Guided Tour: Super Aqua Club

Super Aqua Club
Address: 322 Montée de la Baie, Pointe Calumet (view map)
Price: 54 inches and up: $34/day, 48″ to 53″ $25/day, 42″ to 47″ $21/day, 41″ and under, free.
Website: www.superaquaclub.com
Phone: 450-473-1013

One big thumb up, one little thumb down. That sums up our kids’ experiences at Super Aqua Club in Pointe Calumet.

While the almost 6-year-old couldn’t get enough of the mini water slides, our three-year-old declared a sudden opposition to water, and was not interested in trying much (except fries and ice cream) at this huge water park. Don’t you love “toddler moments”?

This was our first visit to Super Aqua Club, about 40 minutes from downtown Montreal, which is a premium destination in terms of facilities. When we pulled into the jammed parking lot, top 40 hits were blaring from the speakers and you could hear the screams coming from the towering water rides inside. Groups of families and teens lugging coolers were everywhere. The site has more than 20 water activities, including gigantic water slides, a wave pool, lazy river, Tarzan ropes for swinging into the water, and a beach. Everything looks clean, it’s easy to navigate and there are lots of large, shady picnic areas. It cost about $85 for our family (two adults, two kids) to get in, which ended up feeling pretty pricey considering that we made the rounds of the young children’s activities in about 2 hours.

Who’s the king of the castle?
Knowing that our kids wouldn’t be able to do most of the water rides, we headed for the activities designated for children 42 inches (1m 22) and under. There’s a mini castle area with a beautiful lagoon-style wading pool that has floating “islands” for the kids to sit and play on, dragon water fountains, as well as small water slides. The other highlight in this area is the “moat” where kids can sit in a small canoe and paddle around in an oval. This was the one activity that our three-year-old tried and liked. Close to the castle is the Myriam the Turtle pool, another wading area with small slides attached (including a really mini one for little guys). The row of child-sized beach chairs in this area is a nice touch. After son #1 got the water slides out of his system, we went to check out other activities for young kids.

Shipwrecks and pirates
The new Tempête, a shipwreck-themed climbing structure set in a wading pool with all kinds of slides, sprayers and tipping buckets, looked amazing but was too much for our guys. It was crawling with kids and they didn’t want to try it. There’s also the Île du pirate, a wading pool with some play equipment and a bucket overhead that fills with water and tips over. The bucket is immense, and so is the splash factor. Again, too intimidating. But, the lazy river – where kids can sit with parents on an inner tube and float down a closed route of water – was a hit. There are a few surprises along the way and it’s not actually all that lazy.

Heading for dry land
After a lunch break (the concessions sell only fast food, so I recommend bringing your own), we thought about hitting the beach, but couldn’t find any shade. With one kid tired and the other abstaining, we decided to head home, rather than redo the same activities. While  Super Aqua Club does have good facilities for young children, I would go back when both kids are older and able to participate in more of the park. Considering that admission here is not much less than it is at attractions like Parc Safari and Granby Zoo – both of which have their own water park areas – there’s more activity value for younger children at these other destinations.

Tips:

• Take advantage of lower admission costs in the afternoons. Prices go down at 3 p.m. and at 5 p.m.
• Swim diapers are required for children who aren’t toilet trained.
• Bring a stroller to help keep everyone together in crowded areas.
• Lockers are available for storing your stuff.
• There’s an express admission line if you pay in cash.

Have you been to Super Aqua Club? How was your experience?