Pool-Cation - Have you tried ? (3 Mins Read)

They say "Life is better when you're swimming." It indeed is!

We love traveling, and off-late we love stay-cations. But what we discovered this time around is Pool-Cation!!! The occasion was - Truly yours Birthday!!! 

 

Keeping it simple and quick :) Pool-cation is all about spending some great time in great pool from day till night ;) It was special because we took Kiaan (Our 10 month old)  to pool for very first time and he loved it!And it was in month of May of 2022 so weather was perfect for pool time!

Many might wonder what is this Pool-Cation now? 

Pool-Cation is going to hotel which offers the best pools. We planned for something which would excite both kids and adults  alike. The Lagoon Pool of - Ocean Park Marriott in Hong Kong did its job well! This concept is not new just that it has been titled recently. The whole idea for pool-cation is something similar to stay-cation but your criteria of hotel selection in this case is hotel which offers best pool either with good views or good good interiors or great kids pool.

Off course there are beaches for dips and some amazing LCSD pools and clubhouse pools but sometimes you just want luxury and something beyond routine :) And after tiring day playing in pool, all you need is good ready to eat food and some amazing room just around. Hence this combination of stay-cation + great pool makes Pool-cation a great experience.A must must try at least for once!

Review about Mariott Ocean Park hotel:

Its a wonderful brand new property with beautifully developed landscapes. As mentioned our central point for selection of this property was for it Lagoon Pool which is very well made with lot of fun for both adults and kiddies. P.s. Kids get very cute bathrobes and soap hamper, so ask for it! Rooms are big and thanks to birthday we got upgraded to Big size tub rooms. They were tall and spacious and real fun.

Food wise there are three restaurants and we couldnt find any Jain Vegetarian meal there, not even pizza without egg so no comments on food. Well, we could arrange for local Maharaj to send us delivery for food and that was certainly yum. Children play area is small but definitely lot of fun. Its clean adn wel maintained with interesting activities to keep them busy. Overall a great experience to spend birthday day in this beautiful place!

 Where can one go for pool-cation?    

Many in Hong Kong would go to the Infinity pools of Kerry Hotel or W Hotel or Kowloon harbour hotel to enjoy  pools with harbour views. Some prefers indoor pools of Ritz Carlton or Peninsula or even Disneyland. Many may prefer pools with jacuzzi offered by W hotel or Cordis or Island shangrila. The list is endless. Well for some of these hotels you got to really splurge but there are many which offer great budget deals too. So log-on to your agoda and get your best deals!

Well, one can also consider budgeted Pool-cation in luxury hotels by availing day passes. Some of the hotels in Hong Kong gives day passes for its visitors to enjoy their pool and few other facilities . The famous ones being Cordis hotel, W Hong Kong, Mira Kowloon, Ritz Carlton, etc. Find some more details in the link below :DAY PASSES - POOL-CATION HK

When can infant start to swim?

As per babycentre.com, It's important for kids to learn how to swim – and learn about basic water safety – early in life to help prevent drowning. Babies can start learning to swim around age 1, though they won't master swimming skills until they're at least 4 years old.

Even though your baby can't swim yet, you can bring them into the water with you once they're about 6 months old. Some babies really enjoy getting in the water, so feel free to make playing in the pool or splashing in a lake or river a family affair. Just make sure to put your baby in a well-fitting infant life jacket anytime they're near water or on a boat. 

Did my infant Enjoy pool-cation?

Just before our Pool-cation, we planned to do trial run :p so we took Kiaan to the beach to test the waters first ;) He had loved being around and in the water. He is total nature and travel lover.. so far :) So it was not surprising to see Kiaan loving it being in water in pool as well... He ended up being in pool for 2 hours straight and enjoying every bit of it.

What to carry for your infant during pool-time? 

We went with some great safety gears for first time experience -  

1. Water tubes,  

2. Banana Boat sunscreens, 

3. Full sleeved swim clothes from NEXT, 

4. Huggies swim diapers for baby

5. Bath / Water toys

6. Bathrobe (Infant body temperatures can vary significantly while in water so this is highly recomendd if they feel shivering first time)

7. small backpack with little food (I highly vouch on slice of cheese, fruits, or any fav snack like rice puffs) extra pair of clothes, water, sunscreen 

 

But my infant is scared of water, How can we help?

 

 

Quick pointers for this situation is to follow some or all of above ways. Also, as a parent one needs to accept this situation first and try every opportunity you get to make baby feel more and more comfortable with water around. Like 

1. you can consider (if time permits) making bath time little longer 

2. buy all fancy swim equipment like fancy goggles, different colorful tubie, trendy clothes and some funky bath toys,   

3. always be around them, ensuring they you are just here and they are in safe place.

Lastly after few months of Covid when we took Kiaan in pool, he seemed too much bothered by vastness of it but after trying few things said above, in our next quick visit he seemed super happy again and enjoying quite a lot!

 

Happy Pool-Cations for Biggies and Kiddies alike! 

 

Remember, life is always cool by the pool!    

Follow my blog for Stay-cations below:

1. Blog on Why Staycation at Beach Resort with Infant

 

2. Click here for Blog on inspiration for staycations