I went a few years ago and to say I was scared of water rides the whole experience was incredibleread more

Waterworld 2000 is the best indoor water funpark in the UK. For a big kid like me, it's ideally…read moreplaced about 30 minutes drive away from Alton Towers and I've done a few fun trips to enjoy both attractions on one visit. Waterworld is located in Festival Park, a collection of leisure facilities just off the A500 ring road around Stoke-on-Trent. Fortunately, the dreadful roadworks on the A500 are gradually getting better. I aim to visit out of school holidays and so parking and overcroading hasn't been a problem but I can imagine the waterpark becoming very busy at peak periods. There is a big changing room - you'll need a 50p piece for the lockers (non refundable). There's an air of excitement as you smell the chlorine and hear the screams as you walk up the ramp to the waterpark area. There is a medium sized wavepool and a klaxon signals the start of the waves every 20 minutes. There is also another pool for swimming, splashing and which houses the assault course where you can try to get across the floasting islands. However, the multi-coloured flumes that snake round the park above your head are the main draw for me. There are a couple of twisty flumes where you can pick up quite a lot of speed if you lie down absolutely flat. There is a straight 4 lane slide where you can race your friends and family. I also enjoy the Space Bowl where a short slide ejects you into what looks like a giant toilet bowl, which you gradually circle and eventually plop out (or are flushed out) of the hole at the bottom into a pool! Nucleus was the first water-roller-coaster ride in the UK, where you ride a circuit on a raft and water jets propel you uphill as well as sliding downhill. Another great fun experience are the rapids where powereful water jets propel you round and round a loop - it's really hard to escape once you're in the vortex and there's a sense of camaradrie as swimmers help each other escape at the crucial point near the entrance to the ride. A great lesson on the power of water. There's a cafe serving some light meals and snacks. Near to Waterworld, you'll find other entertainment options including a Wedgewood outlet, cinema, bowling alley and some eating options.

Sienna Spa is the Spa and Health Club found within the Radisson Edwardian, Manchester. Built on the…read moresite of historic barrel vaults, this inner sanctuary has a sense or calm and stillness far removed from busy city life. If you want luxury, pampering and fitness - then this is your place. The spa and health club are never packed full and on numerous occasions I have had the swimming pool to myself. The pool is 1.4m deep and approximately 15 x 10 metres. There is a chill out area surrounding the pool, along with a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. The gym offers a good range of equipment, including two running machines, three cross trainers, four bikes, one rowing machine, two weights machines and more. There is also a weights room for those wanting to focus! After exercising, the changing rooms have powerful hot showers with Gilchrist and Soames shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. Also great hairdressers and straightners for the ladies! Want some pampering? There are various packages - a day or couple of hours etc. Facials and massages tried and tested - and I would highly recommend them. If you go for the Premier club (gym, pool, sauna etc) membership you get a complimentary spa treatments per month - so cool! Lush green apples are beautifully displayed for you to munch on after exercising or your pampering session and two choices of newspapers to read as you chill out. Cost wise - pretty good value for what you get. Love it love it!

Sienna is central Manchester's most luxurious spa facility with its relaxed atmosphere, friendly…read moreand professional staff and contemporary facilities it offers the perfect opportunity to chill out. The club is inside The Radisson Edwardian. The Health Club includes a spacious new gym offering the latest in easy to use fitness equipment. A stunning indoor pool, luxury spa bath, sauna and steam room. Wow!

I mainly go to the gym here and use to go swimming lessons when I was younger. All the staff are…read moresuper helpful in the gym and the swimming lessons were really fun when I was younger. Also in the gym people are super nice

Wrexham Waterworld has a lot of facilities packed into a relatively small building…read more It has one main pool, a 'baby' pool, and a toddler/younger pool. The swimming area also consists of a viewers seating area, a slide, and a 'rapids' area. Swimming lessons are also available, as well as options such as 'ladies only' night. Waterworld also has a fully-equipped gym with changing rooms and showering facilities. The gym currently uses the TechnoGym products, and all are in great condition. The gym isn't huge, but caters for everybody, and all staff are helpful and friendly. There is also a studio where exercise classes take place. Classes are very varied, from yoga to dance, and all instructors are friendly and helpful. Something to suit all tastes. When not exercising, Waterworld also have a cafe just inside at the reception area. This is a great local facility, and if the changing rooms were a little more loved, updated, cleaner, and tidier, I would have no hesitation to give Waterworld 5 out of 5.

So last week a friend of mine suggested to join her for a swim and some workout at her gym (she had…read morea guest pass for me). I am not the biggest fan of working out at all but I do like swimming and with the gorgeous weather in Manchester at the minute that sounded like a great idea! To be honest what I was expecting was a enclosed gym with an indoor pool (like most gyms in the city) but guess what I was wrong and HOW! The minute she drove inside David Lloyd, I knew it was not going to be the usual gym because the entrance itself was grand. We walked in and it seemed like I am walking inside a 5 star hotel or more like the Premiere Clubs back in India (India has some amazing club houses with golf courses, swimming pool. tennis court which were built by the majesty ofcourse). Right at the entrance there is a posh hair and nail Salon with a tanning bed too - so even if you wet your hair and have to go for a party straight after you know you are safe. Inside there was a posh cafe, restaurant and kids care area besides a big Tennis Court, Cricket Pitch, Squash and other private rooms. There is also an indoor and an outdoor pool (hello sunshine), we obviously chose to sun bathe at the latter while I had my prawn salad and peach juice. I also bumped into a friend of mine who is a coach for a cricket team and he told me that a lot of the sports folks in Manchester usually workout here. Everything inside was extremely prim and proper and you definitely feel like royalty when you are inside. The gym itself was massive with almost every equipment under the sun, my only criticism would be its not very well lit and there aren't enough mirrors. You definitely won't come across any creepy gym stalker here because the people here are too posh for that (which in a way can be good, think about it). Verdict : If I had to ever get membership in a Gym it would be this one because its not just a Gym but a lifestyle!

David Lloyd is the 5 star hotel of the gym world. It is all about appearances and the polished…read morewooden parquet flooring and immaculate squash courts look like they will not tolerate their patrons in anything but designer gym gear and the latest trainer. Well, thats me shot then- I am quite happy pumping some iron in my velour tracksuit bottoms from Primark that have seen better days and my faded Superman vest top, but this will not do at David Lloyd, oh no! The receptionists here are a little scary, they remind me of my Home Economics teacher at school who would take no-nonsense from anybody and gym members give audible sighs of relief when they get past these formidable gatekeepers. The gym itself is gorgeous and the facilities are unparalleled. There are 8 indoor and 4 outdoor tennis courts, 4 badminton courts and 3 squash courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a kids' splash pool. The gym is large and full with the latest gym equipment but I find its open plan layout slightly intimidating. You almost feel like a dressage pony on display as you battle the stepper but you can distract yourself with the tv screens dotted around. The wet facilities are superb and I have to admit, I will work out for 30 mins but spend three times as long in the lovely steam room, sauna and whirlpool jacuzzi. David Lloyd is all about the changing rooms; totally gorgeous and clean, they have hairdryers and you don't have to risk electrocution or embarrassment by sticking your head underneath an awkward hand dryer. This is not just a gym, it is a day out! The restaurant is great and you can undo all your good work and have a tasty sandwich or larger lunch if you fancy. There is an internet cafe and a tv lounge to relax in, and a hair and beauty salon- this is a posh home away from home. There is a great creche with lovely staff to mind your cherubs( for a fee of course) and I would totally endorse it. There has to be a but though hasn't there? The "but" here is the membership fee- it is a pricey deal here and I will not lie that you can go abroad for the same amount as the gym's annual fee. My quote for full membership was nearly £900 a year and although there are several levels of membership packages- a useful 3 month flexible membership has caught my eye- you are over paying for the privilege of this place. Posers paradise, stunning sauna, cracking changing rooms and amazing atmosphere is David Lloyd in a nutshell.

I go here often to use the gym. I find the prices VERY good. It costs just £13 for your induction,…read morethen about £2.50 per session. The gym is very state of the art, it has all the usual proper equipment. Running machines, weight lifting, bikes etc. Theres also a lovely swimming pool you can go and cool off in after. The staff are all incredibly helpful too, they help you on the machines as much as they can and explain how everything works.

Great little swimming pool. Gets quite busy at times but the kids seem to love it. Wave machine and…read morewater flumes, decent prices. Can also take swimming classes there. Right next to a lovely big park too.

I can say I've accepted my fate as a lifetime foodie, and therefore have always been applying to…read moregyms. I find the Manchester Aquatics Centre to be up there with the best, in terms of size and accessibility. Conveniently located right off of Oxford road, it's easy to get to by bus (considering there's limited parking on-site). For swimmers: it's an impressive facility with 3 Olympic-size pools, but beware, it is bustling almost every weekend with swim events! Luckily for families, they have a great children's play pool with fountains and small slides. There are also two large water slides, but they've been roped off for quite some time now. For gym junkies: there's an entire (heavy) weight room downstairs, and upstairs you'll find an impressive cardio room, dance studio, functional gym, and plenty of mats for individual workouts. The upstairs stretches as long as the three pools, giving a lot of space for personal fitness. However, the functional gym is quite small - with only one or two machines for each muscle group. So if it's busy, expect to be waiting in between sets. 17-19:30 are the gym's peak hours, mostly quiet over the weekends aside from the humdrum of the swim events. There are plenty of treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipticals and rowing machines for all the cardio-lovers out there, and the gym offers spin classes and a variety of workout classes as well. They also offer affordable monthly/yearly memberships that won't break the bank. The staff is very accommodating to help you find the right kind of membership to suit your personal fitness goals. Also, check out their personal trainers. They're well-qualified, and very friendly!

Sometimes you desperately need a short sharp shock of smushed fruit after your swim. Restorative…read moreVitamin C and lovely stuff. I kind of didn't want to walk all the way over to Amber Café on my way to Petersfield, and I'd noticed the little café at the Aquatics Centre a few times. It seemed to offer way more healthy treats than the archetypal vending machines at the South Manchester leisure centres (hey, they have those too. Hello Nice 'n' Spicy Nik-Naks!), and there was proper coffee too, so I sauntered up to the counter all exhausted with my hair all soggy (I refuse on principle to use my 20ps for hairdryers that wouldn't make a jot of difference to my multilayered thick hair) and asked about their smoothies. They could indeed do them to take away, but they only had about three options available on the generous list which didn't bother me in the slightest. I went for... come on, how could I resist the name?... THE IMMUNISER. It sounds like some kind of *machine*! It incorporated strawberry, kiwi and pineapple, three of my absolute favourite fruits, and it was awesome. Just the right portion and only a little over £2, how can one complain? I'll definitely be using this as regularly as my morning fruit shoot before breakfast. Thanks, Manchester Sports and Leisure! Nom.

Definitely in the classier segment of Gyms & Health Clubs. They do a good job here and everything…read moreis always clean, the equipment is up to date and the staff are friendly. This particular club has a Tennis section as well and the courts are actually pretty good, so if you're a budding Roger or a Andy in the making, get your trainers on and get down to David Lloyd! They would merit a 5 star rating if they were just a little cheaper - individual monthly memberships can be pretty hefty and you're looking at a £60 minimum fee. If you can afford a little more to get a little more, or want a club that has pretty much everything, then DL would be your best bet in Bolton for sure!

Terrible dirty place where if you go now your stuff gets stolen and even your car can go missing…read more Overpriced and out of date facilities where children are not welcome. If under ten then they can use no equipment and the pools only when a lifeguard is on duty which is almost never. This place feels COVID unsecured and I won't be going back there for a long time.