Sovereign Centre
Sovereign Centre
3
6:30 AM - 9:30 PM
Monday
6:30 AM - 9:30 PM
Tuesday
6:30 AM - 9:30 PM
Wednesday
6:30 AM - 9:30 PM
Thursday
6:30 AM - 9:30 PM
Friday
6:30 AM - 9:30 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
The Sovereign Centre is a large leisure centre offering a wide range of facilities including a gym, fun pool with wave machine and flume, Aqua Challenge inflatable assault course, 25 meter gala swimming pool, swimming lessons, gymastics lessons, sauna and steam room, workout studio, cafe and much more! There are also a variety of activities available throughout the Holidays to entertain kids. Visit www.eastbourneleisure.co.uk for more information.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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3.0
101 reviews
Excellent
24
Very good
19
Average
20
Poor
13
Terrible
25
Patrick R
1 contribution
Mar 2022 • Solo
I have recently had to obtain a replacement SIM card. Unfortunately, whilst it was received promptly from EE Customer Services, there were a number of unforeseen, unforeseeable problems matching it to my new smart phone. The extremely friendly service, help and guidance I received from the staff at my local EE shop, culminating in me having a fully working smart phone over the course of 3 days, and several hours was second to none. I am used to excellent service from EE but these guys were truly outstanding! As a retired manager with over 25 years experience in a Civil Service Department I have adopted a policy of never giving full marks. This encourages the improvement that can always be found. On this occasion I cannot justify, under any circumstances, giving anything less than top, full marks for the exceptional service I received. I thoroughly recommend this store.
Written 29 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ritchie S
1 contribution
Jun 2023 • Family
When a 5 year old tells you that it's boring then something must be wrong. We have been going to this pool for years and years and it's slowly got worse. You cant jump in anymore, Slide down the blue globes in the shallow end or take Inflatables in the deep end. A lifeguard told me its because the bigwigs got involved with the health and safety side of things. Perhaps they should get involved with the fun side of things, All sessions are 1.5 hrs and kids want fun not a whistle blown at them every second. After 35 years I no longer go there. Shame as it was once so good.
Written 9 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review and we're sorry you did not enjoy your visit. Unfortunately we have to have these rules in place for safety reasons, and although it seems to be taking the fun out of it, if we allow people to do them and there is an accident then we would be liable. Safety isn't something we can compromise on, even if it does seem a shame to have to do so.
Written 14 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
cbW2213QU
Eastbourne, UK12 contributions
Feb 2023 • Family
The staff on the phone when booking are very unhelpful and rude, especially the Eastern European sounding lady. I have limited capability on Internet based things due to a disability so have to call to book. EVery single time I do this they always tell me that it is not possible, until I mention that I have a disability then all of a sudden it becomes possible but then always with a feeling that it's too much bother. This now makes me worry when I have to book a session for me and my children once all that has been delbt with and we are there, it is a great place to go and my children love it. I just wish they could understand that using Internet based things are not so easy for some people and cater for that without making us feel bad about it. Or even lie that's its not possible any other way apart from online.
Written 5 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi cbW2213QU, we're sorry to hear you have had this experience. We do actively push people towards our online booking system wherever possible, as it then frees our reception team up to serve the customers who are in the centre. However we do appreciate that this might not work for everyone, and we are able to book for those who are not able to do this online. If you let the staff know immediately that you have a disability and are unable to use the online booking system then they will be able to assist you, and it will hopefully avoid any worry. We will also pass this feedback on to the reception team.
Written 6 February 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
M T W
1 contribution
May 2023
Booking site is poor, and we did not receive any confirmation email. Because we did not receive the email we decided to screen shot the payment transaction barcodes on our phones. Upon arrival the very rude lady at the counter demanded to see proof from our bank accounts that we had paid! When I replied that this wouldn’t be necessary If we had received the email I was told to ‘ get a life’. Totally unacceptable behaviour from a customer facing member of staff. Eventually a more sensible man allowed us to enter. The pool facilities themselves are dated with very dirty changing facilities (we even had to ask a member of staff to clean up some vomit from the floor!). A very good example of how not to operate a business and we certainly won’t visiting here again.
Written 2 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi 605mtw, we're very sorry to hear of this experience. We are currently experiencing difficulty with our booking system where confirmation emails are not being sent through. Our staff are well aware of this and should not have spoken to you in this manner. If you are able to email eastbourneleisure@lewes-eastboure.gov.uk with a description of the staff member and the time and date of your visit then we will be able to deal with this incident.
We are an older leisure centre and do our best to ensure the facilities are kept clean. We do inspect the changing rooms regularly however, unfortunately at very busy times it is not always possible to get into the changing rooms between customers, and if someone leaves it in a mess we may not have had a chance to get in there before the next person uses it. Thank you for notifying our staff so that we were able to clean it. We're sorry you will not be visiting again and thank you for the feedback.
Written 4 May 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Eastbourne
Eastbourne, UK9 contributions
Sept 2021
Came here after not being able to book online. Luckily a family of three had just canceled So me and my 2 children were able to book. Lady at the front desk was lovely. Pool was a nice and wide size. Wave machine was absolutely amazing! Included a hot tub, Water slide And a Wave feature! Would go here again, and had a lovely chat with Some of the staff there.
Written 16 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Eastbourne_Reviewerx thank you for your 5* review it's lovely to receive positive feedback and I will make sure it's shared with the rest of the staff who would have been working. Hope to see you again soon!
Written 21 April 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kelly M
2 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
Took my 4 kids swimming absolutely loved it!! Was in there for 2 n half hours as it was like a giant bath. Easy parking! Fairly clean. Waves was on every half hour. Shallow bit for babies.
Written 21 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MyIronLung
Whitstable, UK60 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
Came here for a family fun swim during a holiday and had a fabulous time. The pool was warm and clean and kids loved the flute and wave machine. There were lots of lifeguards at the pool and we had a brilliant time. There is also a photographer which I thought was great as, speaking as a mum, nobody ever takes nice photos of the children with me! Lovely experience thank you.
Written 20 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your lovely review! We're so glad you had such a nice visit and got to have some photos taken. Hope to see you again soon :)
Written 23 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kiwi Girl
Lewes, UK1 contribution
Aug 2022 • Friends
Great Pool that has served the local community for years.
Staff are friendly, helpful & considering they work in such a hot environment they are always smiling.
The pool is council owned so well kept considering the budget restraints.
Would be a huge loss to the town if it ever closed,
Staff are friendly, helpful & considering they work in such a hot environment they are always smiling.
The pool is council owned so well kept considering the budget restraints.
Would be a huge loss to the town if it ever closed,
Written 7 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi 625kiwig thank you for your review and kind feedback I will make sure it's shared with the rest of the team.
Written 20 September 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
SinéadM
31 contributions
Oct 2019 • Family
I visited with my 2 teenage boys. We’ve been a few times before as the boys enjoy the diving pool. With 5 pools this could be an amazing place but this time it was noticeable that money badly needs to be spent on maintenance and a deep clean. To be fair this state of affairs is pretty typical in council owned leisure centres. Visiting from up north the cost was about £5 more than I’d spend at home.
Written 28 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KittyCatCeri
Eastbourne, UK38 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
The Sovereign Centre has definitely gone downhill in recent years and is badly in need of refurbishment.
As a member I always find it difficult to enter as the cards never scan and there’s never enough people at the desk serving so there’s always people queuing.
Changing rooms are filthy, nappies are left on the floor, there’s mud everywhere and there are puddles from various leaks.
The pools are quite cold and don’t seem to be the temperature quoted. Although the gala pool is given over to lane swimming it’s not suitable for this as most of the time swimming lessons take up the space. Even those lanes not dedicated to lessons are used for them. Lifeguards do not police the lanes so you often get the very fast swimmers causing tidal waves and not being very courteous to slower swimmers in other lanes. Slow swimmers often move into the medium lane to swim breaststroke as people walk up the slow lanes or swim 2 abreast talking. This causes problems for all but lifeguards just spend the time talking amongst themselves (this has been noticed on serval occasions). It’s a bit of a boys club as the only time I’ve seen lifeguards move people are for the regular fast male swimmers and they ignore requests from female swimmers.
I’ve decided not to renew my membership until there are vast changes - hopefully when it is rebuilt it will be bigger, cleaner and the staff will undergo some training.
As a member I always find it difficult to enter as the cards never scan and there’s never enough people at the desk serving so there’s always people queuing.
Changing rooms are filthy, nappies are left on the floor, there’s mud everywhere and there are puddles from various leaks.
The pools are quite cold and don’t seem to be the temperature quoted. Although the gala pool is given over to lane swimming it’s not suitable for this as most of the time swimming lessons take up the space. Even those lanes not dedicated to lessons are used for them. Lifeguards do not police the lanes so you often get the very fast swimmers causing tidal waves and not being very courteous to slower swimmers in other lanes. Slow swimmers often move into the medium lane to swim breaststroke as people walk up the slow lanes or swim 2 abreast talking. This causes problems for all but lifeguards just spend the time talking amongst themselves (this has been noticed on serval occasions). It’s a bit of a boys club as the only time I’ve seen lifeguards move people are for the regular fast male swimmers and they ignore requests from female swimmers.
I’ve decided not to renew my membership until there are vast changes - hopefully when it is rebuilt it will be bigger, cleaner and the staff will undergo some training.
Written 17 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do they sell latex socks? My dad is bad in his feet and just wondered if they sold some non slip socks?
Written 5 September 2024
When ate they going to build a new one as the old ones is out of date and dirty
Written 4 April 2019
SovereignCentre
Eastbourne, United Kingdom
Hi, we have hairdryers in all our changing rooms which take 20p, currently the one in the female changing rooms is out of order, but you can use the one in the family changing rooms.
Written 14 November 2016
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