Hi,We went to the crocodile park last april,it was good for the children who were able to hold a baby crocodile and the talk from the keeper was very interesting.I would say it is proberbly a half day trip rather than a full day and we combined it with a walk around Torremolinos which was about 15 mins away from the crocodile park.It costs 8.50 euros for adults,6 euros for children from 4-12 and was free for children under 4.I have a leaflet that we picked up from them when we went last year which i would be happy to photocopy and send to you if you want to PM me with your address.

It coat 8.50 euros for adults,6 euros for children from 4-12 and was free for children under 4

Prices have gone up slightly now and it is best to get a taxi up there from the Hotel Bali.....possibly walk back into Torremolinos and spend some time there, depending on age of persons.
Try this site. The croc park is situated next to the Aqua park, so that is another option to visit as well.
http://www.crocodile-park.com/eng/index.html

Besos xxxx
sanji

Hi
I went there with 2 children and it was an excellent afternoon. A taxi from the town centre is a good idea,we caught a bus from Benalmadena , had lunch then tried to walk but it was too far for the youngest.
I was brave enough to hold a baby croc myself!!
Lally

go on a thursday as the market is on next door too, as you only need a few hours in each. the crocodile park is good fun in the summer when the crocs are in the pools, but make sure you see the tour.

plus make sure you see the 80 year old beast, the closest thing you will see to a living dinosaur.

Hi, we visited the Croc park in May 05 and really enjoyed it. We were also staying at the Bali and took a taxi there. We walked back in to Torremolinos, our little boy was only 4 then and he managed it but it is quite a way. I wouldn't bother getting the tickets off the reps, they tell you that you can beat the queues with pre paid tickets and save you all of 50 cents but we declined and there weren't any queues also managed to get our son in free by pretending that he was only 3 a bit naughty I know but well what the heck if it saves you money, if we'd have booked at the hotel we would have had to pay for him as they knew his age. We also all held a baby croc but what Lallygirl omitted to tell was that they have their mouth taped up.
The old croc that's about 80 doesn't hardly have any teeth left so poses little threat, the others are pretty scary though.The guide was really informative and it was a great half day out. If we went again, we would probably make a day of it and go to the water park next door too.

Sue

I would always buy my ticket from the rep. Yes, you can beat the queues and generally they are the same price as the parks themselves, but a lot of places don't have the greatest English speakers and you can buy a ticket from a rep and then just walk straight into the park without having to blag your child anyway.

Plus, the reps earn commission from sales and they don't earn an awful lot of money.

I would never buy my ticket from a rep, they are in business to push these excursions and make commission as you rightly say, but I don`t go on holiday to make their wages up and I would prefer them spending more of their time by being present in the hotels, to sort out customer complaints, instead of being absent and leaving a telephone number.

but a lot of places don't have the greatest English speakers

I might have agreed with that quote 25/30 years ago, but the Spanish Costas have been "doing" tourism for over 40 years and English is now taught in schools....only if you go deep into Andalucia and off the tourist path will you encounter a language problem these days....that`s the same throughout Spain......just a note: they may not speak English, but I can assure you that they understand it.
In all my years of going to Spain, I have always found outside independant companies, selling excursions and tickets for venues cheaper than the reps....and far better value for money.

besos xxx
Sanji

oh Sue my secrets out!! They did wriggle though
The funniest thing was when we walked round after the tour and they have some models of crocs on the floor ....should have seen my 2 jump

Of course you can find cheaper options, but what you don't know is the massive amount of work that goes on by the 4 largest tour operators to ensure that these excursions are as safe for everyone as possible, plus they are run by reputable companies.

Everything has to be Health and Safety audited and every bit of insurance, safety checklist and staff training is inspected by the tour operator. This is only done by UK operators and the Spanish have a very relaxed attitutude towards these sorts of things.

I know of many stories of guests being very happy with cheaper excursions, but also many, many horror stories. With a rep, you are guaranteed to get your money back if you haven't been on it or want to cancel. Plus there are many complaints of listening to 5 languages as you travel to Gib or Granada, and the guide has to talk the entire journey!

What do you see the reps job as being? A rep works very hard and don't get paid much for doing it. They don't just sit at that desk for an hour and then return the next day! The phone number is so that if your rep is at another unit, in the office dealing with liquidation, flight details, rooming lists etc then you have someone you can speak to. But I suppose it depends on which tour operator you are travelling with.

I cannot agree with you that only the inland areas have an English problem. They are like me with Spanish, they can read it but have trouble with conversations. I lived there for 7 months and throughout Malaga, Fuengirola, Benalmadena and Torremolinos, most Spanish speak only basic English outside of the hotels. Yes, you will get some exceptions, but only in Puerto Banus will you find a lot of English speakers.

Hi PaoloRocks, I really can't believe that you have lived in Spain and was worried that the staff at the croc park might not speak English, are you sure that you are from the same planet as the rest of us I would guess that around 75% of visitors to the Croc Park are British so do you really think that the management would be really that stupid to put Spanish staff in the ticket office that did not speak English
I don't think that it would be very good for business do you?
As for blagging my child in well I don't think that I'll be the first person or the last person to do that do you? more money for ice-creams, that's how I see it so they're getting my money in the end
You seemed to be rambling on to Sanji about the joys of booking with the reps (boy you must have a lot of money) I think that you have missed the point that the Croc park tickets are just that ie. no transport, insurance e.t.c. just an admission ticket so the other stuff is irrelevant in this case.

Sue

Thanks for the patronising tone of that post, but I don't think I have missed the point.
The ticket is sold by a UK tour operator and therefore the "excursion" has to be checked over. There is a thing called "Duty of Care" by which all UK operators have to check that the facilities are up to FTO guidelines. And for ticket only's, the price is the same as you pay on the door, so how can it be an issue how much money I have?

I always buy from a rep as they have always been very truthful and helpful, as long as you take the time to speak to them and actually get their wealth of knowledge.

I have been to the Crocodile Park on many an occasion and their English is not bad, but have you been to Fuengirola Zoo?! They are terrible!

A reps job is to see/help the clients first and foremost, and I have found in the last few years that you have more chance of finding Bin Laden than finding a rep on a daily basis in your hotel.
I was told on the bus by another TO`s rep, that Thomson have pulled all their reps out of Benidorm, and this was causing more work for them, there was actually 1 Thomson rep serving 27 hotels in Benidorm last December/January...and those are not my words, they came from another rep....people were complaining about being transferred from the airport with a Spanish driver and some having no idea where to get off the bus.

Of course you can find cheaper options, but what you don't know is the massive amount of work that goes on by the 4 largest tour operators to ensure that these excursions are as safe for everyone as possible, plus they are run by reputable companies.

I`ve been on countless tours by independant companies including Gib, Granada, Seville etc...and these have been by ex-pats who set up business on the Costa del Sol blinkin years ago ....all are fully aware of the health & safety, rules & regulations, regarding their passengers and the consequences of failing to comply....and all the tours had English guides speaking English only.
Spain has strict regulations for all coaches that operate on its roads, half the population depend on coaches to move them around the country.

I cannot agree with you that only the inland areas have an English problem. They are like me with Spanish, they can read it but have trouble with conversations

I didn`t say they could all speak English, what I said was that they can all understand it...so if you ask for 2 tickets into the croc park, then they will understand you...just the same if you go to the desk in Malaga train station and asked for 2 tickets to Fuengirola.
If you started a conversation in English asking about his/her mothers cousin once removed, then he/she would not know what you are talking about, unless they are fluent in English, but there are Spanish people who have never been to school in their lives and never read an English book, but because they have been exposed to the English language day after day by tourists asking more or less for the same things, then they have learnt these words by association....do you think that every waiter can be fluent in English, German, Dutch etc etc.?

I always buy from a rep as they have always been very truthful and helpful, as long as you take the time to speak to them and actually get their wealth of knowledge.

Don`t make me laugh, How can a 19 year old rep, who has just been posted for the summer season have a wealth of knowledge ? yes some are helpful when they have been in the resort for a considerable length of time and when you can actually meet one.!...one welcome meeting and then they disappear off the face of the earth until it`s time to return to the airport, and on my last visit they couldn`t even manage to be on the transfer bus back, this resulted in the driver not having a clue but once at the airport they are like flies around
Finally...Nobody makes anybody be a rep, one would hope that they do the job because they like travelling the world and mixing with the general public, but the safety of their clients from/to the airport and sorting out their complaints in the HOTELS should be their first commitment, not flogging excursions to bump the wage up.

Sanji xxx