, Rajanikanth, Mohan Lal etal. Kids below 90 cm are allowed free entry into this theme park.

MGM Dizzee World, Chennai IHR Rating: ****

MGM Dizzee World located on the East Coast Road (ECR) in Chennai, is a good place to visit for young and olds alike. The park has all the ingredients for a fun filled day. The usual rides include the Roller Coaster, Flying ship, Flying Train. Musical shows in the evening, artificial Wave Pool, amphitheatre and an artificial water falls called as Chinna Kutrallam draws huge crowd here.

Wonder La, Bangalore IHR Rating: ***

Wonder La is located on the Bangalore- Mysore Highway just 30 kms from Bangalore city near Bidadi. The park may not be that5 big but scores on the cleanliness and maintenance front. It provides enough entertainment for the whole family to keep them engaged for the whole day. Water slides, Crazy cars, Termite Coaster, Kiddies Wheel, Mini Express, Toon Tango are some of the rides to look forward to. Kids below 90 cm are allowed free entry.

Ocean Park, Hyderabad IHR Rating: ***

Ocean Park is located at Gandipet near Osman Sagar Lake just 20 km. from Hyderabad. The amusement park spread over a 20 acres of landscaped garden is divided into different sections. In the section for kids there is a wading pool and fountain along with other rides.

For the adults, apart from some really thrilling rides, water slides are also aplenty. A swimming pool and facility for Jet skiing is also available. For the entry tickets, Children above 4 feet five inches height are charged the same as that of adults.

Fun and food Village,Gurgaon IHR Rating: ***

Fun N Food Village is an amusement park for all age groups. It is located just 3 kilometers from the international airport on the Old Delhi – Gurgaon Highway. Special attractions include a large wave pool, indoor Snow Park, amusement rides, water slides etal. Children, when accompanied by adult below the height of 33 inches is granted free entry to the park and Senior citizens( above 65 years of age) are granted some special privileges.

Slumdog Millionaire: Nothing Succeeds like Success

Jai Ho to all the fellow Indians inhabiting the planet earth or wherever in the universe, History was created last night at the Kodak theater of Hollywood when Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Oscars out of a total 9 categories on which it was nominated at the 81st Academy Awards. This included among others the best film and best director along with two for A.R.Rahman’s magical score.

With this perhaps India has truly catapulted on the mainstream international film scene as it conquered the final frontier- the Oscars.

Rarely does a film have stirred the imagination of a whole nation as the Slumdog Millionaire. The film set on the slums of Mumbai is based on the book “Q & A” by a career diplomat Vikas Swarup is all about optimism. This is the optimism that keeps Mumbai and the rest of India going despite terror attacks, abject poverty, corrupt politicians et al.

The Slumdog story is not just not the story of one Jamal Malik, a 18 year old orphan from Mumbai it is also the story of underdogs, the skeptics and finally the sweet taste of success.It is also the coming of age of small town guys making it big. Resul Pookutty of Vilakupara village in the Kollam district of Kerala just 50 km from Trivandrum is now a hot celebrity having own the Oscar for Sound Mixing.

Taking cue from the success, IHR continues its foray into the Bollywood land with new destinations added everyday. Celebrating the triumph of the underdogs is a true salute to the indomitable spirit of the Slumdog Millionaire.

Celebrating the success of Slumdog Millionaire

The Year that was 2008: In Retrospect and Ahead

Please forgive me for writing this post quite a bit late and to be honest, in haste. As I am caught up in a lot of stuff that require my attention as and now I try to “peacefully” string up a few thoughts to put 2008 in perspective. Actually there are quite a few things to share about the year that was 2008.

The first thing that comes to mind is the Sales figure. As compared to 2007, we have registered almost double the sales. Considering the times we are in this is a remarkable feat! Surprisingly December, (Post 26/11) the fag end of the year was our best month that gave a boost to our sales.

Conversion of the leads is another area that has shown a tremendous progress. Our self made itineraries really caught on the attention of FITs (fully independent travelers). As a result conversion percentage is better and the numbers doubled.

Talking of Packages, there is a paradigm shift in the way they were organized. Better research, more budget hotels, and better places and voila! The results are just astonishing. We sold Kerala, like never before. Varkala, Bekal, Munnar, the Backwaters went on a spree. LTC packages for Port Blair and North East, a relatively late entrant (starting August) have also brought us as a significant player in these regions. We consolidated on our traditional stronghold of Bangalore and Chennai weekends, along with Honeymoon and Pilgrimage packages all showing an upward trend.

With 20 travel guides already live, Content is moving into new realm. Written from a budget traveler’s perspective the focus is on hot selling destinations. To encourage community participation there are options of photo uploads and comments on each page. The destinations virtually crisscross India with Katra, Corbett, Varkala, Manali etall. The year also marked the opening of our first retail outlet at Rawatbhata Kota on 26th October. Our travel voucher as a product has been established in the market.

Internally IndiaHotelReview.com – IHR has made quite a few structural changes, the UI of the site has been given a new look with more value additions. QnA with city experts and local guides has really taken off. Inspite of our limited branding through SEO, share of the market pie is getting better and bigger. Customer Support service is much organized now with transparency and increased level of customer friendliness. There is a drastic change from 2007 when we were just 1 year old.

Last but not the least the ambitious plan of Business development initiatives taken in 2008 harvested rich dividends. Not only we could get in the photographs of the hotel accommodation but it also helped in assessing the exact position and improving the communication with the hotel fraternity. This sums up our gains in 2008.

Looking ahead 2009

For the year ahead IHR plans to grow stronger and more focused. If 2008 was all about Sales & Community, 2009 could be the year of Community and sales in that order. Finally, you are as good as your team and that is what separates the boys from the men. Best Website of the year in pocket, Team IHR is the winner and that’s what I wanted this post to be all about.