So the swimming season started again (well kinda last Tuesday, but it turned cold again which is…read moreApril is meant to be like.. frustrating weather). Club house private swimming pool is great, but public swimming pool gives you an exclusive and unique perk you can't get from a private pool - an Olympic-size 50m swimming pool. You make less turns, you are more engaged to swim in a longer distance, and you actually improve your skills really quickly here. I like the pool and there is almost nothing to complain about. The changing room is a bit of a chaos at the peak hours, and a lot of old dudes just don't mind hanging their "thing" in the air walking around. Also, if you are a serious swimmer, you would want to be at the lapping lane so that people swim in one, circular direction. But still, there are often some super slow swimmers blocking everyone's way, or some freestyle arseholes who think they are super fast and cut you off every single lap. But on a good day, everyone usually at around the same pace and it's pleasant to swim there. As an extra perk, there is also a huge balcony, where if you are lucky (or get off work early!) you can have a sunbath here to get tan a bit, even though you have been swimming in an indoor swimming pool. By the way no, no need to say hi to me if you see me at the changing room.

Good pool, not too shallow like the one in Kennedy Town…read more But the stand out feature is the balcony overlooking the harbour. Perfect place to sit and relax after a good swim.

I like swimming in Hong Kong, because the public pools make it incredibly easy to do so. Morrison…read moreHill public swimming pool is one such pool. Located in Wan Chai, it's not the easiest pool to get to - it's a bit of a walk from the MTR, but then, nothing is really that far away Hong Kong, is it? Entry to the swimming pool is via cash or octopus card at the turnstile, at this moment it is HK$19. You also don't have to be a member of a club, or a Hong Kong resident, to enjoy using the pool. It really is totally public in the best sense of the word. The pool itself is 50m, and is fairly wide, so it has a number of lanes. At any given time, a number of these lanes may be rented out for classes, or club swimming, but there will always be a few lanes reserved for public "walk-in" swimmers. There's usually at least a fast lane and a slow lane, so you shouldn't get stuck behind some body who's technique is just a shade over drowning. Word of warning; in Hong Kong the definition of swimming fast seems to be a leisurely breaststroke. If you want to get any serious training done in a public pool, you may have to be a little bit obnoxious and swim past people, or you may be better off actually joining a club anyway. As well as the main pool, and there is a small children's training pool, and a toddler's pool. The other facilities at Morrison Hill pool are fairly rudimentary, there are two large changing rooms, one women's and one men's (obviously). They have toilet facilities and many shower cubicles with hot water, but no air conditioning, only giant fans that blast warm air around the changing rooms. If you get a sweat on when you're swimming, expect to be sweating all the way back home or to the office. The pool offers viewing facilities for competitions, and of course this can be used at any time by parents or those not wanting to swim. Also, life guards are on duty during the sessions. Working out of the swim times can be a little bit confusing, depending on cleaning days and public holidays, but the website is kept up to date, so do a quick check to make sure that you are going on a day where there is actually some swimming available. Fortunately, the pool is indoor, so there is no change in timings between Winter and Summer.

Wow was I pleasantly surprised with this facility!…read more I would never really imagine a public swimming pool in HK to be as good as this. It was super clean, and the people that were there were there to swim. It was not overcrowded like you'd imagine it would be on a Sunday. There is a 50m standard pool that's covered, and a smaller outdoor pool that seemed popular with the children and families. The 50m pool goes up to 1.9m deep. The lockers, changing and shower areas are also very clean and relatively dry. Would definitely go back if I need a swim fix.

The gym is smaller than the professional ones, but it is very clean and well equipped. Staff at…read morethe fitness centre is very helpful and courteous, especially Johnny who is one of the most helpful staff I have seen. Keep up the good work!!

I love coming to the swimming pool at the SCAA on weekday mornings! It costs HK$28 per entry to the…read morepool, which is a little bit more than the public swimming pools, but it's worth it (this is an extra fee on top of the SCAA membership fee). The water is just so much cleaner than the Victoria Park swimming, the locker room is much bigger and less cramped. You do need to bring your own amenities: towel, shampoo/conditioner/soap, and a lock for the locker, but it's quite easy to manage. If you want to do lap swimming, there are specific lanes for it - look for "circle lap swimming" yellow signs.

I never realized the value of having a sports club sponsor a rugby team up until recently. I've…read moreplayed rugby for Causeway Bay and for many years all we had was a changing room and a couple of showers. Hong Kong Football Club has... Hong Kong Football club and a few other teams have their own fancy clubs. Some how we managed to get the SCAA on board and since then I've discovered things about the place I would have never imagined. It has a huge range of facilities, including bowling as well as the other more boring sports like badminton... or squash. There are also a couple of restaurants within the complex that cater to different preferences in terms of cuisine and cash flow. Most of the time I go there (with my team) to eat in their new Inside Out restaurant, a simple place that serves great burgers, lots of beer, and has one sports or another playing on big screens. It was obviously designed to support sports teams as it's partitioned off from the rest of the floor, which happens to be a DIY barbecue. It's certainly better off that way, for safety reasons, considering the amount of alcohol consumed during the meal. And there was me, walking by the place twice a week thinking why on earth would people want to join that place just for a driving ranger?! It turns out there is a lot more than meets the eye and still more for me to experience. It's a great place to go with a group of friends for a list of occasions - drinking games while golfing, a hardcore gym workout, or just a meal with the family, it's got it all.

My experience with Stanford Swimming School, specifically at the International French School in…read moreTKO, was very poor. After agreeing with them to keep my son enrolled through the winter - with the school pressing us to do so - the school failed to follow up on their part of the bargain, specifically around the availability of a coach my son particularly liked. We decided to withdraw him from the class and the school agreed to give us a refund for the lessons he did not attend. However since December we have not seen any of the promised money and the School admin keep coming up with excuses implying that the payment is being processed. Which is obviously not true. I have lost all my trust in them and definitely do not recommend anyone to use their service.

Run by the Stanford Swimming Club, there is a little-known swimming pool out in Pok Fu Lam, in the…read morebasement of a local shopping centre called Chi Fu Landmark. I say a little unknown, as it seems to only be frequented by dive clubs, children's swimming classes, and a handful of local residents who are obviously in the know. However, it is a real gem of a swimming pool. Unlike appearances (seemingly to be only for club and class swimming), the pool is in fact open to the public, with a membership of course. Unlike many of the HK public pools, as it is a privately run business, the facilities are clean and well kept. The pool is 25m long, and nearly as wide. Deepest is 2.3m, with shallow areas at both ends. The pool is kept nicely warm, with the dry area suitable air conditioned. The pool itself is in lanes, so even when there are classes, there is usually somewhere for individual swimming. There are lockers (HKD20 refundable deposit), hot showers, but no vending machines or water fountains. There is a food court and a Park n Shop just outside in the Chi Fu Landmark, so snacks and drinks are readily available. Membership starts at HKD280pcm, with a HKD28 per swim. Their website is now in English, but seems to only cover the classes service.