Cardiff International Pool

This place should be better than 2 stars as it is and could be even more so such a good facility.
The building is good and the facilities are great. The staff are in the main very helpful.
However …
The signs asking people remove their shoes before going in to the changing rooms are ignored by many people so the cubicle floors of the changing rooms end up filthy. The staff walk back and forth ignoring the point and I have never seen them ask a shoe wearer to remove their shoes. So expect to come out of there with dirty feet.
The pool is rarely at 50m and when it is it is often very busy. Monday and Thursday nights can be quieter if you aren’t too tired to train at 10pm …
In the mornings and now at weekends many of the lanes are taken by the swimming club. Not an issue but expect the other lanes to be crowded and have people of varying ability in each lane. If you are a quick swimmer expect to be frustrated as you dawdle behind a breast stroker waiting for a safe moment to overtake them.
The pool is regularly booked out for galas and swim events at weekends and the information/​warnings about these events is very discrete or difficult to find so be prepared for Saturday /​Sunday morning disappointment and wasted trips.
The pleasure pool is mayhem. The lifeguards do a good job but expect to be kicked by other swimmers, by bumped into, swam over/​into and come out feeling the most unrelaxed you ever will.
As a venue for promoting healthy lifestyle this place surpasses itself. Not!!!
For those who bother to use the benches to remove or put on shoes, there is a glittering array of chocolates and sugary drinks in four vending machines, ideally located opposite you. If you or your children manage to get passed them, there are more sugary calorie dispensers by the exit turnstiles and just in case you haven’t managed to give in to the sugar, there are 4 more vending machines on the way out. Only the British would fill a «healthy» sports venue with obesity causing, tooth rotting filled vending machines. So, while you are trudging home in the dirty foot rot of other people from the changing rooms, you can comfort yourself with chocolate and fizzy pop to remind yourself what a healthy life you live!

I grew up in Cornwall, and the nearest city to me is Plymouth. In Plymouth there is a leisure centre called the Plymouth Pavilions. The pool has a flume like a snake and one that goes outside the building. I thought this was the most wonderful and exciting thing ever.
While I was growing up, I lived in Southampton for a brief couple of years. While there, my family discovered a pool in Portsmouth called Portsmouth Pyramids (no prizes for guessing what the building was shaped like). This pool had three flumes; the biggest sent you down in pitch black darkness. This was clearly the best pool ever.
Then I came to Cardiff and discovered the International Pool. This pool has all of the slides, ever, and tops any other swimming experience I’ve ever had.
Yeah, it caters to serious swimmers and people who want to get fit at the gym, but it’s really ALL about the slides.

Up until the beginning of this month, I used to live across the road from this pool in the Prospect Place residential block where every resident had access to the free swimming pool built into the apartments. And, regardless of this, I spent all my free time in the pool at the International Pool complex.
Don’t get me wrong; there was nothing wrong with my pool. It was long, and wide, and offered plenty of space for whoever wanted to use it. On top of this, it came with a built in steam room, sauna and jacuzzi facility and a gym around the corner. No, there was nothing wrong with my pool. My pool was fantastic.
But it didn’t have slides.
Specifically, it didn’t have a giant slide that spat you out into a bowl and span you around before dunking you upside down into the water. And until it does, it’s the International Pool all the way.

Best slides in Cardiff by a country mile. Everyone opts for the blue one as it has a swirly bowl thing but for pure speed go with the orange one, keep your head down and zoom!
Yeah the leisure pool is ace-​a-​tron but can get overcrowded and you can’t dodge the kids in the evening and be a big kid yourself as they shut the slides down about two hours before the pool closes. You could of course act like a proper grown up and go in the not quite Olympic sized pool, but where’s the fun in that?
There is a generally meathead free gym upstairs, but if you get a visitors wristband, remember to put it on after you’ve typed the code in at the door as it is written on the inside of the band, otherwise you’ll look a foolish as I did on my first visit. Sadly they’ve cut off the loophole where you could sneak into the sauna, the buggers.
My main gripe with the place is the difficulty getting here on public transport. The buses are irregular, take far longer than they should and wait for ages at Wood Lane, adding unnecessary time to your journey. My tip would be to take the train to Cogan and walk across the recently opened Pont y Werin Bridge.
Also don’t bother with the café, it doesn’t seem to offer the healthy grub you’d expect, perhaps it iss part of some Machiavellian scheme where you come back to lose the weight you put on in said café. Pop across to the Morrison’s and a grab a salad bowl instead.

The Cardiff International Swimming Pool complex offers a number of high quality facilities. Firstly, the obvious attraction is the Olympic style 50 meter swimming pool, featuring amazing technology which can alter the length and depth of the pool. Often divided into two 25 meter pools, the number of lanes available usually prove sufficient. The pool is sometimes used for water polo, as well as being closed to the general public during swimming gala’s and events. Undoubtedly the best swimming pool for miles around.
A second prime attraction of the complex is the leisure pool. With four different slides, a jacuzzi, whirl pool and bathing area, the leisure pool is appeals greatly to young families. Teenagers and young adults also enjoy the slides, with the leisure pool a very popular, lively and enjoyable place to spend some time.
Thirdly, the gymnasium, located on the upstairs of the building provides a very well facilitated, clean and cool environment to ‘work out’. With a vast number of stations dedicated to cardio vascular performance, there’s also a large free-​weight section and a number of machines for upper and lower body exercises.
Finally, the spa is another feature of this well facilitated complex. With a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, the spa has everything one needs for a post exercise relaxation. With inexpensive membership fees and one off visits, the people of Cardiff are truly lucky to have such a great facility.

I have been here twice and both times and its almost as if the sight of the slides transform me into 8 year old — probably because on both occasions I have been here with my 8 year old nephew.
They have about 8 different slides but the one I spent most time on was the big blue whirlpool one. Essentially you slide down a nornal type of slide into this cylindrical funnel shape huge blue whirlpool thingy. THe object is to stay in the funnel as long as you can before dropping out the bottom into the pool below. Ok it can get a bit tedious after 3 hours — or so I thought but my 8 year old nephew would’ve still be there if it was up to him.
If you’re not into slides then there are other activities so check it out its worth a day out plus it very reasonably.

Cardiff has been in need for a new, fun and exciting swimming pool for all the kids to have fun and for the inner child in adults to have fun. Cardiff International Pool does just that!
They are good prices too. It is around £3.70 for an adult but I am not entirely sure what the rest of the prices are. That is for as long as you want in the leisure pool to enjoy the fountains, slides and Jacuzzi’s. You can lose time when you’re in there because there is so much to enjoy in the pool with 4 slides, water guns, a little children’s area with a mini slide, and lots more.
There is plenty of changing room space and costs the standard £1 which you will get back for your locker. As well as the leisure pool you do have a 50m pool if you want to go for a proper swim. There is also a gym in the centre.
I do have a few but minor problems with the centre. I love the structure of the building but it is not in a very central location, it is at the end of Cardiff Bay, which might be tricky to reach if you didn’t drive. There are a few buses that go near it but they’re sometimes unreliable. The car park for the centre is also very small for such a popular location. I remember the last time I went it took a while to find a space.
My final little complaint is more personal but I am very disappointed that the centre does not have any sports facilities like an indoor court for tennis, badminton, and squash. It calls itself the ‘International Sports Village’ but it only has swimming, ice-​skating, and white water rafting. I just think to increase popularity of the area they should build some type of sports hall or just have courts where you can play different sports.
Overall it is a great leisure pool to swim and have fun in. My one word of warning would be to check the times of when the water slides are in operation because they do have certain peak times.

Awwww I get excited when I even think of this swimming pool.
This pool has some great water slides which are available for all ages to enjoy whether you 7 or 57! We took our nephew and his friend here recently and they had a whale of a time… as did I!
The slides are fantastic and really made the inner child in me re-​surface.
The centre also has traditional 50m ten lane swimming pool for all those keen swimmers out there to enjoy!
The changing facilities are some of the cleanest I have ever come across. There always seems to be a member of staff near by ready and waiting with a mop… so I am sure they must get cleaned several times throughout the day!
They also offer childrens swimming lessons which is pretty cool.
One word of warning though to the guys reading this… Unless your body resemble Daniel Craig please feel free to leave the speedos at home!

This pool opened a few short years ago and it’s now a favourite among Cardiff swimmers. Families and children of all ages (even me at my not-​so-​childish 21) are welcome in the Leisure Pool with its many slides and water features, and for those with a more serious interest in swimming the large 50m pool on the other side of the building is perfect for keeping up your fitness.
The big pool is great for sports, I was on a university water polo team and we used to come down here to train. What’s great about it is that it can either be set up as a full 50m pool, which is great for swimming training, or it can be split into 3, with a 25m square in the middle, a standard 25m pool on one end and a thinner pool on the other end. Even better, both of the end sections have adjustable floors, so you can have water aerobics or childrens’ swimming lessons in the smaller pool with the floor raised up a bit, water polo training in the middle square and public swimming in the 25m pool on the other end, all at the same time!
The fun pool is brilliant as well. The four slides are great fun and tend not to be annoyingly busy, and there’s also jacuzzi areas, a rapids area where the current carries you around, loads of water features for children to play with in ‘Dr Splash’s Fun Lab’ and a really shallow area for parents to teach their young children to swim in.
The changing room area is the same for both pools and is mixed, but there are plenty of cubicles and lockers for everyone (you’ll need a £1 or 50p coin to use the lockers but you get that back when you’re done). There are mirrors and hair driers that you can use and toilets that are cleaned regularly. The changing area also has cool drying pods which you pop a few coins into and they blow hot air at you for a few minutes. They are a bit of a novelty but can be great fun if you get a few kids in one at the same time. Also, if you’re coming swimming with a large group and don’t mind changing together then you can see if the large team cubicles at the far end of the changing area are free, though you may have to check with the staff first.
As well as the pools there are gyms and fitness suites upstairs, a crèche and a café bar, and if you’re coming to watch a swimming race or a water polo match then there’s loads of seating for spectators next to the big pool. Prices very depending on what you’re there to do and memberships are available. Parking for the whole facility is just outside, is plentiful and is free.

This impressive, £32 million swimming pool has only been open a couple of years and still has that clean, smart, new feel to it that older pools lack.
It is home to two pools; an Olympic sized 50 metre, ten lane swimming pool with seating for a thousand spectators, and a 25 metre, four lane indoor waterpark with fun stuff such as flume rides, a beach area with water slides, a lazy river, and a jacuzzi.
My friend is taking swimming classes here, and she says her swimming has improved dramatically and the lessons are really enjoyable. The pools and changing rooms sometimes get busy thanks to the pool’s popularity, but with unlimited swimming for adults for less than £4, that’s no surprise. There’s also a 110 station gym, a café bar, and a large free car park.

I love this pool and the centre itself. It looks fantastic and its great inside too. Whether your there to relax and have fun with the kids or to do a serious bit of swimming there is a place for you. Its easy to access and has lots of parking too. There is a gym, sauna, jacuzzi and do all sorts of fitness classes too for quite a reasonable monthly fee. Swimming for adults is £3.70 and no time limit. Family tickets also available.
The only downsides are that the changing rooms can be a bit chaotic and its always worth checking out whats going on before you head down because they often have events on at the weekend so you might not get in.

The £32 million construction to train our Olympic hopefuls and host international swimming events. Shame no one measured the ‘50m’ pool properly as it is several cm’s short and cannot officially be used for events… Whoops.
Luckily for me then I’m not involved in that and just want to swim at my leisure. The architecture here is stunning, a real triumph. The pure glassed arena glistens over the water.
Inside is just as fantastic as you have the ‘50m’ pool, a 25m pool, a beach area, indoor water park, flumes etc. It’s a big kids dream if you ask me!

This is one of my favourite swimming pools that I have been to there is a normal swimming pool with lanes in etc for people who want to train or do more serious swimming. Then there is a fun pool. The fun pool is suitable for all ages and theres lots of different activities for your children to do whether it’s to go down the slides, go down the plug style slide, swim round in the rapids or play with the water pistols that are fixed above everyone. The pool has different water depth so is suitable for different ages/​heights. My girls loved playing in the shallow end waiting for the big bucket above everyone to fill with water and tip over. There are unisex changing rooms there and there is this big almost like tunnel thing that you can stand into get dry you pay a pound and it’s almost like a big hair dryer it drys you off. Slightly lazy I know but I liked it as was different. You can spend hours in the pool and not get bored and I find that the cost of swimming is cheap with no time limit for how long you are in the pool.

This is a wonderful venue, and long overdue in Cardiff. There is plenty of parking, the pool is easy to access, and not far from lots of shops if you fancy a bit of shopping before or after your swim. The facilities are great, and there is also a gym there, and 2 huge pools. A 50m pool and a fun themed pool. Go, you won’t be disappointed.

This is a good sized swimming pool and is not too over crowded during the week. The staff are always happy to help. It is reasonably priced. The single huge changing room is a bit chaotic and it took me ages to find the showers which they do not have enough of. The hydro slides are quite fun if a bit tame compared to other slides around the country but for older children and younger teens they are definitely worth going on. There is also a smaller slide for really young children which they all seem to love and there is a gentle rapids pool which is enjoyable. Overall it has a Centre Parcs feel to it (but without the same expense) and I would definitely recommend a visit.

A full size fifty (50) meter swimming pool, that is used for both competitions and casual events. The staff are friendly, and helpful when needed to be. The changing rooms are kept to a very high standard, and are always very clean. There are also gym facilities.

I can only say good things about the pool. I have been a regular in the gym there since the thing opened. It is an amazing plae, the architecture of it is very well conceived and it has all you can expect from a gym. It has a massive room with machines, a sauna and Jacuzzi just on the side, and two pools. One for fun and another for practice. And both the pools are massive. You can find people learning how to kayak there as well.
The membership is around EUR30 per month and it entitles you to everything, you can either go swimming, lifting some weights, running, have a class of a big choice of disciplines, like Yoga, Pilates, Spinning, Tai Chi among others. Or you can just chill out in the pool, they have around 4 slides, and big ones, there. As well as a current on the water to make you even lazier so that you won’t swim at all!
They have a coffeeshop at the entrance, if you don’t have your bathing suit they sell them and the rest of the gear, just don’t forget your pound to put on the lockers!
If I had to point out a bad part I think it would either be the location (it’s a bit faraway from the city centre, just on the other side of the bay, next to Asda’s) and the amount of people you’ll find there, it is always busy. But other than that the pool is great!

About time cardiff had a great swimming pool. On the one side it has the olympic sized pool wich is open to the public. On the other side is the fun pool. I tend not to go in the main pool as it is always laned off with people boringly swimming up and down. The fun pool on the otherhand is great. There is 5 slides including the bowl. 2 slides in darkness, and 2 coloured. The the bowl you shoot down a slide, and drop into a big bowl and spin around tuntil you plop out the bottom! There are water features like these buket thinks that fill up and drop loads of water on your head, theres water pistols and all sorts! there is also a circular current thing that goes around with a basic jacuzzi thing in the middle that can seat quite a lot. It is realy reasonalbe entry free, at around £3 something for adualts for as long as you want. There are lots of life guards around, and always someone up on those high chairs keeping watch.
The changing rooms are universal, with a single cubicle each, so no having to get ceperated from your frinds and family. there are showers in the changing room area, and also showers on the side of the poopl which is a great idea, as you cans till watch whats going on whilst your getting washed. there is also a heater thing that you put money in and it heat dries you in seconds. Maybe pointless yet fun! There is also a good café, and gym etc on site. This place is great fun for all ages, and the whole family!
full marks

Cardiff international swimming pool in cardiff is relativeley new & is great fun. My kids love the differnt slides & the pool is very good too

This pool is great for families, they have i believe 5 slides, the bue one is almost like a dish with a hole in the middle which is so much fun!
The pool is very good & this place hasnt been open long but im sure it will prove popluar with the local residents & visitors. As well as the pool they do also have a health centre, babysitting services, gym, café etc.