To think a luxury spa break does not include kids

[WildSideWalk]

DD kindly bought us a spa break for my recent big birthday, I know it cost her quite a lot and we were both really looking forward to it. We went this weekend and had a good time but the spa part was ruined by the fact that children were allowed in the pool area which meant it was more like being at the local
leisure centre than the relaxing experience advertised - between the screaming and splashing and the performance parenting it really spoilt the day for us.

AIBU to think if you sell your venue as luxury and relaxing children shouldn’t be allowed?

I think places like that normally only allocate a couple of hours per day (eg 4-6pm) where the children staying at the hotel can play in the pool. Did you check with staff when the child free pool times are?
Tbh I see it both sides - defo don't want noisy kids on a spa break and so I'd check the times, but also, if you're staying at the hotel with kids, it's fair that they get a chance to use the pool too.

This sounds like a nice hotel which has a spa and a pool, rather a hotel which is marketed purely as a spa hotel, if that makes sense?

I think 'Come to our luxury hotel, we have a spa and a swimming pool you can use while you stay' is a slightly different offer from 'Come to our luxury spa hotel'. I'd expect there to be kids in the pool at a nice hotel, but I wouldn't expect there to be kids in the pool (certainly not all the time, anyway) at a hotel marketed solely as a spa venue.

I'd probably find a bit irritating too, but I don't think I'd automatically assume that it would be a child-free thing. I'd check first.

It's annoying but if it was attached to a general hotel the onus is on you to check I'm afraid.
I've had spa experiences like that and totally agree it detracts from it so I try and do spas where that's what it's main job is and therefore there's no kids.

I went to a luxury spa place that made it very clear that kids might be in the pool between certain hours. Didn't they?

Sounds very nice. If it's a child-friendly hotel they normally have child-free blocks.

YABU for "performance parenting". Do you mean people interacting with their children? I know that's annoying. But children should be interacted with. If they were left to their own devices I'm sure you'd have a different set of complaints. It doesn't sound luxury - but was it ever described as such? To you or to your daughter who gifted it to you?

I used to belong to a hotel leisure club. I left because they started renting out half the not very big pool to a succession of baby swim classes including during times when it was supposed to be adults only. There was no space to swim and was chaos around the pool with lots of pushchairs and spectators. Then there was the awful songs that they sing.

The other day I was surprised to see them offering luxury spa breaks on a voucher site. It makes me very wary of anywhere calling itself a "luxury spa".

It was booked through Spaseekers and definitely advertised as a luxury spa where you could enjoy a relaxing experience when in fact it was as described above, a nice hotel with a spa.

Sorry if ‘performance parenting’ irritates anyone, I agree kids need interaction but we all know the type who do that for the benefit of everyone around as much as for the kid.

Just cross that our break was spoilt, DD is a student and it was a lot of money for her to spend.

If it’s a general hotel there will be children in the pool. To get an actual spa break, you need to go to an adult only hotel that has a spa focus.