The Dolphin Centre

Positive experience: Lift wasn't working for disabled people

Positive experience: Aqua aerobics very good on Tues with great music on ghettoblaster. Thurs session poor sound system and instructor's calls loud and indistinct. More arm work than body/leg movements. Started feeling cold so left early.

Negative experience: The dolphin leisure centre got 3.9 million pound 4 the swimming ‍♂️ pool 2 b refurbished wat exactly has been done 3.9million on nothing is a waste of money it could have gone 2 charity which it would have been used better than spend on nothing the dolphin centre is great the staff r ok just the swimming pool is a waste of public money

Fantastic experience: I Was there today and a boy passed out and sunk in the diving pool and the quick actions of the life guard dived in and saved him With in seconds and if it wasn’t for her fast reactions I wouldn’t like to think what would of happened to that boy WELL DONE to the young girl who saved his life

Positive experience: Nice cafe and meeting place, very relaxed and family friendly. You have to be there at dawn to get a place in the pool tho

Negative experience: Smokers standing outside which isn't great for a "health" club. Not great model for younger people like for my daughter when we entered. However, if this improved, I'd give it at least 3.

Fantastic experience: Used this establishment as a school kid & then (after a 30 year gap!) started using it again. It hasn't changed much but is always meticulously clean & is usually very reliable when making a booking. A great asset to the town.

Fantastic experience: Great range of sports and facilities. I played badminton but the whole venue looked fantastic, I look forward to visiting again

Negative experience: Been to the soft play today and was very busy. We don’t mind waiting but when staff show they are stressed and very rude to customers it puts you off coming! Doesn’t look good when staff huff and puff around you. The food was cold and revolting the beans were dry and the fries were burnt and not to mention your only allowed one sachet of sauce per person. They also expected me to have my 4 month old son out of the pram and sat on me because you are not allowed prams In there of course I argued and said that’s not possible he needs his pram to sleep in. Such a shame as usually it’s not too bad but the food by a mile was awful and the prices are diabolical.

Positive experience: Good slide was closed but still fine but it's kinda busy in the restaurant

Negative experience: Food was and service was good but restaurant was very cold need put heating on

Fantastic experience: Great bus station clean tidy efficient everything you want . They have a Cafe as well while you wait you can grab a Coffee and something to eat . Very helpful staff and drivers .

Positive experience: It's ok but big pool I'd freezing...baby pool is like a nice warm bath but I'm put off goin again as spent most time with my toddler shivering in the big pool

Fantastic experience: First time back here in years and what a change. An excellent facility for all activities

Fantastic experience: It has been a long time since visiting this place and it has changed dramatically. The foyer is like a showcase cinema, very inviting, just off to one side is a community hub, opposite the reception there is a view of the swimming lanes, further in are notices for gyms, children's play areas are well supervised and sectioned off. They have a great bistro/bar area upstairs with access to/from the cafe/bar next door. This is a great pace to be, unusually this is council owned, and hats off to Darlington they've done a great job.....please have a word with Middlesbrough Council and give them some tips!!. Would highly recommend

Fantastic experience: Been to R+B festival.

Fantastic experience: Great pool kids loved the slides and diving boards, only downside was the changing rooms was very cramped for how busy it was!

Positive experience: First visit since the renovation, the changing village is very warm! The new toddler area was great, but my 4 year old preferred the main pool. The water was warm. No features like wave machines or jets in the main pool but great space for actually swimming.

Fantastic experience: Great pool clean and fun gor the kids

Fantastic experience: Pleasant meet up point

Fantastic experience: Played pickle ball and swam brilliant and very clean facilities darlington lucky to have dolphin centre

Fantastic experience: Have been to the swimming pool twice with the kids. It is a lovey and spacious pool. The little ones love the diving boards. A nice place for a family activity.

Positive experience: New pool opened this year, nice and well lit. Planning the morning swim is slightly annoying as you have to fathom the timetable. Two separate hours available where the pool is split into lanes. Invariably you will have to share one which can get problematic if you share a lane with an aggressive front crawler. Pity the changing rooms haven't been overhauled as they are a little grubby and I found the drains smell a bit on the morning. However, it is a council pool, staff are friendly and the price isn't bad.

Fantastic experience: Good pool. Shame you can only get student discount if your a student in Darlington and membership if your a local.

Negative experience: Awful tasteless beef burger with a texture of rubber. Complete waste of money.

Fantastic experience: Didn't use any of the facilities but it was well used and very clean. Good swimming pool and bowling alley. Had a drink and sandwich in the cafe/bar. Good staff. Sandwiches freshly made up to order.

Positive experience: Ok was using the bar. Average price nice sitting area.

Fantastic experience: Omg ! What an amazing place felt so relaxed and the staff LEWIS JOHNSON was brilliant went above and beyond very helpful and informative very well mannered the bar/restaurant was so clean would definitely recommend and we will be back xx

Fantastic experience: Good cafe.good atmosphere, good food.

Fantastic experience: Took my granddaughter to soft play, lots to do, lovely staff and very clean.

Fantastic experience: Went to this location to play bowling. It was a nice little lane with some nice lights and atmosphere. The staff were friendly and helpful. Also there were some nice arcade machines on free play.

Fantastic experience: Nice place for coffee n a catchup with friends

Negative experience: Gym equipment is fine, but associated facilities are not: unreliable internet access, most showers in men's change are cold, and majority of easily accessible lockers in men's change have no keys. Swimming facilities heavily restricted: lane swimming confined to half the pool, making it difficult for quick swimmers to swim without stopping due to congestion.

Negative experience: Went out of their way to charge us £0.20 for tap water. Never heard anything like it.

Fantastic experience: Nice modern swimming pool with gym in the first floor. limited swim sessions for just popping in for an hour. Secure lockers and family changing rooms

Fantastic experience: Visitied the pool and cafe, had a family swim changing rooms were clean, hot showers, food was good. Also they have specials in the cafe, not advertised well but there were little bits of paper on some tables with additional items to choose from.

Positive experience: Ok..ish, food not ok at children playground, had wait ages to be made, when ready it was not what ordered.... different in size than the pictures adverted too... eat somewhere else when going there.

Fantastic experience: Recently joined the gym here. Amazing set up. My wife and I visit together and she can bug out for a swim whenever she wants while I’m in the gym that little bit longer..

Negative experience: Dolphin centre soft play Been coming here for a while with my grandkids but I'm starting to feel it's not safe. No one seems to be monitoring the children. This week (I know it's the school holidays) the under 4s area was full of older kids running about and in some cases knocking the littlies for whom the area is intended out of the way. The price has gone up by a pound a session but although this is still value for money I'm just not sure I want to take them again. There are 3 staff and I don't know if they're playworkers or cafe assistants.

Negative experience: Just finished the forever job and expecting us to swim in drafty pool they have fire escapes open letting a draughts in thinking we dont know this place has me lost someone will end up with meningitis.

Fantastic experience: Bowling was great, kids really enjoyed it, good prices

Fantastic experience: I only go here I have appointments with the physio. What I have seen with the dolphin centre it is a good place to take your family has it has got everything I think they would do well if they had a skating rink..

Positive experience: Took my boys and their friends swimming for the first time since Covid and the pool reopening. Facilities were clean and pool was warm enough. Staff were really friendly. Only downside is not enough shower facilities for people to use (1 in male toilet section and 1 in female toilet section plus 3 other enclosed cubicles.) for someone who has eczema and needs to shower after swimming I had to wait till I got home, skin was itchy and red by that time. Shame all the facilities aren’t open as they’ve let the public down.

Fantastic experience: Always a great swim, clean, the kids love the diving boards. Pool is a great pool.

Negative experience: I went swimming at the Dolphin Centre for the first time in, I would guess, 30 years this past weekend. Despite having just been refurbished, you'd not really know anything has changed. I suppose it was all about upgrading the pumps and filters and such like. Anyway, it turns out that it remains exactly how it was 30 years ago, which means if you enjoy lifeguards blowing whistles and screaming incoherently at someone who might or might not be you for committing an infraction that you aren't aware of, you'll enjoy the Dolphin Centre. What lets it down for the most part though is the changing facilities are cramped, and there were some frankly ghastly people in the changing rooms when I went, with absolutely nobody from the Dolphin Centre doing anything to stop the screaming, banging, bad language etc. I can't say I'll be back.

Positive experience: The Dolphin Centre has some real gems: a top-notch restaurant, a fun bowling alley, a bustling kids' area, and a play center that will exhaust your children faster than a sugar crash. The gym is great too, especially with its physiotherapist connection. I went in with knees that sounded like a bowl of Rice Krispies and, while the exercises they gave me seemed more like interpretive dance at first, they led me to better exercises that actually helped. So, thumbs up for that! The swimming pool is generally clean, which is nice. But here's the kicker—they've been refurbishing it since the dinosaurs roamed the earth. I'm eagerly awaiting the grand reopening, which is supposedly August 2024. By then, I’ll be ancient, but at least the kids’ pool and flume should finally be open. Now, let's talk about reception. It's like a game of hide and seek. First, you can't see it when you walk in. It's facing the wrong way, like a shy turtle. Even when you find it, only one person is ever working, so the line is longer than a Black Friday sale. Seriously, Dolphin Centre, ever heard of self-service? How about a card you can scan and book yourself in like McDonald's? Catch up with the times! On a positive note, they do support community events, which is wonderful and really adds to the local vibe. Despite the hiccups, I do appreciate the Dolphin Centre. But with the current reception and swimming pool situation, it's a solid three-star experience. Come on, Dolphin Centre, you can do better!

Fantastic experience: Pristine, good professional and pleasant staff

Fantastic experience: My little boy loves it here. They can dive in the deep end and when the sides are on he loves it even more.

Negative experience: Customer service was diabolical, it took 1 hour for them to make a cheeseburger by which time the rest of my party had finished eating

Fantastic experience: A clean, warm cafe. Great coffee and scones, lunches too. Staff welcome you warmly and look after you.

Fantastic experience: Great for coffee ☕ and catch up with friends

Fantastic experience: Just phoned up to book an induction at the gym, the lady from reception on the phone was lovely, very friendly, polite, fantastic customer service, she provided me with all information I needed and booked me in swiftly for an induction! Couldn’t be more thankful, this motivates me even more that it’s a fantastic gym to join!

Positive experience: Always take my grand children to the soft play which they enjoy. we always get lunch always fries but we have a long wait for our order and they are always just warm not hot .l have in the past sent them back but my grand children don't like me doing it as they have to wait longer.

Positive experience: Might need some music for the kids to dance to . Just my opinion

Positive experience: Lovely location and friendly staff. Could do with more people coming to the ballroom , Latin dance class run through U3A on a Monday at 1.30pm .

Fantastic experience: Just joined the gym great range of up to date equipment was at ballantynes before but here is just as good for half the money definitely recommend

Negative experience: Was a member and really used to love coming swimming & gym. Pool closed but thought I'lll still go to gym but due to illness, I couldn't go for a few weeks and when I came back all equipment was new and some new staff in gym who weren't interested in showing me how it worked. I was really disappointed and decided to pause my membership until pool opens again but not go to gym. Real shame because the original team (some of whom are probably still there) were so helpful and friendly. Looking forward to the pool opening early 2024

Positive experience: I visited 69 Horsemarket , the Dolphin Centre cafe in market place. JP served me, prepared a delicious latte coffee, was most courteous and professional whilst delivering the service. Best place to eat and drink in town. Thank you JP.

Fantastic experience: Dolphin centre pool is nice and spacious and has a diving section and slides which are very fun to use. The centre as a whole is very clean and hygienic and I constantly see cleaners. Staff in all the facilities know their field well and are helpful with any questions. Food is really good in the restaurant and even caters for gluten free people. Would definitely recommend

Negative experience: I don't understand when we've had all things like covid they they can't get basic wash facilities right like the men's hand dryer in the toilet has not been working for years get yourself together you make enough money and get someone to fix it joke

Fantastic experience: Amazing food and more than friendly staff!

Fantastic experience: I have Physiotherapy here with Tom Helps to get me moving around and educate me on my condition Fybramyalga. I recommend the Dolphin centre for a great day out but for me and others to help with keeping us mobile

Fantastic experience: 2 slides. One supper fast one! And diving boards... Awesome swimming centre reasonably priced

Fantastic experience: Darlingtons Dolphin centre is great and has things to do for all ages!

Fantastic experience: Great sports centre. Will be even better once the swimming pool reopens after a major refurbishment.

Fantastic experience: Great leisure centre. Check out Move More for over 50's. Great value. Great staff.

Positive experience: Lots of different activities all in one place, swimming, bowling, soft play and other sports courts. There's a nice bar area with a good menu at decent prices for food and drink.

Negative experience: Called into cafe upstairs waited 29 minutes for 2 sandwiches, not very good fries cold tea cold but plenty of staff walking around. Not very satisfactory

Fantastic experience: Food is okay but facilities are great for kids. Play area, bowling, swimming and in a nice convenient location. Parking nearby so easy to access.

Fantastic experience: Nice leisure centre with swimming pool, badminton court, gym and lot of other activities.

Fantastic experience: Excellent friendly service. Food also good.

Positive experience: A complex building with leisure and meeting facilities. One small room is located near a soft play area. Another larger room is located near a bar area.

Positive experience: We were there last week for the North East open BJJ comp was a good day

Fantastic experience: Everytime I'm in Darlington I always visit here to go to the crazy golf it's always quiet and its a little on and its so fun

Positive experience: A great venue for public events and funtime with family

Positive experience: Was just in cafe with catch up with friends. Food was delicious and reasonable

Fantastic experience: Lovely building and the place to visit if you need the toilet. Very clean and some really lovely people who work here.

Positive experience: So the pool is closed for refurbishment which is a pity but the cafe is great, there is a large soft play area for children and i believe all the classes are still on. Only real issue is that access to the first floor is somewhat difficult with a pram as there is only one small lift to get you there. Otherwise it's very clean, spacious, and the staff are friendly and helpful.

Positive experience: Have been going to the Dolphin Centre for years as our local lesuire centre, but this was the first time going to the bowling alley there. The bowling alley is quite good, it's small with only 5 lines, and the lines being a bit shorter than a proper bowling alley. However it was still really good, we had a lot of fun and it is a good environment. Perfect for small children

Positive experience: Fabulous concert in the Central Hall but it was freezing...so kept my coat scarf and gloves on for the duration which was disappointing

Fantastic experience: Cheapest soft play in town friendly staff and great for the children . Highly recommended .

Negative experience: They should reconsider there name as its mislesding. Very dissapointed after spending 2 days and hundreds of pounds driving my whole family (16 of us) to visit from penzance in cornwall, towing a huge minibus+caravan, only to be left with children in tears after discovering THERE ARE NO DOLPHINS HERE at all. Not happy.

Fantastic experience: Soft play area really good. Lots to keep young ones entertained. Food/drink prices not bad too

Fantastic experience: Great atmosphere cheese toasties salad recommends to full fill for the day .

Positive experience: Nice place . clean, warm. Coffee shop is pleasant and comfortable,staff lovely. Big screen tv. Gym has what you need. Bowling ally near coffee shop can be a pain when groups of little kids having a party a let lose to run around noisily but that won't be too often I guess. Pool looks well maintained and tempting if I wasn't self conscious lol

Fantastic experience: Very friendly and helpful staff. The pool was good and the kids really enjoyed the slides!

Fantastic experience: Lovely clean venue. Grandson lives the soft play. Cafe upstairs lovely. Immaculate facility.

Positive experience: Great place to work out with a good variety of classes to choose from. The reception area is well managed throughout opening times. It has a bar area serving refreshments throughout the opening times along with multiple beverage and snack dispensing machines. The lighting is just right not too bright or too dim for a leisure centre. The staff are very helpful and are on hand to assist you with your query. The ladies actual shower cubicles are in need of a refurbishment the one I used yesterday had mould on the tiles, not very nice or healthy.

Fantastic experience: Had the bowling all to ourselves which was great 2 grandchildren with autism

Fantastic experience: Under the sea soft play. Our little girl was celebrating her birthday yesterday in this soft play. I can't find words how organised was everything! Staff were super helpful (to be honest I did nothing :D ) they really did an excellent job. Best birthday ever! Food was delicious and many options for kids to choose from. I would give you a millions of stars because you were brilliant and my little one enjoyed every second. Thank you so much.

Fantastic experience: Amazing leisure centre. Gym, fitness classes, swimming pool, 2 different soft play areas for children up to the age of 10, and a new bowling area. You can have a good meal in the bistro or just pop in for a good cafe or tea. The big pool is closed for maintenance work at the moment.

Fantastic experience: A great venue in the heart of the marketplace. A nice swimming pool with diving boards. Soft play, a lovely cafe and great function rooms.

Negative experience: Won't let me give 0 star rating company need to reception staff out definitely woman with blond hair had issues with lockers face she pulled vary unprofessional won't ever take my family again even lifeguards where rude definitely complain be going in stay away

Fantastic experience: Recently refurbished gym, new machines simple to use. Bowling Alley a nice addition and the food reasonably priced. The pool is at a good temperature and changing rooms kept clean.

Positive experience: Dolphin centre is as a whole not bad, clean place, nice atmosphere, very friendly staff. Just my breakfast definitely was not worth the price they asked for. It looked like it was cooked by a new chef who couldn't be bothered. The Thai fishcakes have hardly any flavour. I can't say anything about the rest on the menu, as I haven't tried it. Dispointing as The Dolphin Centre as a whole is great

Fantastic experience: First time swimming, completely deaf but the staff were fantastic, really enjoyed the swimming, can't wait to go back.

Fantastic experience: We held a party for over 90 people in the grand hall. It is a perfect venue. With chandeliers and grand paintings to accompany the atmosphere! A hidden treasure! The hall is huge with a bar and staff wonderful. After a sit down meal, we booked out the whole bowling alley for our guests, which went down very well. Car parking and accommodation on the doorstep - you couldn't have asked for any more. A perfect venue at an excellent price.

Fantastic experience: Great coffee and the best scones in Darlington available in the cafe. Friendly, helpful staff.

Fantastic experience: Whilst the gym isn't the grandest it's good value for the monthly cost; it has most of the equipment you'd want as well as access to the pool.

Positive experience: First time here, took my daughter and had lots of fun. Would recommend the centre.