saltwater vs freshwater swimming pools

tarheelbaby · 2025-06-19T19:32:52+00:00

Does anyone have experience of saltwater pools at hotels/resorts in Greece? Are they just like 'regular' pools but with different chemicals?

kielifor · 19/06/2025 21:27

Not in Greece but we once went to a hotel in the canaries with a salt water pool. It was a huge pool, there was a tiny freshwater pool as well.
DC were about 9/10 and would normally spend the entire holiday in the pool. They jumped into the big saltwater pool, jumped out again and flatly refused to go in again. As did everyone else in the hotel. Huge empty pool and tiny pool rammed with people. It spoiled the holiday really.

Lots of people will say it's fine, you can't tell the difference. It wouldn't bother me as I swim in the sea but after that I made sure when booking holidays never to go anywhere with a salt water pool again.

mummysmagicmedicine · 19/06/2025 21:27

kielifor · 19/06/2025 21:27

Not in Greece but we once went to a hotel in the canaries with a salt water pool. It was a huge pool, there was a tiny freshwater pool as well.
DC were about 9/10 and would normally spend the entire holiday in the pool. They jumped into the big saltwater pool, jumped out again and flatly refused to go in again. As did everyone else in the hotel. Huge empty pool and tiny pool rammed with people. It spoiled the holiday really.

Lots of people will say it's fine, you can't tell the difference. It wouldn't bother me as I swim in the sea but after that I made sure when booking holidays never to go anywhere with a salt water pool again.

Edited

Exact same happened with my DC!

Alltheyellowbirds · 19/06/2025 21:51

kielifor · 19/06/2025 21:27

Not in Greece but we once went to a hotel in the canaries with a salt water pool. It was a huge pool, there was a tiny freshwater pool as well.
DC were about 9/10 and would normally spend the entire holiday in the pool. They jumped into the big saltwater pool, jumped out again and flatly refused to go in again. As did everyone else in the hotel. Huge empty pool and tiny pool rammed with people. It spoiled the holiday really.

Lots of people will say it's fine, you can't tell the difference. It wouldn't bother me as I swim in the sea but after that I made sure when booking holidays never to go anywhere with a salt water pool again.

Edited

What was it that was bad about it? Never been in one but always imagined they’d be lovely… like the sea.

shakethatshimmy · 19/06/2025 21:52

Same happened to me in Croatia years ago. My stepdad threw me in on the first day, I don’t think he realised that it was a) freezing and b) it would blind me. It didn’t matter how hot I was from then on, I couldn’t get in that pool. I was fine in the sea - it was warmer.

kielifor · 20/06/2025 09:52

Alltheyellowbirds · 19/06/2025 21:51

What was it that was bad about it? Never been in one but always imagined they’d be lovely… like the sea.

Show quote history

I imagined the same! Easier to float as well.
I think it's because the salt water does sting your eyes a bit and children tend to spend as much time under water as on top

BoobsOnTheMoon · 20/06/2025 09:58

kielifor · 20/06/2025 09:52

I imagined the same! Easier to float as well.
I think it's because the salt water does sting your eyes a bit and children tend to spend as much time under water as on top

Show quote history

But chlorine stings your eyes too Or do people actually mean the water in the other pools is fresh as in not chlorinated?

TeamGeriatric · 20/06/2025 11:02

Salt water pools are quite common is Australia as they are lower cost to maintain, don't go green half as easily. I agree chlorine is a bit stingy on the eyes but getting salty water splashed over your face is much more uncomfortable. It's like being in the sea without the waves, not a fan myself.

PollyCreo · 20/06/2025 14:36

Are you talking about a pool that has a salt water generator system? These pools don't have chlorine added to them, they are chemicalised with salt which is converted to chlorine - it's just a different method of keeping the water sanitary.

SparklingBettie · 20/06/2025 14:38

We did in Corfu. Never again. Really salty stings eyes and whole face really. Chlorine is different.

kielifor · 20/06/2025 20:17

PollyCreo · 20/06/2025 14:36

Are you talking about a pool that has a salt water generator system? These pools don't have chlorine added to them, they are chemicalised with salt which is converted to chlorine - it's just a different method of keeping the water sanitary.

I don't know. The pool seemed like seawater, very stingy.
It's true chlorine stings as well but it's better outdoors than an indoor pool and nothing like as bad as saltwater

Shoemadlady · 20/06/2025 20:22

there is a difference here. Is it a saltwater pool or a pool that uses salt water filtration? A salt water filtration you can’t tell the difference between a normal pool, salt water is obv but like the sea

Sunshineismyfavourite · 20/06/2025 20:24

I got a very nasty water infection after swimming in a salt water pool on holiday in Tenerife. I was so ill 🤒I had to have injections in my bum for 3 days - cost a fortune (though I did claim back on insurance.)
I would never swim in one again! Chlorine for me!

PollyCreo · 20/06/2025 20:30

Chlorine shouldn't sting your eyes in an outdoor pool, if it does then it's not being properly managed or the pH is too high or low.

ChandrilanDiscoDroid · 20/06/2025 20:37

I just had a few days at a Greek hotel with salt water pools. I didn't realise it was salt water until I jumped in and tasted it. It was absolutely fine with me - I wear goggles if I'm doing any serious swimming anyway - but I didn't have DC with me and I love sea swimming anyway. It was kind of weird that I couldn't stay deep but apart from that, all good. I prefer the taste of salt to the taste of chlorine.

deeahgwitch · 26/06/2025 21:05

I don’t know if it’s the salt, or the salt and sun or the salt, sun and suncream combined but I can get a terrible rash over my body so can’t swim in a saltwater pool or the sea.
We’re looking at booking holidays at the moment but have had to discount lots of hotels/apartments in the resorts we are looking at as they only have a saltwater pool.

Dizzybob · 26/06/2025 21:14

Last year in Crete the pool was saltwater. I much preferred it to chlorine tbh. It was no where near as salty as sea water, don’t sting eyes, didn’t dry skin out.

Orangeandpurpletulips · 27/06/2025 09:44

DC noticed the difference and said it tasted revolting, but were otherwise fine going in. We all love sea swimming though, so factor that in.

LadyDanburysHat · 27/06/2025 09:50

I have one DC with eczema who found the saltwater pool really uncomfortable, the other two didn't mind it at all.

Original poster

tarheelbaby · 27/06/2025 20:26

All your replies are very helpful. Please keep them coming.

I asked the pool maintainence chap at work and the swimming teacher. They were intrigued but didn't have experience of saltwater processing for pools.

I was all set to try a saltwater pool but the place I've chosen has freshwater so that research will have to wait for another year.

OP posts:

Fairieswearhats · 28/06/2025 08:54

We had a saltwater pool at the villa we stayed at in Majorca and the only thing we noticed was that wasps would like to sit on the edges of the pool. This was the first saltwater pool we've ever had so assumed the wasps were there because it wasn't chlorine. Wasps weren't a problem unless you squashed them and it wouldn't put me off going back. No one complained about the water.

TheLurpackYears · 28/06/2025 09:01

There was one at the hotel we were at in the Canaries. I assumed it was pumped from the sea? The salt it's self wasn't an issue, it was unheated so just a tad chilly for fun.