Puuhamaa, Tavastia Proper, Finland

3Jouk_L 5:00 PM Aug 16, 2015

Affordable, whole day play and water park for kids. Chilly water, worn equipment. Still worth considering!
Kids like this place: They don't pay attention to unpleasant details, and most of them tolerate cold water... Reserve the whole day (10 A.M. to 5 P.M), too short time causes unhappiness. I believe that the pros of this site are mentioned in other TripAdvisor reports, so that I can concentrate in cons... The park is very large (in Finnish scale...), and there's a plenty of equipment and pools (water slides, tubes etc.). However, water in pools is chilly, in some pools even chiller than in others. I had (unintentionally) a thermometer with me, so I could get actual measures and not just feelings: The lowest water temp was 22°C (72°F) and highest 24°C (75°F). Rest were in between... Well, 22°C is just unacceptable for enjoying. The absolute minimum (in my standards) would be 24°C, 26°C would be very nice and 28°C would be luxury. Here in Finland we have even public swimming halls (fee: 3-6€ for anyone) which have that 28°C! So, If you're for pleasant water temp enabling you to enjoy for hours, this may not be your place. The place was built some 20 years ago, and it must have been like a paradise back then. However, there has been minimum maintenance or no maintenance at all, and the result can be seen. Don't take me wrong, I don't want to be negative, but I don't think any commercial amusement park in western welfare country should look like this. My photos are kind of a horror collection of the worst details, so they don't give you a fair general view of this place. But in the end of the day, none of the photos are manipulated... The mini golf course is one the rare items in this park which would suit for adults, but its condition didn't tempt for a family tournament. The photos tell it all. There are so many lacks in Puuhamaa, that I'm not sure if they are interested in customer satisfaction at all. Let me list: - There were no clocks in the water park. In water park people don't carry watches or mobile phones with them, so they can't know what time it is. Especially near the closing time the importance of current time will emphasized. - You don't find fresh paint. You find rusty details. - A single-rail moon machine were out of order (see picture, a yellow car with two moons), preventing also the other car to move (same rail...). I'm 100% sure it was due to lack of maintenance. There were no "out-of-order" -sign, so that all the people went there, tried to move the car and disappointed. I wouldn't call this customer orientation... - The shower room were like from a cattle farm: There were a plenty or cracked tiles, and the automatic taps didn't deliver right temperature water (thermostats not working properly). In ladies side the water were almost dangerously hot. And this place is for kids! - The lockers in water park dressing room work with 2€ coin only. This wasn't informed in entrance, where it would have been the most natural place to change money. No right coin: problems, frustration and disappointment. - There were no water temperature info tables in water park. Well, you can live without them, but having them would have been good service. - They website isn't working: Clicking a link in English site may open a Finnish page. Also they opening hours were next to impossible to find, they were hidden behind "Tickets" topic (not a logical place). When I informed them about this, they made a change very fast. (Yet they didn't reward me with a ticket or two, which I think would have been reasonable. Now I don't feel like my trouble were appreciated). In places like this, you don't usually get affordable food or drink. Puuhamaa made no exception... However, there should still be some minimum level... We had a lunch in some buffet. The level of food was standard lunch restaurant, the price was double. The interior were like from some institute (school, hospital) restaurant. And - there were disposable tableware! All that said, I didn't find any lack-of-maintenance related safety issues there (except too hot water in showers).

3Justus2000 5:00 PM Jul 28, 2013

Puuhamaa
It's cheap admission, but otherwise what you want to eat, it is expensive. By you own food, it.s acceptable. Everything in the area, start to be decrepit.