Decent lap pool or gym near Swampy

[dundas]

I have an 8 hour layover on Wednesday this coming week, more or less from 9 in the morning to 5.

Rather than hang around the airport or go into Bangkok, I'd like to do some lap swimming.

So the plan is arrive, clear customs, check my bag in for the next flight, and then go swim.

Obviously I'd want a place where security was good.

On a past visit, I stayed at the Best Western near the airport - it was OK, but the pool was disappointing, nothing like in the photos.

Does anyone know of a pool easily accessible from Swampy that allows lap swimming?

And as a fallback, a place near the airport with a decent public access gym? Anyone used the Novotel and just payed a fee for access rather than a room rate?

[dundas]

Well, seems like it's time to answer my own question. The Airport Novotel ignored my entreaties, so I don't know if they'll grant me access to their pool or not (I don't want to pay for a room there). If I turn up on their doorstep and they're not interested ... I found a useful swimmers guide site online, and this has a list of Bangkok public swimming pools (and even they're not sure about whether the Novotel allows public entry). So if the Novotel doesn't work out, I'm taking the train into the city where I'll go to the Trinity Fitness Centre, which has a 25m pool and which as of October 2013, was charging B300 admission. A bit expensive compared to the B30 I pay as a member of the 700 year stadium in Chiang Mai, but good enough. This pool is in Silom Soi 5, on Level 9 of the Trinity building, and a walk from Sala Daeng station. I often stay at Sunflower Place when I'm in Bangkok so this pool is convenient to there, too .

Edited November 4, 2013 by dundas