Manohara Swimming Pool

Remember your first splash in the pool? If you were a wee lassie (or laddie), you probably spent most of your time jumping about, squealing and trying to drown your cousin. Ah, magical times. When you didn't mind the smell of chlorine, didn't need a special room to change, and thought the main aim of swimming was to displace as much water as possible.

But life is endlessly more complicated for adults, who have hajaar issues, not least of all is the temperature of the pool. Fortunately we live in the city of summer, so any temperature less than the prevailing one is a good enough for us to cool off in. And Manohara lives up to its promise of fun in the sun by ensuring your dip is refreshing, clean and not unreasonable.

If you're used to swimming under the wide blue, an "indoor" pool might prompt worries of dark, musty interiors, but the management gets around that problem by shielding what is actually an outdoor tank with asbestos on two sides. This takes care of nosy-parkers looking on from higher surfaces - like at the MCH pool in Secunderabad - and gives you some privacy and enough sunlight. The pool is fair-sized (82 ft. x 41 ft.), with the shallow end being the most crowded, as is the case with most family pools. The place is open from 6am onwards, till around 8:30pm, but the 'only women' slot is in the afternoon, at 3:30pm.

The indoor changing rooms are very cramped, but if you can switch costumes fast enough, you're better off at the tent-like structure by the poolside. Manohara comes equipped with a health-food bar (nothing to sing home about), and special classes for the physically-challenged, complete with trainers.

Insider tip: If you forget to take your cap, fret not, Manohara sells Speedo at MRP.