 | OK - thought we'd leave our review until after a few visits as first impressions can often be misleading. Joined the club as members three weeks ago and have been every weekend since (two Fridays and a Saturday to check both singles and couples nights) making the most of the great offer of free visits for the first month after joining. I (A) had been to the club before for the first FFFF social but Fox had previously only visited Chams in the Midlands.
This review may be a bit long, so apologies - but it's our honest opinion on a lot of factors.
The club itself is great in terms of size and layout, as well as being easy to park nearby for free. The door staff and security are warm and welcoming and very approachable. The bar is very reasonably priced, well stocked and the staff are lovely. In terms of facilities - the variety of rooms are great downstairs if a little warm (we'll blame the weather for that!) and the all important locks on doors keep unwanted 'guests' from intruding. The upstairs lounge is great for relaxing - and a little play (as seems to be common practice), the upstairs 'Dogging' zone is fun (although the Rover needs handles to stop you slipping down the bonnet!) and nicely cool when the fan is switched on - not so when it isn't. The music is good and varied although the dancefloor is never used - I guess busier at specific events such as the foam parties. The smoking area is great for those of us that partake, and also for those just wanting to cool down a little and get some fresh air or socialise. The toilets and showers downstairs have always been clean. Never used the cinema (not our thing) so can't comment.
The only (and it's a big one!) negative regarding the facilities is the continued absence of the sauna/hot tub - something on my first visit at the FFFF I was advised would be back up and running soon! Especially frustrating (and a little misleading!) since it's still quoted as being available on the club website and mentioned in the club section on Fab too! It's something we both love, as i'm sure many other clubbers do too!
In terms of clientele - and we've visited enough clubs to understand nothing is ever to be expected - it's been a bit of a disappointment. On both the Fridays and Saturdays we've been, it's been very quiet - something highly evident given the size of the club. In terms of age ranges it seems top heavy in regard to the 'older clubbers' which given the nightclub feel seems a little odd, and even on the supposed "Flirty Thirties" night there was no increase in younger attendees - not surprising since there were in fact no age restrictions in place which we feel would have probably ensured the younger crowd sought by such an advertised event. On the Fridays we have visited there seems to be a large number of the usual older single guys following couples, hanging around in groups and stalking in 'packs' - something clubs will always struggle to avoid - but this is especially prevalent towards the end of the night when couples are playing upstairs in the lounge. There seems to be no concept of 'personal space' with some - something we encountered last night including one guy breaking the golden rule of 'no hands til invited' - something I didn't notice immediately and when told in no uncertain terms to back off - the guy did - to the extent of leaving the building (we thought of reporting to staff but seemed pointless as we couldn't see him anywhere having looked!)
All in all, a mixed bag! Whilst we love the facilities, the staff, the location (and bear in mind it's a 4hr, 250 mile round trip when we visit!) we feel Xtasia is a bit of an enigma!! The club membership and entry fees are very reasonable, and as we've stated the layout, facilities and bar prices are great. Given a certain other club a few miles down the road - getting the hot tub and sauna back up and running may tempt people in that are used to visiting Chams - even if just to check the place out. We've not yet been to a club with the 'wet' facilities that wasn't considerably busier, with many more regulars and one time visitors. As for the clientele - nothing 'we' can do about that - but if the club wants to attract both more members and specific crowds for advertised events (not just the "flirty thirties" - the "fetish" event wasn't busy at all last night either!) then maybe seeking more a more specific section of customers for each would be beneficial. Not having seen the club under previous ownership we can't compare to how it was before and by all accounts there have been many improvements since Paul and Flirt took over.
Will we be back? Definitely - if in all liklehood less frequently. At least until the tub is fixed. So in our view the club is definitely "Fun" - but could easily be fabulous with just a few tweeks!
A & F x
Date: 20 July 2013
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