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Thread: Holiday "swim-up room"?

  1. #1
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    Holiday "swim-up room"?

    Evening everyone. We'll after an absolutely terrible two weeks my wife finally talked me into a holiday - the first one we'll have had in 6 years. Its only a week in Majorca, but she's splurged a bit on one of these Tui "sensatori" resorts. The optional add-ons seemed to never stop but the big one that appealed was a "swim up" room which put about 600 quid on the price, although we got a good discount as my son will still only be 6.
    I'd never heard of them before but to my mind it meant our room opened up directly on the big swimming pool, with a narrow private patio. On further investigation it seems we actually have access to a tiny little "heated river", a narrow pool of water not attached to the main pools. I'm a bit miffed really, it'll mean the usual fight to secure a spot by the pool which is about the only stress we had last time.
    Anyone else have any experience of these swim up rooms. Or better still has anyone stayed at the "Biomar" hotel in majorca? I'd like to know I've not done something daft - we sacrificed a 10 day break for a 7 day one to upgrade to this.

    Cheers

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by kevkojak View Post
    Evening everyone. We'll after an absolutely terrible two weeks my wife finally talked me into a holiday - the first one we'll have had in 6 years. Its only a week in Majorca, but she's splurged a bit on one of these Tui "sensatori" resorts. The optional add-ons seemed to never stop but the big one that appealed was a "swim up" room which put about 600 quid on the price, although we got a good discount as my son will still only be 6.
    I'd never heard of them before but to my mind it meant our room opened up directly on the big swimming pool, with a narrow private patio. On further investigation it seems we actually have access to a tiny little "heated river", a narrow pool of water not attached to the main pools. I'm a bit miffed really, it'll mean the usual fight to secure a spot by the pool which is about the only stress we had last time.
    Anyone else have any experience of these swim up rooms. Or better still has anyone stayed at the "Biomar" hotel in majorca? I'd like to know I've not done something daft - we sacrificed a 10 day break for a 7 day one to upgrade to this.

    Cheers
    I haven't been to this hotel but that seems normal when I have looked previously. You share the small strip with a few other rooms. It put me off in the past.
    We booked a holiday to Turkey next year, moved from the last 2 years, and we opted to pay the premium of a 'penthouse' room with a spa bath on the balcony.

    Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

  3. #3
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    We had a swim up room when we went to Thailand which was very similarto what you'vedescribed. The kids absolutely loved it, one of the reasons it was their favourite holiday and they want to go back. To be fair though the hotel had 4 pools and it's own bit of beach so if you wanted a bed they were very easy to find. Think they spent more time in the swim up pool than in the main pool, great for me and the Mrs to chill on the patio while keeping an eye on them👍

  4. #4
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    We had a swim up room at a hotel in Elounda, Crete - as you described, long and thin straight off the patio. It was great to swim 'lengths' in and being away from the main pool was a bonus as far as we were concerned.

  5. #5
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    As per the above, we enjoy them & see it as our own piece of quiet - we have yet to find neighbouring rooms using theirs, so very much like a private pool. Also nice to sit with a plastic glass of bubbles at the end of the day / after dinner & just chill out together. With the lack of holidays recently & you mention 6yrs, just go for it & enjoy it.

    Luck of the draw is which way the room is orientated vs the movement of the sun.

    When we use these or Sandals hotels, there seems to be an almost germanic sun bed strategy early in the morning to grab beds with towels. Made worse by butler services reserving them for guests as well. I am usually awake by 6am on holiday, so just walk out and 'do what the butlers do' in order for us to sit where we want, grab a cheeky latte on the way back too.

  6. #6
    Grand Master Chris_in_the_UK's Avatar
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    The whole sun bed thing boils my pi$$.
    When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris_in_the_UK View Post
    The whole sun bed thing boils my pi$$.

    Ditto. I've stayed in resorts with "no reserving" policies but there are still arses who plonk a towel down to save a bed. Worse still when you see them go unused most of the day.

  8. #8
    We swapped from hotel to villas. The whole all inclusive or even up market B&B only hotels

    Nothing better than having your own pool, BBQ and a lot more room than any suite will ever give you and for not much more in cost. In fact usually less.

    If you truly want a swim up room then the over water rooms/suites in the Maldives or Seychelles are hard to beat!

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by kevkojak View Post
    Ditto. I've stayed in resorts with "no reserving" policies but there are still arses who plonk a towel down to save a bed. Worse still when you see them go unused most of the day.
    This really grinds my gears. I have no problem with someone getting up early and putting a towel on a bed to reserve it as long as they are going to use it.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by kevkojak View Post
    Ditto. I've stayed in resorts with "no reserving" policies but there are still arses who plonk a towel down to save a bed. Worse still when you see them go unused most of the day.
    Yip
    If you arrive to find towels lying on beds not used then they should be fair game for getting tossed aside.
    Poindexter behaviour that shit.

  11. #11
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    Towels are usually well managed by staff, bring removed if not used. We are usually out at the pool by 8am & watch the number of people who have reserved a bed & don’t get out until lunchtime. Selfish AF.

  12. #12
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    I’ve been to similar rooms before and my then 4 to 7 y.o. kids have loved it and we as parents have loved it even more. For us there has been no need to secure a sunbed at the main pool area as the vast majority of all swimming has been done in the little pool. My kids have wanted to make a few short trips to the main pool, maybe once or twice a day for an hour or so, and then right back to the shared pool.

    It is absolutely great to hang out on your own patio and watch over the kids with access to all the amenities of your own room. If one of the kids needs to use the bathroom there’s no need to take everyone out of the pool and go to the repulsive public poolside loo. Want a cold drink or cup of coffee? Maybe a sandwich? Just pop in to your own kitchen and help yourself while keeping the kids under supervision. I’ll go back to a room without pool access when the kids are old enough to go swimming without adult supervision.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by kevkojak View Post
    Ditto. I've stayed in resorts with "no reserving" policies but there are still arses who plonk a towel down to save a bed. Worse still when you see them go unused most of the day.
    Back in my yoof, I went on a lads holiday to Teneriffe (Playa de las Americas, awful place). We were coming back to the hotel around 3 am each day and the towels were already out. People stopped doing that when, for two nights running, just after 3am-ish, the towels were quietly collected and placed in the pool. :whistle:

  14. #14
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by kevkojak View Post
    .... my son will still only be 6.
    Blinking eck, I thought he was about 2, time doesn't half fly.

    I know nowt about swim up rooms either sorry.

  15. #15
    Craftsman Paddy!'s Avatar
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    Brilliant and well worth the extra. Son is now 8 and daughter 5. We managed a quick week without the option of a swim up room last time and would never do that again.

    As said, at that age they just want to constantly be in the water. From a practical point of view, swim up rooms make trips for a wee, reapplication of sun lotion etc. much easier and more enjoyable for them. Only thing you miss out on is the social aspect for the kids to find some new "friends". Depends on you as parents though. My wife treats the "sunny" family holidays as a way to do absolutely f all, because the rest of the time she does everything! I however, value the time with the kids as invariably it's my only time off work, so I will be in the pool with them the whole time.

    I get no pleasure from social interaction with towel placers.... or to be honest with anyone in general on holidays. I didn't choose to holiday with these strangers. Always seem to be stuck next to someone that wants to drink and smoke constantly around shared pools. If it wasn't for all inclusive food and my wife wanting to switch off her abilities, I would go for a villa.

    OP, you've made the right choice.

  16. #16
    Master reggie747's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kevkojak View Post
    Ditto. I've stayed in resorts with "no reserving" policies but there are still arses who plonk a towel down to save a bed. Worse still when you see them go unused most of the day.
    Remove said towel, lash it and plonk your ar$e down. Tell the sneaky sunbed saver you disagree with the ridiculous practice and they're not his exclusive sunbeds.
    Cheely pr!cks

  17. #17
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    Cheers guys. Fair enough, I'm pretty chuffed with the choice in that case then.
    It's a nice thing to have but obviously we'll still spend a couple of days in the fun pools with the slides and squirty things - it sounds like bliss having access to a private part of our own. I suppose if we make friends (and we usually do) we can host on our posh patio.

  18. #18
    Grand Master Sinnlover's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mikeveal View Post
    Back in my yoof, I went on a lads holiday to Teneriffe (Playa de las Americas, awful place). We were coming back to the hotel around 3 am each day and the towels were already out. People stopped doing that when, for two nights running, just after 3am-ish, the towels were quietly collected and placed in the pool. :whistle:
    I did exactly the same once, the agro it cause was great fun.
    Last edited by Sinnlover; 19th July 2021 at 18:57.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Sinnlover View Post
    I did exactly the same once, the agro it cause was great fun.
    :nod: Lots of indignant couples (of all nationalities) turning up at mid-day to claim their lounger only to find someone else firmly installed and their towels in a soggy pile with everyone else's.
    "But you have to move. I reserved this. You must have put my towel in the pool."

    Totally off topic now.
    I'm reminded of a different holiday, where there was another group of lads in our hotel. There was a midweek changeover & the agents were lazy, leaving room keys in the doors.
    So these lads played a few pranks. Most memorable was stacking two single beds to look like a bunk bed - but with only about 18" headroom in the lower bunk & swapping someone's bed for a plastic sun lounger.
    It was three or four days before the person sleeping on a lounger complained to the rep, despite there clearly being a single bed alongside the pool.

  20. #20
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    I was at a hotel in Rhodes with the "private" "swim up" pools. I remember hearing one very irate guest complaining very loudly at reception that :) he wouldn't refer to a pool as "private" when naked guests keep swimming past his "private" pool at all hours of the night! Perhaps it should have been referred to as evening entertainment!!!

    :)

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