Spending all day at the pool?

[longestlurkerever]

I'm aware this post is going to come across as judgy and I genuinely don't mean it to be as fully aware my holidays probably sound shit too, but I am curious about what people mean when they say they spend all day by the pool on holiday as i think i must have the wrong end of the stick. I bloody love pools and swimming and go most days even at homr but after an hour I'm ready to get out and dry and into the shade. Isn't it a bit uncomfortable spending all day in the pool? And even if you include "by" the pool, isn't it difficult to relax while there are kids playing and shouting and splashing you? And are the kids just nagging you to get back in the whole time? It's these kinds of reasons I've never been on a resort holiday or to center parcs but everyone I know seems to enjoy them and say the kids have a ball, so wonder if I'm missing out based on misconceptions.

Love pool days. Just back from two weeks away and tended to alternate pool day, half beach day, half pool day. It was blisteringly hot at the beach.

Get up, have breakfast, go to pool, chill for a bit, get in pool, read, drink, lunch, get in pool, read, people watch, get in pool repeat.

My kids love being in the pool. They'd be in all the time if we let them but we do make them have a break every hour just to get some shade.

I do shorter breaks for culture etc.

You see, I hate the beach. I tolerated it when DSs were small but now, no thank you. I get sandy, my skin is a horrible mess due to the salt water and sun cream combo and I can’t read without wrecking the book.

But a pool. Where I can sit in the shade with a book keeping half an eye on DSs (now big enough to be in the pool without us) and send them back inside when they want a drink or need the loo (one of my least favourite holiday memories is running up with beach with a three year old who was crying because he needed a poo right now and the beach loos were 15 minutes away).

We like a 2-destination holiday - a few days doing something active (eg visiting a city, doing some kind of sport, one year we went on safari), followed by a few days chilling by the pool. We feel like we've "earned" the relaxation bit! My kids are teens so they don't nag me to get in the pool with them. I do like a beach too - the ideal is to have both!

I’ve never done that sort of holiday with children because I think it would be awful. I asked my teen once and she was firmly against. It’s an adults kind of holiday and I only do it at adults only resorts. The kind of place where people will bring you drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, and where you can find a wonderful shady spot to read all day and take dips in the pool to cool off.

Yeah blisteringly hot at the beach is why we are staying in Wales this year! But Northern Portugal worked well last year except that some days the waves were too dramatic for safety.

I have 1 pool loving dc and 1 beach lover. We alternate to please them both. It's easier to do pool days compared to when they were little now they're older.
Pool day:
Breakfast
Sunbed
Read
Dip for about an hour
Read
Dip
Lunch
Dip
Read etc

Beach day pretty similar, but more walking.

My job requires a lot of interaction, then I come home to 3 and 5yo DDs, so the idea of sitting by a pool reading without having to talk to anyone is BLISS. Won’t happen though for a good few years but yes, I could absolutely download 14 books on my Kindle and just read two a day in the sun for a week.

Depends on the age of your kids though. We went to a Eurocamp at the start of the summer holidays, and found that the DDs could happily play together in the shallow pool while we watched them. Ditto at my DF’s pool; happy to play there for a few hours, longer if they have friends with them, with us adults just dipping in and out when hot. I’m hopeful that I might be able to progress to laying and reading by the side of the pool once the youngest can swim independently.

It’s also personality based. DH cannot sit all day and rest - when on holidays before children he used to take himself off on long walks in the afternoons while I read in the sun. Some people are designed for pool relaxation and some are not.

Holidays are about activities for me, ideally learning a new / honing an existing skill.

Fortunately , being 'By the pool' is DSis's favourite holiday. She is even prepared to look after any number of DC in order to avoid the kind of activities which are the whole purpose for me.

win:win

DSis also says the pool is better because she doesn't enjoy 'sand getting everywhere'.

Then we discovered the Ideal spot to cater for all of us Club La Santa in thanks, I pay for us both to use the recently refurbished 'wellness centre' so we get some time together.

Salt wall sauna and the underwater massage jets just bliss after my efforts. No idea why she enjoys it but I'm very grateful.

I love a fly and flop holiday. Nothing better than sunbathing with a book by the pool all day. Our DC have grown up now so it's just me and DH. We get there around 10, perhaps have a coffee, read, dip, relax and repeat till lunch. Then do the same in the afternoon until 4 ish. Evenings are for walking, bar hopping and dining.

I am not a laying by the pool person but DP is. I like a pool day but get very bored. I once went on holiday with a group and that’s all they did. No exploring the culture, just the hotel for 14 days. I was a lovely hotel.

Now with DP and we compromise. He loves a package holiday and I am not keen. So we tried each others holiday ideas first. First holiday he came with me was exploring Italy. He had never done a multi city travel 2 weeks using local transport. He liked it but felt it wasn’t relaxing. I then went to Spain for next holiday which was an all inclusive resort. Didn’t mind it, but got bored.

so now we make sure there is something close by to explore to break up the days and add in trips. Mexico for 14 days we did 5 trips resided by the pool and were in a gated town so could explore

this year off to Egypt, which will be similar as Mexico.

I love pool days but will often do one day exploring one day at the pool. That generally means swimming in outdoor pool which generally has a gorgeous view at ones I choose and few kids now mine are older, swimming in the sea and kayaking at the sea. I don't sunbathe or read books.

When kids were younger we did the waterpark ones which are good fun, again day on site, day exploring.

We are away at the moment and it's bliss. It's a fairly adult hotel which embraces but doesn't cater to children. No inflatables, no screeching, a couple of kids but that's it. Spent a lovely day by the pool with an audio book and ordering drinks. Moved the parasol when necesssary to create shade.

I really don't get why people pay a fortune to go abroad to just lounge by a pool all day, every day. At least alternate by renting a car or a driver for a couple of days and go out and see some of the country, visit beaches and come back and spend a couple of hours by the pool mid afternoon before aperitif and dinner.

Well we have a family villa with our own pool so no other families to contend with but yes, we sometimes spend most of the day out by the pool. The kids play in the water while we take it in turns to supervise, play games, read, snooze etc.

I think it very much depends where you go.
I've been to one place over the years where it was true hell by the pool. Crammed, hot, noisy, drunk people, wild is and teens ( I have children so that's not the issue). There are plenty of really well laid out resorts where is relaxing, spacious, chilled with comfortable loungers, umbrellas, pool service and not mental busy and busy.
It can be lovely to be by the pool in these resorts as much as on a nice beach.
I think the trick is to find a hotel that fits a specific profile. I take my children but am careful not to pick "family hotels" bigger resorts with no water slides etc and lots of restaurants, bars etc and multiple pools work. It's tricky but certainly do able for a trial to see if you like it.

This 100%

I'm aware this post is going to come across as judgy

Yup, it does.

I love the idea of a day beside the pool, frequent dip, good book, drinks…

Within two hours I am ‘where can we walk to, what can we see?’

A resort, on its own, without a local town, is my worst nightmare. I feel ‘institutionalised’!

I also want to experience life abroad, other cultures, local food. I was surprised that some of our fellow guests had flown from the UK to Phuket and spent full days beside the pool!

You know that it’s possible to spend a day by the pool and do all of that other stuff on the same holiday?
We do loads of exploring/sightseeing/eating out etc, which means sometimes the kids need a day the pool to chill and recharge.

My holiday routine is:
Coffee in the restaurant
Gym
Shower
Pool
Lunch
Pool
Nap
Dinner
Bar

Tennis : sports : boat tours to thrown in but mostly reading as i tan

I find the exhaustion from a great morning workout helps me mentally relax

Plus we go child free pools - hate being near young kids on holiday

I like a nice swim after a day's interesting sightseeing. I like to read, but I don't like sitting around in a wet costume to do it, or in too much heat.

why is every mumsnet child an avid reader? I tried!

I hate pools, the sunbathing area is always too hot, there are sunbeds wars and everyone is on top of each other not to mention the noise. I much prefer to take my book to the beach where there is sea breeze, I can walk along the shore and people watch all in a lovely setting and actually feel like I'm somewhere different. Other days I like to sightsee. I never book all inclusive though as I like food too much to limit myself to a hotel.