iplf Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 As always, whenever I book a citytrip or holiday, I look for rollercoasters in the area. This time, my destination was Bilbao and a little town in the Basque Country: Mutriku, where my friend is living for a year. I knew about a scenic railway coaster in San Sebastian, but didn’t think we would do the 80 minute train ride to get the credit. However, my friend told me it was a beautiful city, so we took the trip, and checked out the park, called Monte Igueldo. As expected, it didn’t really turn out to be a theme park, but more a collection of a few rides and some shops. However, I was VERY impressed by this little park! The view was breathtaking, the rollercoaster was pretty cool and it had probably the most scary log flume ever. Besides that, there were some kiddie rides and a few places to grab a snack or win some toys. Prices were very reasonable. I paid 2 euro for the rollercoaster, and I don’t think any rides were more than 3 euro. Seriously, if you’re in the area, this park is a must-do. It’ll only take you a few hours or less, but it’s a pretty cool experience. The view alone is worth the price for the cable ride up there. San Sebastian Bay. Who finds the 'ride' on the beach? Hint: Europe! The park is all the way up that left hill. Excited?! Now we're talking! Your hosts + the view from the mountain where the theme park is. Absolutely amazing! Crazy Log flume! No protection at all! Whoops, empty now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iplf Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 2nd part You can still see the border of the log flume here. Only use the first lane if you want to be pooped on by Coke-guy! This is where all the kiddie rides and snackbars are. Paying to catch a few balls... And then drop them again. Reminds me of baseball! Major bummer for the horsies, standing there with no shade or water... Super crowded and nicely themed bumper cars. Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 This town is on my sightseeing short list, but for the food, not the amusement park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iplf Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 Last part. If you need any specific pictures, feel free to ask. I have some more on my harddisk. I've been dreaming about riding an ugly blue-ish dragon since I was a kid! Surprising camelback right when the train left the station. Bumper duckies View from the lifthill Yay for lifthill nerds! Someone's afraid of the... Casa del terrorrrrr Not theme park-related at all, but finding this somewhere in Mutriku definitely surprised us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David H Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Without question, the coaster at Monte Igueldo has THE most spectacular view of any coaster I've ever been on. We had said that just a few days earlier at Tibidabo, where the coaster overlooks Barcelona. But Monte Igueldo knocks that one out of the water. On one side, you've got the long beautiful coastline far below with water breaking over the rocks. On the other side, you have the beautiful bay of San Sebastian with fortresses guarding the circular beach area. And in all other directions are mountains and forests. Anyone I show the pictures to is stunned. It's a nice little park, too. The coaster itself is fun, though not too wild, but again, it has the most spectacular views ever. It's the oldest coaster in Spain, and it's also unique in that it's neither a wood nor a steel coaster. It's built on concrete with concrete supports. Yes, there are metal rails on it, but there are also metal rails on wood coasters, too. So, it's my only "concrete coaster" credit. If Mitch starts up a concrete coaster poll, it should be an easy one to fill out! They also have some cute ducky bumper boats, which we had fun on, as well as a few smaller rides and games. The two dark rides were find of neat, too. They also have a historic tower you can go up to get even more amazing photos of the surrounding area. When I first saw the schedule of ACE's trip to Spain, I was wondering why were going SO far out of the way for just one coaster. Sure it was historic and all, but it's HOURS out of the way from anything else we were doing. Once we got there, I understood why Monte Igueldo is a must-visit park. And to top it off, they gave us a LAVISH meal,in their dining room, with breathtaking views. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I really want to go to this park. The coaster looks scenic and fun, and I love how it's the only non-wood ACE Coaster Classic. (That's totally not how I first discovered it...fine, yes it is.) Looks like some of the other attractions are also worth checking out! The flume ride looks scary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Without question, the coaster at Monte Igueldo has THE most spectacular view of any coaster I've ever been on. It's a fight to the death.... VS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David H Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Well, I did say the most spectacular view of any coaster *I* have been on! Plus, remember that the view on the other side of the bay and beach and fortresses is pretty spectacular too. But that's quite the view as well. Where is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 That's gotta be Ocean Park in Hong Kong. Man, I'd take the undeveloped pristine coastline over the condos any day, but that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David H Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 ^ Well, the view on the other side isn't at all undeveloped or pristine, for better or for worse. Still, it's pretty spectacular as well. You can see some of it in the 3rd, 5th and 6th pictures above. It can be hard to get a good picture of the entire bay on that side, though. And don't forget the view at the base of the lift hill of the rubber ducky bumper boats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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