World's Most Extraordinary Pools (and mine)

Living in Florida where it seems almost every house has its own swimming pool, it’s easy to get a little blase about pools.   Pool companies here come up with new and fun ways to personalize pools.  No, that is not a real dolphin in the pool below!  Now you can swim with the dolphins right in your own backyard and never have to feed them either.  As cool as these are, they don’t make the list of the world’s most extraordinary pools.

Animated Tile has all kinds of possibilities – turtles, sting rays, sharks (yikes), dolphins, frogs, you name it.

I remember how excited our family was when we moved from New Jersey to Florida many years ago.  We’d actually have our own pool!  No more loading up the car with towels, sunscreen, reading material, floats, swimmies and giggling kids to head to the community pool.  No more whining about when could we go or can’t we stay a little bit longer either.  Since the entire house had sliding glass doors opening up to the pool, even if I was preparing dinner, I could keep a watchful eye on the kids as they played.  Then our kids grew up and we didn’t need such a big house or big pool, so we downsized.  This pool (below) isn’t that small to me, but it’s small for the area.  It’s not too big to take care of or fill with water.  And for me, it’s just right for Sunday afternoons lazily floating around on pool floats as comfortable as air mattresses.  Many afternoons we’ll see the bald eagles gliding overhead (our community is adjacent to a bald eagle preserve).

Now we’re downsizing again, after we sell our home (want to see the interior?)

There are lots of transplants from the Northeast  in southwest Florida.  Trading in snow shovels for a swimming pool is a no-brainer for many.  No snow here but it does gets chilly enough to wear a jacket.  I couldn’t live here if there weren’t seasons; I’d get bored wearing capris and sleeveless all year.  Constant summer sounds appealing at first, but I’d miss love spring, fall and winter. We “naturalized” Floridians chuckle at the snowbirds who wear swimsuits while we’re wearing long pants and jackets; it is true that your blood thins after living here awhile.  But I’m sure the snowbirds are having a good chuckle looking at us all bundled up too.

We won’t have our own pool at our next house, but there is a pool at the clubhouse.  I don’t actually have much time to be lounging in the pool so it’ll be nice to have it but not take care of it.  If you look closely, the big mound of dirt is where our new house will be built.  Maybe we’ll get a canoe or kayak to paddle over to the clubhouse (not!)

But as much as I love our pool, these pools will knock your socks (or sunglasses) off.  Images and italicized text are courtesy of Open Travel and the credits are for the photographers.

1. The Icebergs. Sydney. Australia.

A pool where presumably you can hear the crashing surf would be heavenly.

The ocean’s waves often break over the side of the Icebergs swimming pool located in the corner of the famed Bondi Beach. This beautiful full-sized 8 lane, 50m swimming pool is open to the public and the  fee is only 5 AUD.

though I’m not sure I’d want the surf to crash on me!

2. The Neptune Pool, Hearst Castle. California, the USA.

While this pool is stunning in its beauty, its size is a bit intimidating.  If you were the only person swimming, would you feel a bit isolated?  I would.  Sometimes, I’d revel in that feeling of being totally alone, but other times, it’d feel lonely.  Then again, there’s plenty of room for friends!

Unlike with Icebergs, you would have to be a millionaire to immerse yourself in the waters of the Neptune Pool. The pool, located at Hearst Castle, was originally constructed in 1920s for William Randolph Hearst, an American magnate, and then rebuilt twice.

I absolutely love everything about this mosaic tile work; the design and colors are gorgeous.

3. The Joule Hotel. Dallas, the USA.

This is not a pool for people who have Aeroacrophobia– Fear of open high places.

This twisting swimming pool projects eight feet over the sidewalk, at the edge of the 10th floor of the Joule Hotel in Dallas. The five-star complex, located in the building since 1927, was designed by a famed architect, Adam D. Tihany.

4. The Alila Ubud swimming pool. Bali.

So serene, not even a ripple on the water, the very air is still.

The calm, emerald-green swimming pool is floating above the Ayung River valley in Bali’s lush foothills. The pool’s home is the Alila Udubu resort, Payangan, a traditional Balinese hill village, near Ubud.

5. Simply a swimming pool. Iceland.

Does Iceland even get warm enough to swim??  I’m not sure I’d want to go swimming if I had to don a wetsuit.  Contrary to popular expectations, Iceland can reach 77 degrees in the summer.

All we know about this swimming pool is that it is located somewhere in Iceland, and to swim in it you have to drive to the farm next door to ask for a key. If you find it, let us know…

6. San Alfonso del Mar. Algarrobo, Chile.

Pretty amazing how they treat the ocean water to fill this garguantuan pool.

This is the world’s largest swimming pool. It is 1,013 m (3,324 ft) long and has an area of 8 ha (19.77 acre), which is equivalent to 6,000 8-meter-long pools. The water is pumped from the Pacific Ocean, then filtered and treated before it is supplied to the pool.

7. The Gellert Swimming Pool. Budapest, Hungary.

That is seriously warm water, good for swimming when it’s nasty outside.

Gellert Baths and Swimming Pool complex looks more like a cathedral than a pool. The famed Budapest’s bath was constructed between 1912 and 1918 and it features chic Art Nouveau style. The temperature of water exceeds 40°C (110°F), so visiting the baths is a perfect way to kill the time on a rainy day.

8. Harbour Plaza Hotel Swimming Pool. Hong Kong, China.

I always prefer outdoor pools so I can see the sky.

Harbour Grand Hong Kong, an icon of luxury in Hong Kong, is home to an amazing outdoor swimming pool that sits on the 23th floor of the hotel. The pool, facing the Victoria Harbour, has some truly stunning views of the city’s countless skyscrapers.

9. The Badeschiff. Berlin, Germany.

Those Germans are quite the innovators!  My daughter will be moving to Germany within the next year; I’ll have to share this with her.

Badeschiff or “bathing ship” is the most unusual swimming pool in Berlin. It is an old cargo container converted into a pool on Spree River. During the summer it is an outdoor pool with the beach, bar and DJs. In the winter the whole thing is covered, and a few extra saunas are added.

10. The Pimalai Resort swimming pool. Koh Lanta, Thailand.

What a tranquil view.  A perfect place to unwind from the rat race.

This amazing swimming pool in Pimalai Resort & Spa on Koh Lanta looks more like some kind of a temple site. In fact, it is a fresh-water, infinity-edge pool, which is set around 50 meters above sea level – so while swimming you can admire the spectacular views of the beach and the sea below.

As I was writing, I saw this post by Design Crisis tweeted by my Twitter friend @Paul_Anatar

No matter whether you swim in an ocean or lake or in a man-made pool, there is something very relaxing and refreshing about being in water.   Perhaps it reminds us of our days in the womb when we had not a care in the world.  Or maybe it’s because the water makes us weightless and we can cast off our cares.  Before the summer ends, I hope you get to enjoy some time in the water!