Places to go in and around Southampton (Southampton in General)

Member Name: Jack1

Product:	Southampton in General
Date:	25/07/01 (4865 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lots to do, variety of facilities

Disadvantages: its more or less for one age group

The all new West quay

The new west quay centre has now been open for all you shop-o-holics to use. However all the hype about how brilliant it is because it’s so big and brilliant is now dying off. If you are going to spend a day in Southampton then west quay is a good place to set up camp. This is because it has on the third floor a whole array of places to eat such as mc Donald’s, K.F.C and pizza hut for teenagers and more sophisticated restaurants for the adults to use, such as Italian restaurants. However on this floor there is not enough seating. Lots of people end up sitting on the floor while trying to eat!!! This could have been resolved because all the way through west quay there is a huge whole!!!

The problem with west quay is it’s so big and all the stores are spaced out. There are several good stores in west quay you just have to spend a while searching for the shops. But on the first floor there are some good shops such electronics boutique and tower records. And on the second floor there are shops such as M&S and Gap

However this shop has been very well situated so that if you do get fed up of searching for shops them you can just walk out from the doors and there are some other well known shops just around it such as Woolworth’s, H.M.V and pink planet game exchange.

The Swan centre

In the centre of Eastleigh is the Swan shopping centre, which was opened in 1989.

It is light, airy and attractively decorated. Inside are a whole host of major high street names under one roof. For example you will find Tescos, Boots, Littlewoods and our price also local independent shops. There are several small specialist outlets, which include gift shops, opticians, jewellers and so on.

There are also a variety of first class restaurants. And cafes where you can have anything from a drink to a snack or a three-course meal! One of these restaurants is a stylish French café set which
is set in the octagon of the swan centre and is a great place to relax or wait for someone and is set in a convenient part of the centre.

Again if you get board with the centre just step out side and you find yourself in the main shopping precinct of Eastleigh with plenty of affordable parking around as well.

Bargate

In Southampton a good shopping centre is Bargate.

This is a pretty good place for students and teenagers to go to as there are Live Bands, competitions, video walls and DJ’s combined with Surf shops, and the internet café, club gear and urban gear stores. And it’s all in the centre of town. There are some great shops in Bargate to go to have fun like the Sega park, Miss Selfride, Gateway, Just add water, Moist, Mirage, Essential, Gosh, Saints shop, Fat Face, Nail Bar, Foot work shoe company and smells bells and doodahs. Go and find them all in Bargate, and more.

Ocean Village

Ocean village attracts over two million visitors a year and is one of the countries biggest waterfront developments that combines homes, businesses and leisure facilities.

The enclosed Canute’s Pavilion provides an area for numerous shops, bars, restaurants and attractions. Choose from factory outlets such as Tog 24 to independent retailers selling gifts, antiques, gems, handmade chocolates, books, fashion and mobile phones. As well as that, there is also a beauty salon, unisex hairdresser and a shop called Dillon’s convenience store.

The restaurants and bars are among the most popular in the area, providing food ranging from a quick snack to a romantic a la carte, menus.

Choose from Spanish Italian and French cuisine and traditional English food including the world famous Harry Ramsdons Fish and Chips.

There is also a 17,000sq ft Way out West American-themed family Entertainment centre, which combines the flavour of the Wild West with high tech entertainment. That r
eally is a first of its kind centre.

You can also, while you’re there take a walk because the view over the water form ocean village is really spectacular.

The Marlands

The Marlands centre has every shop possible really. Cloths, accessories, furniture, home furnishings and toy stores including the Disney store and the entertainer. There is very little there that you cannot buy.

When you get fed up of shopping you can all ways relax at Brophy’s coffee shop on the ground floor or the food court on the first floor.

If you go there shopping for cloths you will not be disappointed. On the ground floor there is Bay Trading, Benetton, Pilot, West One Mk1, Negozio rocco, Mcqueens withit, Dunnesstore and Adams. On the first floor you will find Legends and Bodyguard. The Bargate is also a great place for accessories too with shops like Raw shoes, Claires accessories, and F hinds the jewellers.

Also in the Marlands there is plenty of parking with its 800 space car park The Marlands is open Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 5:30 pm and from 11:am to 4pm on a Sunday. With so much choice the is defiantly worth a visit.

Mega Bowl

Mega bowl is a very popular place with younger people. Besides its huge amount of bowling alleys there, there is a large amusement arcade with all sorts of coin machines. There is even a little casino section for adults.

At the far end there is a fast food café where you can also reserve tables for birthday meals and kids can meat the Mega Bowl mascot on there birthday.

Two other popular things to do there are laser quest and the crystal maze.

The crystal maze is based on the channel 4 television series and is an interactive experience where you and you friends are put into teams and the aim is to get as many crystals as possible. The amount you get is then stored on a card, which you put into a computer at every challenge poin
t.

The laser quest zone is where you are all given guns, which shoot out a laser beam. The object is to shoot your opponents packs as many times as possible and avoid having yours being hit. The results of who won and came second, third, fourth and so on are displayed on the screen.

Mega bowl is well worth a visit and is good fun for kids and teenagers.

Leisure world

This is quite anew centre but is very good. Its main facilities are its multiplex cinemas, which are of very good quality. There you can watch pretty much all the films currently showing and even the ones that have stopped showing in smaller cinemas.

However as well as that there is also a large coin arcade, which has several good machines and several bowling alleys. Where you can have fun playing on the machines or bowl in the dark with luminous balls or just have a good time bowling normally.

Also there is a whole host of bars and pubs for example, scrumpy jacks and even a very large casino for those aged over 18 years old.

The Rapids

This is a large complex in Romsey. Its main feature is the swimming pool, which includes a large flume, three different sections of the pool, the learning zone, the water zone and the rapids zone.

The learning zone is a shallow small pool where you can take children to get used to the water. The water zone is a shallow area, which consists of a whole host of sprinklers and water pumps as well as a waterfall from the Jacuzzi and access to the flume. The rapids area is a large pool where you can do lengths, until the rapids are turned on and then you get sucked round in a circle. A sprayed buy several water pumps in the side of the wall.

Also inside is a large gym and a sauna room and a steam room. As well as another bigger, more private Jacuzzi where you can work out as much or as little as you want until and then relax in the Jacuzzi or steam/sauna room.

As wel
l as that there are four tennis courts and two squash courts where you can get lessons or you can hire them out, and there are rackets available for hire.

Plus for the younger kids there is a playground with swing and other various things for children to play on as well as a crazy golf course where you pay for one go round and balls and clubs are available for hire.

And on top of that there is a cricket pitch for the local club to play on and at the far end a skate park with a whole array of jumps and ramps for them to use.

The Romsey Rapids is very well equipt and is well worth a visit. A to of people go there as shown in my survey.

Summary: