Dive In at Butlin’s New Superpool

Harping back to the vintage style of the 1920s public baths, Splash at Butlin’s is a pool like no pool you’ve seen before.

Launched last month with a fanfare and light show, the £40million megapool has wowed families searching for the ultimate pool experience.

Belle About Town was lucky enough to be invited to the launch to take a sneak peek at, and quick dip in, the audacious project.

We arrived at the seaside Sussex holiday park towel in hand and toddler in tow – for children are the harshest, and most honest, critics of us all.

Upon entering the shiny standalone building we were impressed by the brightness, space and cleanliness of the first impressions. We were shown through the gate into a huge unisex changing area with row after row of lockers, and plenty of large lockable changing cubicles, each equipped with a baby harness chair to keep little ones safe and secure while Mum or Dad is getting ready. It’s little touches like this that stand out from the start, and are the result of years-long consultation with parenting groups and forums by the designers.

The pool area itself is expansive. Bright lights, floor to ceiling windows along one side, and a high, high ceiling give the whole space a feel of bringing the outdoors inside. Sunbeds and loungers are dotted around and beach hut-esque shelters line the side of one pool. This is the pool for simply swimming in, but you’ll not be in there for long for there are so many other areas to explore. There’s a beach-like pool with waves, there’s a fountain that forms rivers into individual bubble tubs, and there’s the toddler play area reaching just adult ankle-high depth and strewn with Little Tikes pirate ships, brightly coloured sprinklers, and nooks and crannies for pint-sized paddlers.

There’s an actual Helter Skelter slide which stands at an impressive 7.4 metres tall (almost as high as two double decker buses). Kids – and the odd grown up – whoosh round and round before plunging them into a river at the bottom.
Our token toddler squealed with delight as she gasped for breath then demanded “again again” at the top of her not-so-tiny voice.

Stick of Rock slides adorn one wall while the other is home to higher slides for the braver pool-goer.

There’s also the incredible ‘Rapids’ which woosh you through a twisty turny tube that loops outside the building and into the open air before dropping you down a near-vertical slide into a pool. Children aren’t allowed armbands on rides like this so make sure any non-swimmer is accompanied by a competent, and confident, companion. We were trapped in a whirlpool while clinging to aforementioned child for quite a while before breaking free and finishing the experience – an exhausting achievement to say the least.

Lifeguards are everywhere, which will give any parent a sense of security. The reassurance that there’s always someone watching and on-hand makes a big difference in what can be a noisy and manic environment.

Having entered the building at 4pm we were startled when told to leave soon after – but a quick check of the huge wall clock informed us it was actually almost 6pm, and the building was shutting. We could easily have spent another two hours in there before even thinking of leaving, and as the toddler pool is maintained at a comfortable 30 degrees there’s no worry of shivering and chills setting in – one of the main reasons family swims get cut short at your average municipal pool.

Whatever your idea of a family swim at Butlin’s, forget it, this is modern day dream of a swimming pool and rightly deserves its new accolade as the best holiday pool in Europe.

• To see the pool for yourself, visit www.butlins.com.
• Belle About Town were guests at the opening of the new pool, all opinions are our own.