WITH swimming pools for adults, kiddie pools, a beautiful garden that’s perfect for selfies, restaurants, water slides and a new wave pool, the water park inside Battambang town’s Happiness Centre is a great way to beat the heat.

The park is more than just fun. It’s also eco-conscious, with decorations made from recycled materials.

Sorn Sok Khan Nha, 24, the general manager of the water park, says: “We have a lot of activities for children and adults, swimming pools, a park for taking photos, two big bungalows to relax in, an artificial mountain covered by natural forest and a replica of Angkor Wat.

“We recycled bottles to make a fence. We used old tyres and inner tubes to create sculptures of animals, motorbikes and an Angkor Wat. We did this as we are conscious of the need to protect the environment.

“The park also has venues for wedding receptions, and the guests’ used beverage bottles end up as part of the design for the fence.”

Happiness Centre opened two years ago with just one swimming pool, she said.

“Since then, we have added more pools, a waterslide for children and during last year’s Pchum Ben festival, we opened an artificial wave pool,” Khan Nha said. A canal for boat rides is also in the works.

It’s an affordable family outing, as well, she says. For adults and children over 1.4 metres tall, the entry fee to the water park is $3. For children 1.39 metres and under it’s just and $2. For those who want to just take photos of the gardens, entry is 2,000 riel ($0.50), and there is a 5,000 riel charge for each car.

The park receives 300 to 400 guests per day on the weekend and public holidays, she said. But despite its popularity, it doesn’t intend to raise prices for food and drinks that can be found throughout the park.

“Don’t worry, tourists won’t be saying that the food and drinks are expensive,” Khan Nha jokes.

The Happiness Centre is open from 10am to 7pm daily. It is located in Sala Balat village, O’mal commune in Battambang town, about 800 meters north of the Neang Rosay Sak roundabout.