I live within walking distance to this pool but send Jenbert Jr. to another swim school. Why?…read more This is what I want: 1) For her to learn to swim. 2) For her to enjoy and feel comfortable in the water. This is what I'm not interested in: 1) Feeling pressured to join the swim team. (Mr. Jenbert & I would be OK with her joining a swim team, but it would have to be because she wanted to, not someone else) 2) Building an Olympian athlete. (Again, if she wants it, that's a different story) 3) Getting Jenbert Jr. onto Stanford/Cal/other big name school swim team before she turns 9. Not 19. 4) Being treated differently (read: inferiorly) because my philosophy on swim lessons differs from theirs. 5) Being on a waitlist to join the club and when being offered a spot halfway through the year, the amount is not prorated.

My kids have grown up swimming at Meadow and we've been members for 16 years. Such a great…read morecommunity. They all learned to swim and two of them were/are on swim team while one did tennis for several years. My oldest was a junior coach in high school and loved it almost as much as swimming. Love the multi-age aspect - where else these days can 5-year-olds and 17-year-olds be on the same team and the older ones can mentor the littles? The facilities are not as nice as OCC or MCC, but the culture is great. I love that many of the kids walk over from school during the year and ride their bikes to/from the club and hang out together in between swimming and tennis. It is a neighborhood pool in the best sense.

I am surprised and confused by some of these reviews. We have been members at OPP for 13 years and…read moreour kids have been on the team for 9 years. Also, we joined when we lived in Berkeley and about 5 years later we moved to Orinda. We find OPP to be a very laid back and friendly pool. It is also a really lovely place to spend time in the summer. The pool is absolutely perfect for young children (tons of shallow water), as well as swim team. There have been some ups and downs with a couple of lifeguards over the years, but for the most part the lifeguards are good. The current and previous managers are excellent. Most people are very friendly. I am sure a few are not, but I encountered so many self-righteous, angry people in my 15 years in Berkeley, and I can't say I've met one person like that in Orinda, especially at this pool. I can't believe a reviewer judged the entire pool environment - which includes hundreds of families - on one bitchy old lady who was stuck in the 18th century. I am sorry for that encounter, but in 13 years at the pool I have never encountered anyone like that, ever. I can say that I have probably driven into that parking lot at least 1,000 times (literally), and outside of swim meets, I think once or twice I could not find a place to park. If you have very small kids and expect a spot to be open for you right next to the entrance, that won't happen often when it is hot. (But where is there always convenient parking in the East Bay?). People like to complain about parking at the pool, but it really is not a serious problem unless it is one of the hottest days of the year. Swim team is an absolutely awesome way to spend the summer. No, it is not a competitive swimming program, and it is not advertised to be (it is clearly a summer recreational program with lots of social events), but my kids are very good swimmers and both are also on the Miramonte High School team. The kids on the OPP swim team who attend Berkeley High are some of the best swimmer on that high school team. There are about 300 kids on the team each year, so individual attention is usually not available during swim practices. You sign up for swim lessons with the coaches to get that individual attention and those lessons are generally fantastic. There have been two coaches in our 9 years (there are approximately 25 coaches each summer) that have not been super nice, one of whom was mentioned in another review. He is gone, and the other who was not patient was fired. I don't know why one reviewer said that only children of "parent volunteers" get attention. Honestly, that is not even possible. Every family has to volunteer (unless your kids are also working as coaches) every summer so every child is the child of a volunteer. Of course you get from it what you put into it. If you do a lot for the team and you and your kids are there frequently, you and your kids may feel more connection with the coaches. I have never, ever heard anything about the board being religious. Honestly, this seems like some paranoid conspiracy theory. I am sure a few attend church, but that does not mean that the pool is controlled by religious fanatics. Believe me, I would not be at this pool if that was the case! No one has ever tried to ban speedos or bikinis. That is ridiculous! Many of the boys wear them for swim team. I am sorry people have had to wait to get deposits returned. Please remember that membership, like many aspects of the pool, is run entirely by parent volunteers. I am sure those running membership were busy with their jobs and their children and your needs were not at the top of their priority list, which I suspect caused the delay in your check processing. We absolutely love OPP and I was so sad to see these mean spirited reviews.

This facility has had a significant negative impact on the surrounding neighborhood. In my…read moreexperience, many visitors park throughout nearby residential streets without regard for residents, blocking access and damaging landscaping and other property. The increased traffic also disrupts the local environment and wildlife, creating unnecessary safety concerns for families, children, pedestrians, and drivers. The situation appears to be poorly managed, and the surrounding neighborhood is paying the price. I hope management and local officials take these concerns seriously by enforcing parking rules and implementing solutions to protect the community and the environment. Until meaningful changes are made, I cannot recommend this facility.

This is a wonderful swim club, with a gym. It's not a huge anonymous health club; but a…read morewell-maintained 95 year old community treasure. The gym equipment has been updated, is clean and works well. The service team keeps the pools clean and at 81-82 degrees. Baby pool is a little warmer. It's a very warm & casual vibe. Staff are friendly and attentive. Milan, the manager, seems to recognize and have a warm word for everyone. The members, too, are very friendly. Through a cooperative agreement with Piedmont Swim Team, there are excellent swim lessons for all ages. My husband and I took refresher courses from Zoe, who is a truly talented instructor. Lessons are also available to non-members. The downside for some families will be the swim-at-your-own-risk policy: there are no lifeguards. Staff are pretty attentive, but also have other duties. PROs - This is a great club if: - Lap Swimming is your preferred activity; or - You live or work in the area; or - Mid-Day is your preferred Sun bathing period; or - you avoid crowds; or - Your backstroke is improved by watching red-tailed hawks. CONs - If your pod needs a lifeguard, or if historic facilities are not your vibe, you may want to check somewhere else. I heartily recommend this club. Enjoy your swim!

I joined Montclair Swim Club because I was looking for an option closer to home and after about a…read moreyear decided it wasn't really for me. They have good hours and the lifeguards at the front office are super helpful. The pool itself is a bit unusual - one end is quite shallow so it takes a bit of getting used to it for doing flip turns. There are always kids around - and quite often children's swim teams practicing. When I first started swimming there, I kept hear the name "Marco" being yelled repeatedly and thought "This must be the worst game of Marco-Polo ever!" I later found out it was that one guy on the kids' swim team who doesn't hear instructions and keeps swimming when everyone else is stopping. The hot tub is not bad - it's quite big. It's sadly full of people who all seem to want to talk OVER the noise of the jets. I can only imagine what it must be like for the people who live in the canyon all around and have to hear banal conversations, frequently alcohol fueled as there are many people with cans of beer in the hot tub, about personal relationships and compost bins. While parking is plentiful - there are plenty of people who block the road because they can't be bothered to park and walk 20 feet. There are even some rather entitled white male Tesla drivers who will criticize another person's driving despite the fact that they had no problems parking themselves (and the parking lines are many, worn down, and contradictory at best). There's definitely a bit of elitist element among the long time/regulars. Finally, the locker rooms are a horror. They are not kept clean and could do with re-tiling. The lockers are a mess. The toilets are miniscule and not much bigger than what you'd find in an airplane. I do confess that the source of my discontent was a visit to Villa Sport in San Jose last summer -- and the realization that for HALF the money, I could be getting way way more value. Let's not even get into the strange cash-only deposits and lack of policy to suspend membership when out of town or out of commission for long periods of time. It's a really great pool and club for families -- it's got picnic tables, grills, and you can bring the au pair as part of your membership. Two stars for single people without kids who prefer clean lockerooms - but five stars for families with lower standards and more money.

Honestly, I was so impressed with how much my kids (Almost 5 and almost 3) progressed during their…read more12 lessons. Before they started, I warned their instructor that we did not expect much because both of them were very hesitant about getting in the water and often refused to even try things like putting their face in the water or doing assisted floating. Jianna did an AMAZING job with my kids, because by the end of the 4 weeks, my 5 year old was swimming unassisted in backstroke and freestyle across the pool, and practicing skills to keep herself afloat and able to safely get to the wall. My 3 year old who wanted nothing to do with the water was getting in on his own, kicking when instructed, and even attempting to blow bubbles. Jianna was so patient and positive with my kids, and they looked forward to seeing her every day. She was attentive and so knowledgeable, and was able to work with very different development and skill levels extremely effectively. She has taken away so much stress from this mom and I am extremely grateful to her and Sunsational for these lessons. Definitely will be using again and highly recommend!

Linda was a caring and excellent teacher. She really understood how to help me overcome the fear…read moreand make sure I learn the important safety skills. I look forward to every session with her and it has made my summer so fun. The whole enrollment process is smooth and easy too. Highly recommend !

I have been a longtime member, great facility, staff and gathering spot. I'm a big fan of there…read moreyearly Commit To Get Fit programs! Come try them out. Chris H

Love this gym! The pool is the perfect temperature, the showers are immaculate, the wet and dry…read moresaunas relaxing, the fitness classes intense, but fun, and the machines are state-of-the-art. The staff at the front desk, make it a point to memorize your name, amazing, so check-in is very easy highly recommend!

Swim with Brandon has been a great disappointment. We purchased a Groupon for private lessons for…read moreboth of our sons last July. The redemption instructions were to email to set up the schedule for the lessons. We emailed and phoned a number of times over a period of months before we got a reply, which was to contact them again this Spring. We contacted them on the first day of Spring; it took more than a month for them to respond, at which time they said they were not honoring the Groupons. They offered to allow us to apply the Groupon to their retail price, which amounts to nothing less than a bait and switch. We cannot comment on the quality of their swim lessons, but their business practices are terrible and are not honorable. In general, business practices are important. To a place that's going to be teaching little children to swim, it seems even more important that things be done properly. We would strongly recommend seeking swim lessons elsewhere. As an aside, we've had less than good experiences with Groupon offers for lessons. It appears that the vendors get swamped and can become quite uncooperative. Kind of a bad business proposition for all involved.

Absolutely 5 stars and highly recommended. Coach Audrey has the patience, skill and plan to teach…read moreyoung kids swimming in the right approach. Best of all, she also makes the whole experience fun. Our kid looks forward to the lesson every week, and we can see concrete steady improvements after every lesson.

Thank you Audrey for being such an AMAZING swim teacher and swim coach! You have such wisdom and…read morecompassion for new swimmers!

Great Community Gym as many of the posters have pointed out and the staff is always friendly when I…read morecome in during my lunch hour. Towels for working out and showering are always available and the water is always hot in the shower! I'd recommend to anyone!

In Forma is a great neighborhood gym. I love the variety of fitness classes and the equipment is…read morejust right. They also have a great group of personal trainers - who really know how to motivate and guide you through the process of getting and being fit. In Forma's staff and the members are also very friendly. It's a no-pressure, welcoming gym.