The 10 most beautiful swimming pools in the world
Whether they are natural, or designed for hotels, secret, urban or private, swimming pools make us all dream. The mere mention of this word automatically develops in our spirit a powerful memory card, from the sensual sensation of water and sun on the skin to the memories of midnight swims in summer in the moonlight. What if we go back to the year 1969, the erotic year sung by Serge Gainsbourg, and invite the wonderful Romy Schneider in a white one piece bathing suit and Jane Birkin, mesmerizing in her teeny bikini, for a dive in "La piscine", the famous movie by Jacques Deray. But we are in 2018, so quickly grab your (brand new) swimsuits and let's go discover the 10 swimming pools in which to celebrate the upcoming arrival of the summer.
1/ The skyrocketed pool
Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao - Shanghai, China
The swimming pool of the Holiday Inn hotel is not meant for everyone. Located at the 24th and last floor of the hotel, this glass rectangle gives the impression that the pool is hanging in the air. A real architectural masterpiece, so diving in will take your breath away. www.ihg.com
And also: Marina Bay Sands - Singapore. Located on a huge rooftop terrace, the infinity pool of the Marina Bay Sands hotel, the most instagrammed in the world, offers an electrifying view of the city of Singapore. In need of swimsuits? A Vilebrequin store awaits you in the hotel! www.marinabaysands.com
2/ The timeless swimming pool
Belmond Hotel Caruso – Ravello, Italy
Perched on the top of a hill of the Amalfi Coast like an offshore balcony, this old palace of the 11th century has an outdoor infinity pool surrounded by medieval ruins between sky and earth. One of the most beautiful views of Italy. www.belmond.com
And also: Belmond Hotel Splendido – Portofino, Italy. Dive in with class and nonchalance into this hotel's pool with breathtaking views just like Ava Gardner or Elizabeth Taylor before you. www.belmond.com
3/ The secret pool
The Homestead Crater – Utah, USA
On the road of the big national parks of Utah, there is a unique and incredible place. Located in Midway, one hour away from Salt Lake City, "The Crater" is a hot natural water source several thousand years old hidden at the heart of a cave. Managed by The Homestead Resort hotel, you don't need to stay there to enjoy forty minutes of an unforgettable experience. You just have to book your spot and pay less than $20. https://homesteadresort.com
And also: Seljavallalaug – Iceland. On the mountain side, next to the famous volcano with an unpronounceable name Eyjafjallajökull and after a 20-minute walk in a wild landscape, you can see the Seljavallalaug pool. Heated thanks to the proximity of the volcano, you can swim there during both summer and winter. A lunar experience.
4/ The dreamy swimming pool
Katikies Hotel – Santorini, Greece
If, like Albert Camus, you need to enjoy a moment of solitude, a moment of eternity, it's here, in the pool of the Katikies hotel in Santorini, unique in the world and in the middle of all these shades of blue, floating between the vastness of the sea and the sky, this is the place to be. Immortality feeling guaranteed. www.katikies.com
And also: The Grace hotel – Santorini, Greece. An alternative to the Katikies hotel (also located in Santorini and in the same price range), with its sumptuous pool facing the Aegean Sea. www.gracehotels.com
5/ The winter swimming pool
The Villa Honegg - Switzerland
Admiring, in the middle of winter, the beauty of the snow-capped summits and the view of the Quatre Cantons frozen lake, from the comfort of the Villa Honegg's outdoor pool, heated to 34 degrees, is a luxury that you can't miss out on. www.villa-honegg.ch
And also: Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa – Kashmir. Protected from outside temperatures by big glass windows from where you can see the beauty of the landscape, you are swimming in the heart of the world's most mythical mountain range. The trip of a lifetime. www.khyberhotels.com
6/ The so French pool
The Castelbrac – Dinard, France
In Dinard, close to the city of Saint-Malo, one can dream of enjoying the wonderful swimming pool of the Castelbrac hotel. A long swimming corridor, as if it was carved into the rock and hanging from the cliff, gives a magnificent view on Dinard both day and night. www.castelbrac.com
And also: Les Roches Rouges hotel – Saint-Raphaël, France. A saltwater swimming pool, located literally at the bottom of the most beautiful seas, the Mediterranean. www.hotellesrochesrouges.com
7/ The natural swimming pool
Pamukkale - Turkey
In Turkey, you can find the most extraordinary landscapes that exist. A unique and almost surrealistic place of pure beauty. In the southwest part of the country, the site of Pamukkale owes its millenarian existence to a geological miracle. These unusual formations of a magic and fluffy white, just like so many petrified waterfalls, are registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1988.
And also: Porto Moniz – Madeira. Madeira is not a really famous touristic place yet. But the beauty of its environment and its natural pools carved out of the rock, formed by the volcanic lava is honestly provoking more than a little interest.
8/ The postal card swimming pool
Hanging Gardens – Ubud, Bali
If we had to keep only one of them, we would (almost) without blinking an eye choose the two floored swimming pool with "ying yang" curves of the Hanging Gardens hotel in Ubud. Isolated in the Balinese jungle, surrounded by a lush vegetation, and like it was placed on the treetops, this swimming pool invites you to an intense connection with nature. www.hanginggardensofbali.com
And also: One & Only Reethi Rah Resort - Maldives Islands. The natural beauty of the Maldive Islands were visibly not enough for the designer of the One & Only Reethi Rah who decided to add a swimming pool to the hotel, abolishing the internal borders with the sea. Stunning. www.oneandonlyresorts.com
9/ The municipal swimming pool
Les Bains des Docks – Le Havre, France
Forget the bad memories of the municipal pool from your childhood, and immediately book your flight to discover the new swimming pool of Le Havre, an unexpected piece of the star architect Jean Nouvel. Spaces for kids, a slide, three uncovered ponds and an outdoor Olympic pool follow one another in a spotless white graphic universe where the game of light and spaces is skilfully orchestrated. https://www.vert-marine.com
And also: Badeshiff – Berlin, Germany and Bondi Beach – Sydney, Australia. The two municipal swimming pools of Berlin and Sydney are the ones in which you dream of diving in on a beautiful summer day, after a hectic visit of the city.
10/ The artistic swimming pool
The Swimming Pool – Kanazawa, Japan
Incredible but true, this pool made by the Argentinian artist Leandro Elrich is the only swimming pool in the world that gives you the opportunity to get out as dry as you got in. In order to experience it, you need to travel to Japan, specifically at the 21st century museum of contemporary art in Kanasawa. www.kanazawa21.jp
And also: Social Pool, Mojave Desert, California. Lost in the middle of the Mojave Desert in South California, the Social Pool, created by the artist Alfredo Barsuglia, is a pool (for real this time) that has to be earned! You need to go to the MAK Center for Art and Architecture in Los Angeles to ask for the keys and get the GPS coordinates.
