We all love summer swims, but when it is chilly or rainy, we need alternative options to get wet. Unleash your little flippers on a variety of comfy heated swimming havens right here in the city! Take a dip in one of these indoor pools to get you and your water babies ready with a bit of swimming fun. Jump in!
Hot off the press, the Kennedy Town heated pool opened this month! The new space includes a 50m x 15m secondary pool, a 25m x 12.5m training pool and an oblong jacuzzi, allowing the public to enjoy swimming year-round. The old pool (and outdoor leisure area including a kids play zone was closed to make way for the MTR). We are now seeing it come back - hoorah!
Kennedy Town Heated Pool, 2 Sai Cheung Street North, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong Website
Probably one of the first associations that you’ll come across as a newly-landed expat - take a dip in the YWCA’s pool, which is open to all Y-class members. For a nominal fee of HK$40 per session or HK$300 per month, you can splash away with your kids and enjoy the fun of swimming all year round. Apart from swimming, there’s also plenty of family activities that this English-speaking branch of the YWCA, so be sure to visit the website for more info.
YWCA, 3/F, 1 MacDonnell Road, Mid-levels, Hong Kong, +852 3476 1340, www.esmdywca.org.hk.
The YMCA TST has a lap pool and a leisure pool complete with a toy house and bouncy rides. Mums and dads can unwind together in the Jacuzzi, too. You’ll have to become a member of the YMCA (HK$1,300 for the first year and HK$550 for subsequent years) and pay for swimming day pass (kids 17 and under, HK$14; adults 18 and above, HK$29; elderly aged 60 and above, HK$14).
YMCA, 41 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, +852 2268 7000, www.ymcahk.org.hk. Choose to get a booklet of 20 passes for a discounted fee.
This club boasts two pools, one outdoors for the hot, balmy days of summer and an indoor pool that’s just right for swimming laps on breezier days. You’ll have to be a member to enjoy these facilities, among other classes and fitness arenas in this popular family hangout.
Ladies Recreational Club, 10 Old Peak Road, The Peak, Central, Hong Kong, +852 3199 3500, www.lrc.com.hk.
If you’re jonesing for a dip between appointments or looking to let your little one have a ball before heading home, splash out on a day pass to the pool at The Landmark Mandarin at HK$500 a pop. Day passes are only available Monday through Thursday, with a daily maximum of 30 people, so be sure to book ahead.
The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central, The Landmark, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2132 0188, www.mandarinoriental.com.
Perhaps the most kid-friendly public pool, the Island East indoor pool has a training pool for your tykes to practice their strokes; a toddler pool filled with fun games, rides and slides; and a family changing room so you can help your little ones scramble out of their outfits and into their swimsuits with ease. As with all public pools, a standard fee of HK$19 per person, HK$9 for kids aged 3-13.
Island East Swimming Pool, 52 Lei King Road, Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong, +852 2151 4082, www.lcsd.gov.hk.
This indoor heated pool hosts regular swim meets, where up to 1,000 spectators can see swimmers go head-to-head. Bonus, this pool is also equipped with facilities for those with disabilities. The pool closes several times a day for cleaning services, so check the schedule before you go. Lockers are avaialble and entry fee can be paid by Octopus card. Baby pools are available for to arrange private swim lessons too.
Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Swimming Pool, 16 Eastern Street North, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, +852 2540 6708, www.lcsd.gov.hk.
This wet and wild wonderland has both a large outdoor and indoor pool open to the public. There are three public swim sessions daily from 7am-10pm and the pool is closed for cleaning on Thursdays.
Morrison Hill Indoor Swimming Pool, 7 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, www.beach/en/swim-address-wch.php.
If your mini Michael Phelps is part of a swimming team, chances are he’ll be competing in this professional, Olympics-sized public pool in Tung Chung. Indoor and heated, there’s a 1,000-seat spectator stand and also a giant scoreboard. Fees are the same as all other public pools in Hong Kong and cleanings are on Tuesdays, so get there on Wednesday for spic and span waters.
Tung Chung Swimming Pool, 5 Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung, Hong Kong, +852 2109 9107, www.lcsd.gov.hk.
Be one of the first to take a swim in this newly-opened pool (opened December, 2012). This indoor heated pool stands out from the pack because of its rounded dome-like spectator area, where parents can watch their buoyant bubs float in the leisure pool or do laps in the training pool. For some stress-relief, take a dip in the Jacuzzi.
Tuen Mun North West Swimming Pool, 95 Ming Kum Road, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, +852 2164 8355, www.lcsd.gov.hk. For this public pool (and other ones in the New Territories operated by the LCSD), the cost is HK$17 per person and HK$7 for kids.
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