AttractionsKidsPlay Centres and Soft Play

Pyramids Centre Portsmouth Review

PyramidsPyramids Centre
Portsmouth

www.pyramids.co.uk

Reviewed by Nicola Mccallum

The Pyramids Centre in located along Southsea promenade and cuts a distinctive sight with its glass pyramid shaped roof. In the area it is known for its leisure pool but I was surprised to find it also had a soft play, gym, spa, dance studio 2 cafes as well as being able to cater for live music events and has three function suites.

The Pyramids Centre is easy to find and is well signposted once you reach the seafront. There is a dedicated car park just for those using Pyramids and due to its prime location on the seafront there are plenty of alternative car parks that could also be used all within walking distance of the centre. All the car parks are pay and display which do offer alternative means of payment should you be lacking in change.

The entrance to the leisure pool was bright and airy which also consisted of a café area and a small shop. The shop had a good variety of items for sale ranging from swimwear to goggles and toys with hot and cold food available at the café along with a selection of drinks could also be purchased. The area was clean and tidy despite us arriving late in the day and I also noticed at the back of the café were a selection of toys which could be used to entertain children. As a mother of three boys I find this attention to detail to refreshing especially as in the past I have avoided coffee shops as I am unable to finish a cup of coffee without at least one of them getting up to mischief.

I was very apprehensive at my decision to take the boys swimming as I have only ever visited the complex once before and that was several years ago before the arrival of my twins. With an 8 year old and twins aged 4 I am first to admit I have my hands full and as a single parent I am largely outnumbered in the parent to child ratio. Unsure of the layout I found the entrance well signposted showing me the way to the soft play area and the changing rooms. The pool is a largely open area where spectators can sit by the pool side and watch with a pool side café where hot food, snack and drinks can all be purchased too. On the sight of the pool with flumes and fountains my boys were eager to go straight in.

The changing rooms consisted of a large communal area with more than enough lockers to stow away belongings which led to toilets and shower facilities. The changing facilities consisted of a large open plan area with benches, hair drying facilities with a number of large cubicles which had plenty of space to comfortably fit myself and my three boys. There was plenty of space and more importantly they were all clean and well presented.

The leisure pool consists of three areas, a large swimming pool with a sloping gradient, a splash pool and a teaching pool. The boys waded straight in to the large pool and with its slopping gradient my twins were able to go as far as they felt comfortable with and I didn’t have to worry about them jumping into the pool in an area that was too deep for them. The pool temperature was so pleasant I did not have to go through my usual silly routine of making strange noises as my body adjusts to being submerged in cool water. It was pleasantly warm without it being too hot. Even the large sprinkler fountain which my boys decided to camp under was also of the same warm temperature.

There are a number of different activities available for those using the pool, during our visit we enjoyed the wet and wacky session. This compromised of the pool being filled with a variety of different floats and inflatables along with times where the wave machine was turned on which caused great excitement with not only my boys but with other bathers too . After spending 40 minutes in the main pool the boys realised that there were also two flumes and a splash pool to explore and enjoy too.

While all three of my boys are confident in the water I am aware my twins are still quite small and need a lot more supervision so when faced with the prospect of the flumes I was a little worried. I spoke with the friendly informative lifeguard who gave me sound advice. I could go down the flume first with one twin and then stay in the splash out pool to collect the second twin as he came down with my eldest. It was nice to see a practical approach to the flumes rather than the usual height restrictions as it I often find that it does not account for younger children who are competent swimmers or older/tall children who not confident in the water.

The splash pool fits with the generic fun theme of the main pool. With the pool being just above ankle deep it also has some little slides and water jets to keep little ones amused without having to venture out into the main pool.

Throughout my visit there were plenty of lifeguards who seemed in control of everything that was going on in the pool area. I noticed on one occasion an incident occurring while the wave machine was on and within seconds the wave machine was turned off, helped was called and the incident dealt with in timely fashion.

Before long we had spent close to 2 hours in the pool and with soft play still to try it was time to leave the pool, get a bite to eat before it was time to head home. When we left the pool we headed to the shower area and I was surprised to be a little disappointed as our experience had been so positive so far. On this occasion there seemed to be some sort of issue with the showers. On arrival none of the showers seemed to be coming on and when they did they went from ice cold to uncomfortably hot, they did eventually settle down to a constant temperature but only for a short amount of time when the showers stops working again and we went through the hot cold cycle again.

Pyramids1

Once we were eventually showered and changed we went to try out the pool side café. There were several hot food options available and the meal deals were all reasonably priced. Our intention was to try out some of the hot food meal deals they had on offer but due to staff shortages that evening hot food was no longer being served so we had to settle for some snacks and a drink. With three boys feeling weary after our long swimming session we made our way to try out the soft play and we were not disappointed. Situated over three floors with an area for babies it appealed to my 8 year old and my twins. There were plenty of slides, tunnels a rope bridge and a ball pit to keep the children entertained. With three tired children after our swim session I was pleased to see that the soft play closed at 5pm giving me a good reason for us to leave before we hit the wall of having three overtired children.

Overall my experience at Pyramids was better than I expected and seemed to go smoothly which is something that does not happen often with my three tearaways. We experienced the wet and wacky pool session but I would not hesitate to try some of the other sessions on offer such as the super splash sessions or the inflatable session. Having such an enjoyable experience in a venue that is clean, well presented with friendly informative staff I would certainly consider using the other facilities available such as the spa and the gym.

Prices for what are on offer are good value for money. A family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children cost £17.50 with a time constraint only imposed during busy periods. During these busy periods a time constraint of a maximum time of 2 hours where a banding system is in operation still gives the customer plenty of time to make full use of everything the pool has to offer.

I would certainly recommend Pyramids to all families with children of all ages and I have already promised my three that we can all come back again soon, providing they are good of course. I would give Pyramids 4 out of 5 for this visit with slight issue with the showers and the unfortunate event that we were unable to order hot food from the café being the reasons behind not giving the centre 5 out of 5.

Rating: 4/5

For more information and latest prices visit www.pyramids.co.uk.

Pyramids Centre, Clarence Esplanade, Portsmouth, PO5 3ST | 023 9279 9977

4 Star

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