To think 3 hours a day isn't long enough?

[Holiday21woes]

To heat a pool, that is.

I'm currently on holiday in the UK.
Place cost the best part of £1500 for the week (expensive considering its outside school hols - hence I was expecting a premium experience).

The main reason for booking this particular place was that we have a pool to ourselves, no shared use etc. On the website pool is clearly stated as being heated from May onwards.

It is freezing. Weather has been pleasant here today, low 20s, pool still super cold. We have braved it twice but it's painful. Even my DC (over 16) who are pretty hardy and love swimming and being in water could only manage an hour tops.

Contacted the owner on the first day we used it (not our first day here as weather was poor and we didn't go in) and her response was to say it's on for 3 hours a day and she would move the timer to the time we're using it. However that's made no difference, if anything it's colder!

Our previous experience of renting a house and pool was that we had access to the controls ourselves and when it was too cold we turned it up - just like central heating! Not this controlling it remotely and allocating 3 hours a day which seems ridiculous given what I'm paying for the week.

I could have rented somewhere nice anywhere else for virtually half the cost, I've paid well over £500 extra simply in order to have a pool which we can't use.

AIBU to expect it actually to be heated for more than 3 hours?!

@maddening your place sounds lovely please do share x

I'd complain and threaten with reviews etc

However, you wouldn't have found anything for half the price. Prices have been hiked up everywhere

£1500 for a week with a pool seems good value right now

Definitely try to get a refund. How many days do you have left?

Sorry, but this is hilarious: a pp has said above to threaten the owner that you'll sue. I can only imagine the situation: BUT YOUR HONOR, the pool was COLD!

@Mumdiva99

We stayed in an Airbnb with a pool last year. The owner was clear with her wording "Although we heat the pool, this only makes the water slightly warmer: please don't expect it to be hot!" She was right it was still cold. And as we had bad weather it was almost unusable. However we did know the score.... If your owner didn't tell you before hand it's really not fair on you.

Yes! I think this is what I was trying to say. That there can be a misplaced assumption that a ‘heated’ outdoor pool is going to feel warm! And pleasant to use. I would advise anyone to ask before booking what temp the pool is heated to

YANBU. You need to complain and say it’s simply not good enough.

@maddening fancy linking the place you had?

That there can be a misplaced assumption that a ‘heated’ outdoor pool is going to feel warm! And pleasant to use.

A couple of years ago we rented a place in Devon with a big outdoor pool over Easter week. It was kept at 30 degrees. Getting in was lovely. Getting out wasn’t.

After a very disappointing Centre Parcs holiday 5 years ago when the pool was freezing (unusable so with a baby) I now bring a thermometer with me on pool holidays. But I am the Queen of Complaints . Get them told OP!

Ooo can people give links to the good places with pools they’ve been to?? I’m on the hunt for next year!

Ooo can people give links to the good places with pools they’ve been to??

Inevitably, the price has gone up a bit.

whichcottage.co.uk/south-west-england/holsworthy/ratherton-house

No point me linking to ours as it's always fully booked in the school holidays. I've been watching it for a few years and just randomly found a week. I've been watching since and never seen a week..... It was lovely too - kayaks and paddleboards to borrow. A mooring (if you have your own boat). And I can understand why it's always booked.....

I'm a swimmer just been in the sea today apparently it's 17.2 degrees .
A normal pool to be usable 27c for swimming 29/30 c of just getting in a plashing around .

23 degrees is no a heated pool .

Hey OP, did the owner respond?

No reply from the owner as yet.

Am going to go and try the pool in a bit and see if there's been any improvement but am not hopeful!

It's beyond tight of the owner. Pools are not 'that' expensive to run a day.

Pointless penny pinching and bloody miserable.

I'd be raising hell if I'd paid what you had.

If you wanted it at bath temp surely it's up to you? You have paid for it for your holiday!!
We booked a cottage once(Scotland in Oct) where we had to notify the owner for central heating temp changes!! Was bonkers!! Paid £1800 for 2 weeks and needed permission to be warm!!

Swim England recommends the minimum temperature for a pool should be 28 degrees. That would be a competitive pool which is colder than a leisure pool, which Swim England recommends should be 30 degrees. Maybe put that to the owner along with what temperature her pool is.

We once had to set the hearing on the first day with the (impoverishes) aristo owner. It was Baltic and even then she tough we were extravagant!

You need to stop fancying about and be clear "the poor is too cold to use either heat it more or we will be asking for a refund."

I hope it was better for you OP! They should make it clear in the bookings!

It's maybe a degree hotter than yesterday. So a slight difference but not much. There's also about 20 dead spiders in it (yuck) but that's a different problem!

Nothing back from the owner so far.

Write and say you will be contesting the charges with your credit card company. Get the thermometer and start documenting the temps. She will respond.

Yep, I'd also be sending another message making it clear I want the heating on all day tomorrow or you'll be trying for a refund / leaving a bad review / whatever else.

How much would a thermometer from the local chemist cost? Swim England has a definition you can compare with.

You need to be careful with glass thermometers and pools.

If it breaks in the pool, it will have to be drained.

We have to heat our pool for about four hours to get it up to 82 degrees, which is generally considered a pleasant temperature for swimming. And I’m in the US, where the temperature is currently 95 degrees.