Puddle Ducks at LivingWell Health Club
Puddle Ducks runs baby-to-age-10 lessons in a shallow, warm hotel pool at the LivingWell Health Club inside DoubleTree by Hilton Coventry, with a 1:4 ratio once children move up to Swim Academy.
Who it suits
Coventry families near Walsgrave wanting lessons from babyhood to around age 10 at one warm, shallow hotel pool, on a fixed monthly billing pattern.
Why it stands out
- Pool held at an average of 31°C and 1.3 metres deep, warmer and shallower than most leisure centre learner pools
- Baby and Pre-school classes are capped at 6 adult-and-child pairs plus the teacher
- Swim Academy for 4 to 10 year olds runs a 1 teacher to 4 children ratio
- Free onsite parking at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel where the pool is based
- Only one spectator allowed per child, and changing is communal with no lockers
Our verdict
The water temperature and the small ratios, six pairs for babies and 1 to 4 once children move into Swim Academy, are the reason to pick this over a standard leisure centre. Do not book if you need flexible pay-as-you-go lessons, since Puddle Ducks bills four lessons in advance each month with no month-to-month opt out shown. Do not book either if your child is already a confident swimmer wanting deeper water, because at 1.3 metres this pool is built for beginners, and weekend slots often carry a wait list, so don't expect to walk straight into a Saturday class.
What it is
LivingWell Health Club sits inside the DoubleTree by Hilton on Paradise Way, and Puddle Ducks runs its Coventry classes in the hotel’s pool. The water is kept shallow, 1.3 metres throughout, and warm, averaging 31°C, which is why the same pool can take babies from a few months old right through to Swim Academy at age 10. Parking is free and on site.
Who should book
Families in the Walsgrave area of Coventry who want a warm, shallow pool and small classes rather than a busy leisure centre session. Baby and Pre-school lessons keep a parent in the water and cap each class at six adult-and-child pairs. Once children move into Swim Academy, from around age 4 to 10, the ratio tightens to one teacher for every four children and the format shifts to a small group without a parent in the pool.
What stands out
Two things separate this from a typical council pool. First, the ratios are tight and published, six pairs at the baby end and four children per teacher at the Swim Academy end, so you know what you’re paying for. Second, it runs on hotel-style facilities: free parking, but communal changing with no lockers, and only one spectator allowed per child, which is worth knowing before you turn up with the whole family in tow.
The verdict
For the ratios and the water conditions, £18 a lesson is a fair price, and it beats most private baby swim schools on temperature and depth alike. The billing is fixed, though: Puddle Ducks takes four lessons in advance each month, so there’s no obvious way to pay lesson by lesson if your schedule is unpredictable. Weekend sessions also show a wait list more often than weekday ones, so families who can only do Saturdays should check availability before assuming a space is there.
More Puddle Ducks venues
All Puddle Ducks venuesPuddle Ducks runs its full 0 to 10 pathway at Everlast Fitness in Hartcliffe, from parent and baby classes through eight levels of Swim Academy, in a warm 1.2 metre pool.
Puddle Ducks runs its 0 to 4 baby and pre-school classes on Saturday mornings only at the Everlast gym pool on Coldhams Lane.
Puddle Ducks has sole use of the Novotel Cambridge North pool on weekday mornings for its 0 to 4 baby and pre-school classes.