This was an absolutely one of my best experiences - the passion, patience, coaching, guiding of…read moreStewart and Alex was exceptional - I really loved each session. Each week I would look forward to getting in the water and learning more - and practice more! I have come from place of feeling so uncomfortable in the water - to now wanting to get in at every opportunity - if you are sitting on the fence about taking lessons - do it - and take these classes you will not regret it.

I took the beginner open water course while training for my first triathlon. Having mostly swam in…read morea pool/recreationally in the ocean, this course was super helpful in ensuring I had the knowledge of what to look for and how I should expect my body/breathing to behave while swimming bigger distances in open water. Coach Stewart and Coach Joe were super knowledgeable and helpful. They took the time to make sure you were comfortable and gave great feedback for improvement. 10/10 would recommend taking a Swim Smart course for anyone looking to broaden their open water skills!

Way cooler than Clown College, Vancouver Circus School teaches people of all ages and abilities…read more(and flexibilities) the arts of juggling, trampoline, aerial silks, trapeze, acrobatics, hoops, and more. It's been many years since I have done a back bend, but when the opportunity came up to join one of the regularly scheduled Intro to Circus classes, I jumped on it. For joy. I might ache a wee bit now, but had a ball. After a good warm-up and stretch, our class included segments on juggling (including the fluid art of contact juggling - not so much from me, but the instructor was amazing - "Lots of lonely Friday nights," he joked), trampoline, and aerial silks. My favourite part was learning how to make a little cocoon out of the silk - a long piece of fabric that hangs from the ceiling - and spin it around. The owner of the school is an acrobatic/artistic coach for Cirque Du Soleil and the instructors are all working coaches and performers themselves. They've created a happy, airy facility in the River Market with lots of natural light and views over the Fraser River. It was bustling on the night I went - everywhere you looked, someone was doing something amazing: tumbling and flipping across the floor, wrapping themselves around a silk and/or a partner up close to the ceiling, elegantly writhing through the hoops. If you're curious or just want to watch, the troupe gives a free 15-minute performance every Saturday afternoon at the school. As for me, I'm definitely going back for more (hello, I have a Circus School in my 'hood!). The circus beats boring old yoga any day.

My friend texted me saying she bought a Groupon for circus school. I texted back, "WTF."After…read morechecking out the actual Groupon description, my WTF moment softened as I was immediately drawn to Aerial Silks. Which girl doesn't dream of doing something so graceful, especially in the air! The school is located in the River Market in New Westminster, a kind of a new concept culinary destination slash community arts gathering place. It's located on the 2nd floor, right on top of Donald's Market. A great grocery store to get your smoothie fix or power bar when you get hungry. Our Groupon included 3 thirty minute sessions. I started off in Acrobalance, which is floor exercises. We were taught somersaults, shoulder roll, and eventually progressed up to headstand. The instructors are great at easing students with little or no experience into having fun with learning these new skills. Next up was Aerial Silk (what I had been looking forward to!) It was actually surprisingly difficult to accomplish a task that looked relatively simple. Glancing over at the more seasoned acrobats, our group definitely felt a new-found respect for circus performers. Last up, we got to try Trampoline. What can I say? We were bouncing up and down - how could that not be fun? Other stations we didn't get to experience were the Trapeze and Aerial Hoop. All in all, Vancouver Circus School is a great place for everyone. It's an environment that fosters kids to gain confidence and learn new skills. At the same time it's for experience junkies who like to try everything once. And it's great for those who are looking for a fun, recreational way to keep fit. Because really now... would you rather do reps at the gym or bounce on a trampoline?!

I went here for the one day belaying lesson at the climbing gym. I picked this place as they offer…read morelessons at more affordable price (65 CAD) compared to the the other competitor within Greater Vancouver area. Climbing shoes, harness, and grigri rental is included in the lesson price. The instruction given was clear, and helpful. They also tested me by purposely doing things wrong (grigri on the wrong side, the rope is too long, etc), and asked me to verify that everything is good to go. I got the chance to belay the other lesson taker, and the instructor would pointed out what habit I need to fix. After the lesson, I got a piece of paper to review what I learned today. I also got a bit of free time to climb on my own. 7 days trial is included in lesson so that you can climb and practice more. The oval climbing gym offers bouldering (small section), lead, and speed climbing. Pretty solid climbing gym in my opinion!

We toured the interior and it was a pretty amazing. Different sport groups we saw were: ice hockey,…read morebasketball, volleyball, rock climbing, exercise room, yoga. The place is huge with a gift shop on the main entry way. Street parking.

I'm not convinced Aquaventures is worth what they charge (4x the cost of community pools' lessons)…read more After many years of lessons at the community pools, my kid was just not getting the hang of crawl with proper breathing. Her school classmates' parents recommended Aquaventures or Atlantis, as they are much more hands-on, so we sucked up the cost and signed her up for Aquaventures. We have liked that the instructors actually touch and manipulate the kids' arms and legs to help them learn -- there's more focus on proper technique. (The community centre approach at her age is to have them jump in and struggle through it -- the instructor often isn't even in the pool with them.) The teachers for the two sets we've done have also seemed good, and my kid has improved, although not in leaps and bounds. Otherwise I don't feel we're getting our money's worth. The pool and facilities are cramped and old (though this may change with a new facility they're building). It's a small pool, and with 5 or 6 classes for all ages going on at once, it's pandemonium. There's no way for the kids to build endurance or swim for more than 5-10 m at a stretch. They also have to close the pool fairly often, on a moment's notice, for issues with filtration, etc. (This has happened twice now, in 13 weeks of classes. You get a refund but your kid loses the instruction / consistency.) The dressing rooms and seating area are all dumpy and crowded. There are not enough chairs for all the parents and grandparents that turn up. There is free parking but the parking lot is generally full. And for all the extra money, the kids don't get any more time with the instructor that at the community centres. Lessons are only 2/3 the length of those at the community centres (30 min, instead of 45) and there are still 4 kids in each class (vs 6). That works out to 7.5 minutes of instructor attention per kid at both. Honestly the only difference is that the attention at Aquaventures is more hands-on. (For babies, there is no difference whatsoever in what you get at the community centres and Aquaventures. And many of the community pools have warm toddler pools. The only difference is the cost.) Registration is not great, but it is better than the community centres. At least those currently in lessons get priority and their servers don't get slammed at 9:00:01 on registration day. Overall: Good, hands-on teaching with a focus on technique. But overpriced.

I barely have time to shower in my life but I felt compelled to take a moment to write this review…read more My son who is 4 just did his first aquaventures class series. 5 days each week for 2 weeks. I want to say that his instructor Sandra was FANTASTIC. She is just so great with kids- gently brushing their hair out of their eyes when they come up from getting their faces wet, adjusting their little goggles, and taking the time to praise them each time they completed a game. My son needs a little bit of encouragement out of his comfort zone in the water, and I feel like she was the first person to achieve that with him. Even on his off days, she somehow got him in the pool! I should also say she was incredibly patient with the kids too when they had trouble listening. My kid went from not being able to get his face wet, to jumping from a platform into the water in 2 weeks!! He is constantly talking about swimming. The registration process was a bit confusing to navigate at first but we figured it out. Facilities were a bit run down but it didn't bother us and they have a new location opening up next year! Hands down, I would recommend this program and Sandra in particular. I feel like my son has developed in leaps and bounds and we have signed up for fall classes even though they are soooo expensive. I pay what it takes because to me, learning to swim is life and death so it's worth the money to have these people teach your kid to swim. 5 stars for sure.

Best gym I've ever trained at. Great introductory Bjj class for beginners and advanced classes for…read morecompetitive athletes

This martial arts studio is open and welcoming to all people from every walk of life and skill…read more Whether you've never stepped inside or onto a mat all the way to competing at the top level, I cannot put into words how welcoming the owners and students are here. The kids program is the best run BJJ class anywhere in the lower mainland and quite possibly across Canada. Students are drilled with the basics until they are become second nature and executed without any flaw. The program is instructed in a manner to allow the every child to understand the philosophy of various techniques in a manner that relates to their language and comprehension. The kids competition team competes locally, across Canada, in the United States including the most prestigious event in the world... The Kids PANS in Southern California annually. I LOVE THIS PLACE!

Ok forget my previous review - Coach Howie is great ! He would definitely be my go-to if I want to…read morebe hitting at a higher level in the future . Personally I think my basic groundstrokes are quite established , it's just that my cardio's not keeping up at the moment so more work's needed on that front ( too much eating perhaps :D ) . Anyway I received nothing but good advice and helpful suggestions from a veteran who has almost 40 years of coaching experience and was previously one of the top 10 players in BC . Yes one can easily spend hundreds or more on equipment and stuff alone but I'd highly recommend you splurge on lessons instead . You won't regret it .

Yay! They have new staff that are trained! ... since the last time I was here in 2019. Good job…read moremanagement! My review is just on the indoor bubble courts, lighting and cleanliness. All passable for Richmond Public Standards. Compared to the old bubble, it is now much brighter, air is less dusty, cleaner floors and the entrance to the bubble is much wider and you are not squeezed in hugging your bag at the revolving door. I haven't taken classes here before, but to the previous reviewer... 4 classes at $80 for a group class is value. Learning tennis fundamentals takes years and if one was more aggressive and adamant, I'd suggest one take private lessons and find people to practice with. A beginner course is an intro class and exposes one to the sport, not a crash course. A crash course for any level would be in the thousands.

This review is about club house. We stopped by around 3:15pm and stayed until closing (5pm)…read more The customer pays at the cashier first, and they will give you a number card. We can choose where to sit and the servers will bring the orders looking at the table number card. The cashier and server's attitude were not overly friendly. It was like more concession stand mood. But it's ok. Because it's public place and no frills. We ordered two pieces of Cod Fish and chips. It was alright. the patio was surrounded by beautiful flowers and they add more depth for the dishes. The view is wonderful, too. They have carpet indoor dining room but I highly recommend outside seats.

This is a review only for the food served at the clubhouse. I did not golf here though S golfed…read morehere very often and liked the course. The view from the clubhouse was very pretty, especially when flowers were in bloom. You could dine indoors or out at the patio. As it was a nice evening, we decided to sit outside. It is not really a full service place. You go to the counter to place your order and they will bring the food out. Maybe they are also short staffed but many tables were not cleared when we were there. I had the burger with fries which was ok, nothing outstanding. S had the hot wings which he did not really like. He said my burger was better. I had also walked the trail a few years ago and you do have to be careful and watch where you are going. Go with someone as it can be very quiet inside the area.

What a great place to learn how to play golf! Our instructor, Cookie LaO, is amazing at what he…read moredoes. The video playbacks are really helpful, too, since you can watch yourself swing the club and improve the way you swing/posture. You can book a time slot here to practice swinging on your own and maximize using the computer recordings to get better at playing golf!

I will never be able to quit my day job but 6 months later I can see improvements to my golf play…read more The digital readings with video replay with private lessons and self practice sessions package helped me better understand and see what I was doing, and what I should be doing.  Still working on the latter. Lol!  Norman was fantastic as a coach. He was personable and encouraging.