Having previously announced that we had been excited to be invited to join the Konfidence Swimology Ambassador team for 2018, we also have to admit at being just as excited that Konfidence has also arranged an incredible weekend to be spent in Alton Towers resort for us, including an overnight stay at the CBeebies Land Hotel and an all you can cram in use of the theme park and waterpark with one proviso… we put some of their swimwear and products through its paces too, fair’s fair right?
For those of you who are not familiar with the Splash Landings element of Alton Towers Resort (surely most people will have either visited or heard of the theme park side) it’s an indoor and outdoor swim park filled with slides, pools, lazy rivers, activity climbing frames and plenty of water and splashing around having fun.
The last time we visited was a few years ago now so although H could vaguely remember it, his sister definitely couldn’t but that didn’t stop them both being mega excited when we finally told them the night before we were due to go, being their faces and excitement at being told was amazing.
Both littles are currently undertaking swimming lessons on a weekly basis so are accustomed to water but D would typically use arm bands and although H doesn’t require them he’s not a fully fledged confident swimming just yet.
We had been provided with Konfidence Warma Wetsuits for both of them and had also chosen to try out Konfidence’s iconic swim jacket which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
My first impressions of the wetsuits are that they were incredibly well made, quite thick but also very flexible and stretchy. Given both are used to wearing traditional swim trunks and bathing suits I wondered how the pair would approach wearing them. Both children instantly took a liking to the suits which I think is mainly thanks to their design, being very stylish, almost grown up like but with enough flashes of colour to appeal to their needs. Putting them on was an ease with the younger ‘warma’ style having Velcro which flaps over the shoulders allowing D to ‘step’ into it and the older wetsuit style benefiting from a long zipper on the back to give enough play to get into the suit before zipping it up.
We also opted for the Original Konfidence Swim Jacket in the ‘Marthas Red Strip and Frills’ style, well that’s a slight lie, we got D to pick out her favourite a while back so we knew she’d like it. The jacket is a buoyancy aid which has multiple removable floats situated inside the jacket as well as having a very pretty design including a small bow which conveniently hides the main zip means that functionality and style blend easily together. Having the removable floats inside means that as your little ones confidence and ability to swim increases you can removed them in pairs and create a seamless transition into a swimmer.
I was a little wary about how D would feel about using the swim jacket given she is used to arm discs / bands which we have used when we’ve been swimming previously however given she is overly confident around water, she quickly realised she now had complete freedom of her arms as well as being safe in the knowledge she could lie on her back and float on the water with ease.
Looking at the swim jacket I’d be lying if I didn’t say that initially I took a dislike to the block yellow back of it in contrast to the lovely designed front, however that same style and functionality blend I mentioned above worked again when I realised that in a now packed Splash Landings, I was easily able to spot D thanks to this bright design… it’s almost like it was planned Konfidence? 🙂
Wearing their new swimwear the children really embraced their designers brand name and eggsubbed ‘Konfidence’ during our visit, H daring to go on the Master Blaster flume ride with me whilst D enjoyed the lazy river/ tubing with Mrs F.
Even when our fun ended and we left the water park, the now thoroughly wet wetsuits came off so easily without sticking to the kids skin thanks to their neoprene material which feels so soft yet durable.
Both children (and parents) had an amazing time at Splash Landing and the Alton Towers theme park during the weekend, really spending some much needed quality time together as a family especially with me being away with my day job quite a lot lately.
So many memories were made, laughing had and experiences cherished of which we can’t thank Konfidence enough for arranging…. even if H did cry pretty much all the way home as he was so upset our weekend of fun had come to an end….(see said picture below for the beginning of the end)
We can’t wait to try the Konfidence Swim wear out again as well as putting it to the test in both the British and overseas beach resorts in the summer months… look out for more reviews soon.
Have you tried any of the Konfidence Swimming aids out yet, what’s your favourite product if so? Leave them in the comments below.
Until next time