Lloyds is the big boy of private fitness clubs in Belfast - the biggest, the plushest and of course…read morethe most expensive. But it's definitely a case of getting what you pay for as there is a definite air of being upmarket and everything on offer that you could possibly want or need to occupy the whole family. Despite the freakish Northern Ireland spring weather, I went last weekend with my kids with guests of a friend who is a member, and we actually used the outdoor swimming pool. It was a very warm day and the water is nicely heated so it was a lovely experience. The kids loved it and I just wished it was hot enough to lounge on one of the sun beds beside the pool. There was an attentive life guard on duty to satisfy over anxious parents like me. The changing facilities are a treat too - warm and luxurious with great showers and nice toiletries. None of your 20p a time hair dryers here. There is also a shop where we bought swimming goggles and fit flops (I know, I know, I have a problem), a hair and beauty salon and a creche for under 5s. David Lloyds is the most luxurious health club I have used and I loved it. It's the kind of place I was born to use. Now all I have to do is talk the husband into forking out for the family membership fee.

A great gym,although expensive it is worth it for the indoor tennis courts and outdoor swimming…read morepool. David Lloyd's is huge and has more to offer than any other local gym.

One of my friends lived in Bangor for a few years, and we went through a bit of a heath kick for a…read morefew months and resolved to go swimming every Saturday morning, and this is where we used to come, as it was within walking distance of her house (walking there was another part of the health kick!) They have a 25 metre pool with seperate pool for children, and my favourite, a diving pool with three diving boards! In addition to this, they have one large and one medium sized sports halls, a state of the art gym, sauna, and sunbed suiet, if you fancy frying yourself to get that, erm, golden glow. Just off the main hall they also have a lounge and cafeteria area, which serves a good range of food, although unfortunately nonw of it was terribly healthy, which was sometimes a bit of a temptation!

This place is a little bit aged and could be a bit more modern, but thats because it has been…read morearound forever and the new leisure centre is being built so there is no point in them doing up this place. It has all the amenitites that you could expect - swimming pool, five-a-side pitches and squash courts etc. It also has a really good gym that is really well priced. If you're a student you can get unlimited access for only £20 a month over 3 months which is a much better deal than in the likes of Fitness First. There are better appointed and better staffed leisure centres in the world but I think the prices here are good and you could do an awful lot worse. It has a good car park and that you don't have to pay for and its right in the middle of town. So you don't have any real reason not to call in here to exercise a bit.

Walking through the inside of Ards Lesiure Centre is like walking through a cold war bunker. The…read moregrey brick work along with the brown tiled floor makes for a really unpleasant experience. No wonder people hate the gym, the walk to it would put you in mind of the Green Mile. There's been absolutely no attempt to give Ards Leisure Centre a facelift. In fact I think it's exactly the same as it was when I last reviewed it back in 2010. Since the opening of Aurora in Bangor this place pales in to insignificance. On the positive side it does have a wealth of activities on offer, everything from badminton to fitness classes. i was actually there to attend a spin class and it was top notch. The instructor was great and you can distract yourself from the pain of peddling by questioning what era the curtains were erected in. All in all this place is a little dated - i wouldn't be surprised if NI Screen bought it up as the set of their next post apocalyptic blockbuster.

Yeah Ards Leisure Centre is just alright as far as I am concerned it could be cleaner and the staff…read morecould be friendlier. They have a health suite which you pay about £4 to use, to be honest it is very dated with swing doors on the front of the entrance. It just feels a bit grimy. The swimming pool is used by local schools for swimming lessons which means that if you are unlucky you will be swimming along side 30 splashing, noisy, snot-ridden kids. They have a gym but it is small and has that chalky feeling to it. One good thing is the classes they run - pole dancing, trampoline and archery are among those on offer but you need to be fast as the places go quick, quick, quick!

Shorts bar and sports club. Cheap drinks and events. Lots of car parking, on a main road easy to…read moreget too. Also serve hot food.

I was here last night for the first time and I was hugely impressed by the facilities - It's…read moredefinitely had a recent facelift! I was there to play football and having played at a number of different sports facilities I have to say that these were right up there with the best. The have 6 floodlit 3G pitches that are available to hire. There are also two full size 4G floodlit pitches. They have rebranded the sports pitches 'V36' and they have obviously thought about the logistics of the centre as it now comes with a refurbished car park. Great facility all in all and relatively cheap to hire in comparison with other pitches.

Newtownabbey Council has put a lot of time and money into sprucing up the Valley Leisure Centre,…read moreand they've done a great job in my opinion. Back when I was young, the Valley was pretty dark and everything was brown or cream, but now the lighting's a lot better and you don't really feel like this is a place where joy comes to die. The slide in the pool was the main attraction when I was growing up, and it remains to this day. Beyond that, there are squash courts, indoor football pitches and rooms for classes. There's also a gym upstairs, which my brother is a member of and loves. Municipal gyms are some of the cheapest going and I think they're the best option if you're thinking of joining a gym. The Valley is also the location for many a children's birthday party and they provide a bouncy castle, so it's pretty easy for parents to organise.

I love these places and used to go to one a lot when I lived in Spain - I had never seen one in…read moreNorthern Ireland and was very excited when I spotted this one in 'The D' I took my sister and her little boy as a treat a few weeks ago. We called in the middle of the day so it was very quiet and we had plenty of space and time to pick our pottery, choose a design and get them all painted up. It was a fun, cheap afternoon with an entrance fee of only £4.00 each and then our chosen pieces which range in price but nothing that is going to break the bank. My finished pair of shoes are now sitting by the front door with a small plant in them! A good value day out for all the family.

Seaside Ceramics offers an alternative to the usual birthday parties. It is a pottery studio that…read moreis primarily aimed at children but can be fun for adults too if you don't mind getting messy with clay and paint. Seaside Ceramics also offers jewellery making but don't expect any Tiffany diamonds, this is all plastic and child friendly. The good thing about Seaside Ceramics is that it has a large space to make pottery in and is ideal for kids parties. It seats 28 people but is rarely full so if you are protective of your unique designs as I was you can keep away from little copycats. It is relatively cheap too, there is a £4 studio fee during the day and a £5 fee in the evenings but this is relatively reasonable when you consider Seaside Ceramics is an all day activity. You can purchase additional keepsakes for a further £4 but who knows one of your purchases could fetch millions in a future auction.

I can't speak for the tennis courts (maybe one day...), the fitness suite (not a chance) or the…read moreclimbing wall (eeek), but the Ozone laser quest is incredibly fun, and just my sort of thing - no frantic exercise / running, competitive and a heck of a laugh. Recently updated and using the latest laser technology, the Ozone has come on leaps and bounds in recent years. I remember being about ten and being really excited about going to a party here, only to discover that the backpacks weighed an absolute ton and I wasn't going to have as much fun as I initially thought. These days, the packs are much lighter, much more compact and generally easier to use. The last time I was at the Ozone was about a year ago, and there was a quite a big group of us (fifteen or so). We spilt into two teams (you can play this way or individually), girls vs boys, and had a rundown of the game by one of the staff. After this, we selected our packs, which light up either green, blue or red (red and green it was for this game, in order to identify your team members and avoid shooting them), and has a cartoon / superhero / character name which will be used to record your score at the end. It's pretty funny when the most masculine guy in your group gets Barbie. The game lasts half and hour, and the labyrinth comprises of different levels and hiding places. The aim is to shoot your opponents on the back, front, shoulder or gun (the last option is really easier said than done), without getting shot yourself. The stats all appear at the end of the game, so you can see how your shooting was, and how many times you were shot. It's always amusing to see what place everyone came in, and there are definitely a lot of laughs at this stage. At £4.60 per person per game, it's not a bad price for birthday parties / youth events / general banter. Oooh, when can I go again?

This is a top notch establishment boasting a gym, squash and tennis courts, laser quest and a…read moreclimbing wall, not to mention outdoor pitches tennis and basketball courts. My favorite activities of these is the climbing wall. I never knew how much fun and addictive climbing walls could be. A great way to spend an afternoon and is decently priced. The ropes and harness's are provided free of charge. If you don't fancy going so high there are smaller walls with huge safety crash mats were you can learn the ropes!!! (excuse the pun). Another great activity to do here is the laser quest, for young and old I can't think of a funnier thing to do for a birthday or something. Absolutely fantastic.

DW fitness club is committed to helping you get results! Achieve your goals with the cutting edge…read morefacilities, world class service and expert team advice. You can challenge yourself in the functional training zone, take part in a selection of group exercise classes or plunge into the swimming pool. If your looking to evolve to the next level this is the place for you!!

Really nice bIG HALL used for a lot of special events. On may day in particular they run the…read morebeautiful baby comp from here. There is also a youth club here and lots of fitness clases. It was renovated only a few years ago and is very modern.