If you really want to escape the cold grey winter, heading to a sunny beach somewhere in Egypt or Thailand would be ideal. But if you are stuck in Kyiv, not able to leave work, there is a wet option near the capital that may satisfy your summer dreaming.

Strip down to your bikini and enjoy a day of beach-like fun at an indoor water park located just 20 kilometers from Kyiv in the town of Brovary.

After a long year, construction of the Terminal water park was finally completed last November. Encompassing 20,500 square meters, it is the biggest indoor water park in Ukraine. Next in size is Kharkiv’s Jungle water park, a 14,000 square meter facility that was built three years ago.

Overall, there are seven indoor water parks in Ukraine. The first of them opened back in 1997 in the southern shipbuilding city of Mykolayiv. Since then, water parks have also popped up in Odesa, Kharkiv, Ternopil and Lviv. Although several water park projects were announced in Kyiv before, the capital of three-million plus residents still remained one of the few big Ukrainian cities that didn’t have its own water park family resort.

With the opening of Terminal, Kyivans now have the possibility to swim, slide and entertain themselves year round. If you don’t have a car, you can get to Brovary via a 20-30 minute marshrutka ride starting at Kyiv's Lisova metro station. There are also several free mashrutka rides each day to Terminal from Kyiv’s Bilshovyk shopping and entertainment center at Shulyavska metro station.

Terminal shopping and entertainment center, where the water park is located, also houses a 1,800 square meter sport ice rink called Ice Arena, the biggest indoor carting center in Ukraine, 24 bowling alleys, a four-screen Butterfly cinema, Brovar-Hof beer pub, Hyperboloid laser tag area, a child care room and a fitness center as well as a hotel.

Terminal occupies a separate three-storied building of 20,500 square meters and can admit 1,300 guests at any time. The parks attractions include: nine slides, five swimming pools, Jacuzzis, massage fountains, saunas, a children zone with slides, a bar in the water, a restaurant and fast food. It’s all encaged under a transparent roof which is removed in summer time allowing sunbathers to enjoy the sun.

Bring your own towel, slippers, bathing suit and shower soap. These are not offered for rent at the park, but you can buy them in a shop on the ground floor. Don’t bother to bring a hair dryer – there are plenty of them in the changing rooms.

Instead of an entrance ticket, you will be given a magnetic bracelet with Hr 500 credit on it. You can then use it to pay for a drink at the water bar, a meal, a sauna or other facilities on the territory of the park – all without having to carry your wallet with you. But make sure not to lose the bracelet or you’ll have to pay the Hr 600 fine. For kids, the fine is Hr 50, the same price you will have to pay for damaging the bracelet.

Despite the chill outside, the air temperature inside the park is always 30 degrees Celsius, regardless of the season. The entire facility is very clean. Should you accidently spill a glass of juice into the swimming pool, the water will be cleaned up in minutes due to a four-level water cleaning system.

The park is built up with equipment from Whitewaters – a Canadian brand of water attractions and slide parks. The slides are quite safe, but if not careful, you can still cut yourself on some of them. You should usually keep your head straight and not put it down when you slide on your belly. The local nurse said that Multislide and Space Whirl are the two slides where people get minor injuries most commonly.

Don’t hesitate to bring a child of any age to the water park. There is a special swimming pool for kids with inflated boats and a water playground with small slides.

If you feel exhausted after a few slides, go swim in the sea wave pool. The waves are artificially generated every half an hour for 10 minutes in a row. Or relax in a Jacuzzi or a chaise longue. At the water bar which is located in one of the swimming pools, you can order juice for Hr 25 or a beer from Hr 15. A full dinner can be ordered at the restaurant or at the fast food section on the second and third floors. Fast food prices are the same as in average Kyiv’s venues. By the way, an additional 40 minutes for visiting a restaurant is added to your paid time at the pool.

Finish off the day in the water park with a visit to a sauna of your choice: Finnish, Turkish or saline. The cost is already included in the ticket. There are separate saunas for men and women. On the third floor you’ll find paid sauna for both sexes. It costs Hr 2 per minute.

kyivpost.com