11/22/2012

Young Lohas Swim Club, Baifu District - Great Family Day Trip

It's pretty hard to find a pool facility that caters for all ages, has indoor and outdoor areas, and a 50-meter pool, in Taipei City.  That's why I feel very lucky to live near Young Lohas Club in Baifu, just past Shijhr (Xijhi?) on the train line from Taipei to Keelung.

If you click on this link and take a look at the pictures, you'll get an idea of what the club is like.  Situated in the lovely Baifu Park (great for kids, with grassy area, little trails, climbing frames you don't usually see in Taipei, basketball courts, and a little stream), Young Lohas Club is in some ways very "local", but definitely offers a lot that I like.

Available to non-members:
-50-meter outdoor pool, open all year
-25-meter indoor pool
-Outdoor kids' pool with water slide, open during Summer
-Little kids' pool with mini-slide and climbing equipment indoors
-Spa and sauna area

For members:
-Gym
-Aerobics, yoga, and dance classes
-Free tea and internet
-Table tennis and pool

For extra fee:
-Beauty spa with facials and massages

One of the great things about the pool is, it has things you don't usually see available. During Summer, they have pool parties, let the kids play water games, they have a Tarzan-style rope into the pool, you can usually jump into the pool outside without being nagged at, you can wear flippers, the lifeguards come out and shoot you with waterpistols now and then, they have huge bits of foam floating in the pool for the kids to climb on and blow-up water gear for kids to slide into the water from... all good fun, safe but not as uptight as other pools can be.  (Like all pools in Taiwan, you do need to wear a hat.)


During term-time, my kids are the only children in the pool during the day, unless a school is visiting.  It gets a little busy during Summer, but it's not crazy.  The lifeguards do a good job at coaching kids in group classes.  They all seem to work pretty hard when they teach.  My kids loved their classes.

The Xijhr Swimming Club trains there every morning, and they have lifeguarding courses throughout the year, too.

Membership works out to about TWD1400 per month.  You can also buy 50-visit cards for TWD7500.  Single visits are more expensive, at 250 per adult, but worth it if you want to make a day of it.

There is a very nice little coffee shop in the complex (closed Mondays), where you can sit for the entire afternoon if you choose.  They have Lavazza coffee and make it well.  Their meals are really fresh, too.

The complex is closed on the last Monday of the month.  The manager, Alan, speaks enough English to communicate with customers.  Staff are friendly but most don't speak English.

The complex is a 10-minute-walk from Baifu (百福) Train Station.  You can see it from the station, as well as from Wugu (五股)Exit of Highway One.  It's got a huge white roof.

Chinese Information:
百福水漾樂活會館 Young Lohas Club
基隆市七堵區實踐路259號(百福公園) TEL:02-24518188 FAX:02-24518669
Hours: Daily 5:30am-11pm, last entry 10pm, pool closes at 10:30pm
Chinese Map.  "百福 車站"=Baifu Train Station
 
 

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