22 November 2023 , 12:31
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A Turkish theme park packed with rides has been called the country's answer to Disneyland.
The Land of Legends Kingdom is a sprawling zone of roller-coasters, multiple waterparks, shopping parades and arcade games located in the popular tourist region of Antalya, in the south west of the country.
It is Turkey's largest entertainment and leisure park and is built around a number of hotels, meaning families can book themselves an all-inclusive package that sorts out rooms, food and rides for from £100 per person, per day.
The theme park is divided into two separate zones - 'Adventure Land' and 'Masha and Bear Land of Laughter'. The former is filled with the bigger, more thrilling rides aimed at an older or more dare-devil audience.
One of the big attractions is the Hyper Coaster that whizzes riders to 203ft high at a speed of 71mph. Another is the Galeon, which takes 40 guests sitting in a line and spins them in multiple different directions above a bed of water and firing fountains.
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The resort has an impressive 5/5 on Tripadvisor (Loveholidays)Masha and Bear Land of Laughter is much more aimed at families with young kids, specialising as it does in gentler rides suitable for all ages, including a mini Ferris wheel and dinky roller coasters. The zone is themed in tribute to the Russian kid's TV hit Masha and the Bear, but it seems like the kind of accessible fun that works cross-culture.
The two waterparks at Land of Legends Kingdom, Aqua Land and Tropic Lagoon, have more than 70 waterslides between them. The former is the home to the fastest, most radical liquid-lined shoots such as Windstream and Deep Dive. Tropical Lagoon is better for riders of a gentler disposition or those who simply like to relax in the wave pool or lazy floats.
The only exception is the Turtle Coaster, one of the long waterslides in the world which takes riders along a 457-meter track, with groups of four able to fit in a boat at any given time.
There are some great deals to be had at the hotels in Land of Legends Kingdom, which has a spa and the world's biggest children's bar and playground, as well as plenty of shops. The cheapest price for a seven-day stay in April - when the water parks open until October - is £804 per person.
The theme park is very highly rated on Tripadvisor, where it scores 5/5 from more than 5,000 reviews and has been likened to a Turkish Disneyland.
"Put simply, If you have kids or teenagers, this place is fantastic. We went for a week at the beginning of Nov, it was quiet, enough kids still about for our daughter to play with but there were no queues for anything and it was bliss," one happy customer wrote. However, they did urge people to check when they're booking, to avoid overlapping with Turkish school holidays when the park becomes much busier.
Another added: "We stayed in the legends for eight nights in November. I have to say that the first impression of the hotel is amazing. Very spectacular, clean and child friendly. I never stay in the same hotel twice as I want to explore new places, but will definitely be back to the Legends next year."