I noticed that all the big hotels in India have swimming pools. I am a good swimmer but I don't want to swim in pools that may not be clean. Are these pools cleaned well so that I don't fall sick after swimming?
It really depends on property to property. There is no general answer to this query. If you have a property in mind then name them and members here would be happy to share their views. Five star hotels have excellent swimming pools across India if that interests you.
Of course. Wouldn't it be a breach of their sanitary permit if hotels don't clean their pools? Also, not cleaning a salient hotel salient feature could very well tarnish a reputation that takes time to be built. You have to do your research prior to choosing a hotel. Read online reviews, look at pictures and call the hotel personally to ask for details.
In all of my travels, I've never had a problem with a pool at a hotel. It's not a complicated thing to keep clean and they usually have a staff just for pool maintenance.
If a property has a swimming pool be assured that they would be doing all they can to keep it nice and clean. If you are going for five star properties then you don't have a thing to worry about.
If they are well rated hotels I'm sure the pools are clean. I hadn't even thought of the pool's cleanliness but I would hope they keep it clean. Is there really any way to tell?
Short of bringing your own kit to test the pH levels and chlorination of the water, and just examining the pool with your eyes then there's no way to really know. Honestly, I've never had an issue before with a hotel swimming pool. Quite frankly if there was anything majorly wrong with a pool at a hotel facility then people would write terrible reviews about it, no doubt...that's one reason why I try and read up as much as possible before I book a hotel!
It pretty much depends on the type of hotel you book yourself into. Most of the 5 and 4 star hotels are actually Western chains with the same level of cleanliness and high quality service as you would get in a London or New York establishment. I guess you'd need to be concerned about pool cleanliness and quality if you book a 3-star and below hotel.
I believe it is the same in any country. You get what you pay for. I've been to cheap hotels where I wouldn't even touch the pool water with a 10 foot pole. 4 star hotels and above are generally better at keeping their cleanliness standards but of course they still won't be perfect due to the nature of chlorine and how it reacts to the human body and urine.
You could definitely ask here for recommendations. My friend and I went swimming many times in pools around India, and it was never a problem. We always went to hotels that were recommended by the guidebook, where the book specifically mentioned that they had a pool that could be used by non-guests. As with everything when you're travelling, be sensible, but don't let being overly cautious put you off ever going swimming. It was such a good way to take a break and relax amid the travelling!
By the way, I believe the quickest way to ruin your holiday is by being overly-conscious of issues such as swimming pool water of chlorination or pH level. It's just like carrying along gas masks and disinfectants when walking along crowded Delhi or Mumbai streets. Sometimes the best way to explore a new city is by letting go of fear and trying to live like a native, at least within reasonable limits.
Yes so much this! Overthinking about minor details like this make you feel paranoid and you end up shut up in your room all the holiday period. Every place you go will be different from your home town; if you as a westerner feel the heat in India will be unbearable even we feel that the cold in US or UK will be too much and it's not worth going there. And as for this particular question chlorination is done in almost every swimming pool all over the world; as long as you are not allergic you will be fine after a bath.
I am sure that it just depends on where you are, just like everything else. The places where we stayed were not really those traditional hotels that you would think of, but there are plenty of those around so I am sure that you can find some that have a swimming pool. The best thing to do is to do your research and see what other travelers have had to say about their experiences.
Generally, if a hotel has a swimming pool, it will be clean. From my experience, there are only two grades of hotels in India. Nice hotels, which include the luxury kinds. And cheap hotels, which include hostels. Nice ones will have all the amenities you would expect, and would fit well in any Western nation. Cheap ones are on par with Motel 8, or worse. You get what you pay for. But if you stay at a cheap hotel, you probably are not there for a swim. You just want a bed to sleep in so you can have the energy to continue your trip and see more of the beautiful country.
I would choose swimming in the hotel pool over swimming in ponds or lakes. Maybe I would swim in the ocean, but I am of the mind that most of the worlds small water is polluted. I might just be paranoid because I live in Ohio, USA (a place where the coal mining industry of old polluted water to extreme levels). You should always use common sense, if you see algy in a pool, don't get in. But, if the water looks clean and smells clean, it is probably clean.
As has already been stated, it really just depends on where you stay. You can always look up reviews on the place beforehand or contact someone else who has stayed there before and figure out what they think about the cleanliness. Rule of thumb is that the better rated the hotel, the cleaner all of their facilities will be.
I have never thought about the hotel pools in India. I think it's safer when the property is more high end. However, keep in mind that it's not ok to drink the water in India, so make sure you don't get any in your mouth.
