Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth, NEW FACILITIES! (Mountbatten Centre)

Member Name: Ostinato

Product:	Mountbatten Centre
Date:	13/06/09 (398 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fairly cheap, friendly, improving on already good facilities.

Disadvantages: Few teething problems, pool gets very busy at times.

The Mountbatten Centre has just had a multi million pound revamp, to bring it up to date as a prospective training centre for use in the London 2012 Olympics. It is currently hoped that a team will base themselves here in the period leading up to the games.

The main new "attraction" is a 50m (Olympic sized) swimming pool, with a movable boom, which can divide the pool into too 25m and 23m pools, and moveable floors for varying depths. (Timetable and/or contacting the centre can confirm the pools status as it varies throughout the day.) There is also a brand new training pool, used for some lessons, children, and also has facilities to assist disabled swimmers to get in and out of the water.

The lockers/changing room are unisex, which was a bit strange at first, but you soon get used to it and there's plenty of cubicles to change in, or if you prefer, male and female toilets. There are also accessible changing facilities.

Facilities wise, the only thing they could do with is a few more showers, but hopefully when it's been open a bit longer and the novelty effect has had time to wear off a bit, and when I've worked out the quieter time, this will be less of a problem!

The pool can get very busy at times, it was very very busy during half term week, especially when the free for under 16s sessions were on. I believe over 60s get free sessions too, under a new government scheme. This is worth bearing in mind, as unless you are a member, you may end up having to wait a while to get in the pool at the busiest times. (No band system operates currently.)

There is also a brand new gym, which is very nice, and sauna, jacuzzi, sunbed, and steam room facilities are available in this area too. It's very relaxed, so I find it preferable as a casual gym user, the atmosphere is really positive, and I've certainly not felt out of place in there at any point.

Membership including gym + swimming and a few other bits and pieces, the advantage of being able to swipe yourself straight in without queueing to pay, a few members only sessions, and priority on booking for classes/facilities, and discounted rates costs £39.50 per month, plus a £50 starter fee, currently. I feel this is good value for money as I was paying just over £10 a week on swimming, and so I get my moneys worth, plus free use of the gym and other facilities whenever I want to use them...also, it's a huge incentive to go when you're paying for it monthly!!

Also, this is on top of the already great facilities offered by the existing centre, including track and field, squash, dance, trampolining, circuit classes etc etc etc!

Summary: Very pleased with what I have seen so far, hopefully teething problems will be resolved shortly :)