"No standing room in the pools." Minsk residents rushed to beaches and aqua zones – and were left disappointed
The anomalous heatwave that covered Belarus last weekend forced thousands of Minsk residents to seek refuge by the water. However, vacations at popular paid beaches and water parks turned into disappointment for many. On social media, users are massively complaining about overcrowded recreation areas, lack of available sun loungers, long queues, and the inability to even find a spot to lay down a towel, writes "Onliner".
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According to visitors, some venues were simply not ready to receive such a large number of guests. Of course, "first come, first served," and no one forbade arriving to lie down on any of the hundreds of free spots at nine in the morning (this was also countered in the comments), but the disappointment is now irreversible.
Threads user ermi_1415 spoke about visiting the "Lebiazhy" water park, where, according to her, shortly after opening there were practically no free spaces left.
"Guys, what are you doing? I haven't felt such humiliation in a very long time. I understand it's hot outside and many people want to cool down. But everything has a limit," the girl wrote.
The Minsk resident claims that there were no free sun loungers either indoors or outdoors, all tubing slides were occupied, and when she asked for one, the instructor allegedly replied: "Find it wherever you want."
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The visitor also claims that the facility ran out of drinking water and kvass, and the pools were so overcrowded that there was "not even standing room." As a result, after spending about 35 minutes at the water park, the family decided to leave, but, according to the girl, they were refused a refund for the remaining time.
There were no fewer complaints about the paid beach on the Ptich River. Visitors say that already at the entrance they were warned about the lack of free sun loungers, but the real situation turned out to be much worse.
"The beach is very small, there are too many people, and it's impossible to even lie down with a towel. We walked a little further — the sand area ended, and stones and branches began. We had to lie there, because there was no opportunity to leave," shared vikki_nikiforovich.
According to her, the equipped entrance to the water was quite small and designed mostly for children, while most vacationers had to enter the river over stones.
Another Belarusian woman shared similar impressions in the comments to the post.
"We also arrived today, and they also told us there were no sun loungers. We walked to this 'beach' and realized that it wasn't just impossible to spread a blanket – there wasn't even anywhere to sit. As a result, we turned around and left," she said.
The woman also noted that visitors were not warned about the actual overcrowding of the beach when purchasing tickets.
Another vacationer, jjuli.iia, drew attention to the condition of the bottom in the swimming area.
"What kind of swimming area is this, the size of a children's pool? If all the people who came to the beach go swimming there at once, there won't even be room to dip. Is it normal that there are huge sharp stones and some tires underfoot in an equipped swimming area?" the girl exclaimed.
The beach of the "Vesta" sanatorium, a visit to which costs 60 rubles for the whole day, also sparked discussions. User yuliya0x compared promotional photos with what she saw on site, noting that practically no sun loungers were left immediately after opening.
The sanatorium acknowledged that they faced an unprecedented number of visitors over the weekend.
"Unfortunately, the excitement around the beach this weekend indeed exceeded its capacity: all chalets and sun loungers were occupied. Given this, it was decided to allow those willing into the green zone for half price," commented representatives of "Vesta".
Also, "Onliner" reader Ekaterina said that last weekend she visited the SAC "Olimpiyskiy" and was disappointed with the organization of recreation. According to her, the cost of a day visit increased to 60 rubles, but, as the Minsk resident believes, for this money visitors only get the opportunity to settle on the lawn.
"There are never any sun loungers, there are too many people, one 'paddling pool' which is literally teeming with people," Ekaterina said.
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She also noted that she asked employees why more sun loungers were not purchased despite the increase in ticket prices. According to the woman, they replied: "No one is forcing you."
"I felt very offended. Of course, no one is forcing you, but there's practically nowhere to go in Minsk during the summer heat. It turns out you either sit at home in the heat, or pay a considerable sum just for entry without any amenities," the reader shared.
Ekaterina added that she faced a similar problem last year. At that time, she filed a complaint through the complex's website, but, according to her, she never received a response.
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An "Onliner" journalist also contacted the SAC "Olimpiyskiy" for a comment on the situation. He was told roughly the same thing: the final decision on whether to stay and relax on the complex's territory is made by the guest themselves. As representatives of the SAC clarified, there are 15 minutes to make this decision even after purchasing a ticket and entering the territory. If a person feels uncomfortable during this time, they can get a refund and leave.
"Information that the number of sun loungers is limited is available at each cash desk, and cashiers also explicitly state this when selling entrance tickets. We also allow visitors to bring their own blankets and towels. By the way, the aqua zone was not at its maximum capacity last weekend: so far, the maximum recorded was 1400 vacationers. In previous years, we sometimes welcomed up to 3000 visitors."
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