Escape the heat in a place the kids will love at this water park that fits your budget in Chiang Mai
Nom Sen Nam Yoi Soi 13 (say that about 10 times!) is a small restaurant and water park out in San Sai north of Chiang Mai. Its name, หนมเส้นน้ำย้อย ซอย13, roughly translates to ‘spicy noodle’, which is a rather odd name for a water park, but hey, I will refer to it sometimes as Spicy Noodle Water Park to make it easier to remember!
It’s got a baby pool, a kiddy pool, a mini water park, and 2 western-style slides. They’ve even managed to squeeze in a covered, padded (and dry) ball pit for little tykes.
This escape from the heat is great for kids aged 1 up to their tweens. Teenagers might still enjoy it though as long as it’s not crowded.0
If your teenagers are looking for a water park that suits their needs, then they would enjoy visiting the Grand Canyon Water Park or Tube Trek Water Park in Chiang Mai. For younger kids, Spicy Noodle Water Park may the perfect water adventure for them!
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What’s great about this mini water park in Chiang Mai?
The park appears to be well taken care of and everything still works! One of the downsides to many businesses in Thailand is that after a couple of years, properties stop being maintained, things stop working and go unfixed indefinitely, or general wear and tear becomes very obvious. Hopefully, this won’t happen to this place as our kids loved it!
They have lifeguards
You may not realize it at first but there is staff watching the children. They appear dressed like normal people, kind of like plain closed undercover police officers, who are keeping an eye on everything and maybe even having a splash or two with the children.
The lifeguards are right there in the thick of things in the water and sometimes hanging out on the side. However, when we were here, the place was so packed the lifeguards on duty weren’t nearly enough so we ended up getting in the water too. Also of question is whether they are trained in first aid or not.
There’s a section just for babies
At end of the shallow pool section is a small space just for babies or toddlers where the water is about ankle deep. This is perfect for those of our kids who are still walking on all fours (aka crawling) and for those who’ve just learned to walk, or for toddlers just learning what it’s like to be in and play with water. I wish we’d noticed this section sooner as we only discovered it at the end of our fun and our son couldn’t get enough!
In addition to that thoughtful part of the water park, off on the left hand side near a covered seating area, is a ball pit for little ones! It’s got padded flooring and soft bumper like furniture surrounding it to form walls.
There’s a mini-mini water park
What do I mean? Well I mean it looks like a shrunken version of the kid’s water park in Tube Trek Water Park Chiang Mai! It’s adorable. There’s even a giant bucket that fills up with water and dumps out heaps of water on the unsuspecting kids (and parents) below. The slides are similar to those found in a playground and are not too high or fast making them perfect (and far less scary) for little kids.
The slides are fun!
So there’s only 2 slides, but they are so much fun you just keep going again and again. The wait is never very long – even when it was super busy! Kids 4 and up were loving them and some adults (me included!) were too. Just a heads up that they are fast, like shoot you out at the bottom fast. Tons of fun, though you need to make sure that if you are swimming, you stay out of the way of the bottom area of both slides.
Is it hot there? Give us shade!
There are lots of shaded seating areas around including strangely one perched beside one of the slides. As you enter the restaurant, straight ahead you will see picnic table style seating and a deck with tables overlooking what must have been a lovely view of a rice field, now sadly under construction for something else. In addition to that is an indoor room aka the Coca Cola room as it’s filled with Coke paraphernalia.
We kept finding more and more seating areas after we passed through the ticket entrance. To the left is a covered seating area and just before the changing rooms is a glassed in air conditioned room. Further round to the right side of the water park is a two level area to sit and watch the water an eat.
There is no time limit
In a smallish space such as this, you would expect there to be a time limit, especially when it gets busy. But there is no such thing! This is great for everyone as there is no pressure, just enjoy your time!
Floatie toys and swim suits for rent
For whatever reason you find you’ve forgotten a swim suit, don’t fret! You can rent one for 30 baht. Additionally, if your child is more comfortable swimming with an aid, water rings are available to rent as well for 30 baht for the entire day. There are no life jackets however.
What’s not so great about Spicy Noodle Water Park in Chiang Mai?
It’s very popular
First of all, it is really, really busy. This is because of how little it costs to get in – everyone can afford to go here, and they do. Because of this, parking was nearly impossible to find. People were desperate and parking in the middle of a rice field, or double parking, or gave up and went home because there simply was just no more space. If you’re going to attempt to come here on a weekend, we definitely recommend taking a Grab so you know you can enjoy the water park instead of being disappointed by not finding parking.
Not much drink choice
They literally had only four things on the drink menu, Chang, Singh soda, water and Coke. If none of these things are your fancy, then you’re out of luck!
How much does Nom Sen Nam Yoi Soi 13 Water Park cost?
The admission price changes depending on time of day, but it is so affordable! From opening* to 4 pm, prices are 70 baht per person, while after 4 until closing*, it’s merely 50 baht. Kids 90 cm and under are always 30 baht.
*They keep changing opening and closing times, so check their facebook page and maybe message them first.
What if you don’t want to swim?
No worries! You can enter for free. To swim you need a wrist band and the lifeguards will check to see whether you have one or not.
What is the food like at Nom Sen Nam Yoi Soi 13 ?
Food and drink
Order food as soon as you get there! We waited nearly an hour for food to come out of the kitchen, however this was likely because the place was incredibly busy. The food itself was nothing to write home about, but we did not order their name sake. Nom sen nam yoi is a spicy noodle dish called ka-nom-jeen. It’s got to be great if they named their restaurant after it, right?!
You are not allowed to bring in your own food, snacks or water. Drinks however did arrive quite quickly and if you were desperate for food, there is a snack shop beside the water park after the ticket entrance. Wish we had known about that before we ordered from the restaurant. There you can order mama noodle, chips, and meat on stick treats. It’s grab and go which is fast and easy.
Is Spicy Noodle Water Park Chiang Mai safe?
Child safety
As mentioned there are lifeguards, but we’re unsure if they are trained at all, so that may be a worry. Also, there were no height or weight restrictions on the slides nor is there an adult at the top of the slides ensuring only one child goes down at a time, or to see if a child has safely reached the bottom before the next kid goes.
Besides a few eager little boys, what I witnessed was children calmly lining up on their own and patiently waiting their turns. This also presented an opportunity for the children to become a bit more self aware, and also aware of others as they were watching on their own to see when it was safe to go. It was nice to see a bit of mindfulness going on!
Water depth
The water is also only 80 cm deep in its shallow section and 120 cm deep in the deepest part near the slides.
Are your things safe?
Possibly? There were no lockers available so you really needed someone to sit with all the stuff. With it being so busy you never know what crosses people’s minds so it’s best to keep an eye on your things.
Are the slides safe?
They appeared to be well constructed. The only concern was that they were super fast and the larger kids come barreling through the air in and into the water at the bottom. Just stay away from that splash zone and things should be fine.
Is the water clean?
Yes it was surprisingly clear considering it was packed with people. The water park uses a chlorine system to keep the water clean.
When is the best time to go to Nom Sen Nam Yoi Soi 13 aka Spicy Noodle Water Park?
The time NOT to go is on any Thai public holiday, or the weekend during hot season. We foolishly decided to go on a public holiday around noon, thinking it wouldn’t be busy as many locals don’t usually like to head out into the sun until later in the afternoon. Well, we were wrong! The place was packed and we were lucky to get a table. If you can, try to go during the week, or wait until it is less hot out or even I bet during the rainy season its popularity will calm down.
How to get to Nom Sen Nam Yoi Soi 13 Chiang Mai?
This water park is located in San Sai, a district a bit away from Chiang Mai’s centre. It will take approximately 40 minutes to drive there with excellent traffic.
To get to the water park it’s best to take a Grab which has a guaranteed price and you don’t have to worry about parking! As mentioned above, lack of parking was a huge deterrent and a major disappointment for many families who expected to have a great day out.
If you are driving your family yourself get out that GPS, you’re going to need it! Drive north east along the 118 (Doi Saket Road) and then turn right onto the 121 (the second ring road). Then keep an eye out for signs to turn left onto the 1313. Follow this road for about 10 minutes and keep a watch out for signs. You’ll find yourself driving down twisty local roads and that means you’re going the right way!
Hours: Open 10 am – 8 pm daily (message to check as this keeps changing)
Entrance fee:
Between opening time to 4 pm
Adults and children 70 baht (children 90 cm and under 30 baht)
4 pm to closing:
Adults and children 50 baht (children 90 cm and under 30 baht)
Pet friendly: No
Parking: FREE but really limited
Telephone: 089 553 3353
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/
Location: Google Maps
Things to consider
Bring sunscreen and apply it liberally! Bring your own soap and shampoo if you want to shower off afterwards.
Be sure to read all about the other water parks in Chiang Mai too!
