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Many of us feel we haven’t had a holiday unless we’ve jumped into a swimming pool. A good-looking pool is often a crucial decision-maker when we book accommodation, and resort owners know it. In the Instagram age, pools are ever more eye-catching, and have become as much about socialising as swimming.
Of course, you needn’t stay at a hotel to plunge into a great pool. Many cities from Paris to Hong Kong have terrific public swimming pools. The world champion might be Berlin, which has 60-something public pools, many showcasing 19th-century and art nouveau architecture. Australia is the hands-down winner for public tidal pools edging the ocean. Sydney has many, from Avalon, Mona Vale and Dee Why to North Curl Curl and Maroubra, plus several spectacular swimming pools washed by waves, most famously in Bondi.
What makes for a great pool? It could be a Zen atmosphere or a party one. Architectural merit or an outstanding view. An unusual feature, such as red or gold tiling, or an exceptional location. Sometimes size counts because we all love a lagoon-style pool.
But the most attractive pools, just like people, have a little more than just good looks: a certain extra sexiness or charm that’s hard to define.
So what makes some pools better than others? We look beyond the blue rectangle to bring you the most striking, sexy and historic pools from around the world. Put on your chic-est sunglasses, strip off your clothes and slide on in.
Hotel de la Coupole Sapa – MGallery Collection, Sapa, Vietnam
The pool Unabashedly opulent yet somehow ultra-sleek, this indoor pool is impossibly glamorous in shades of blue and green. Vast windows eyeball a lush mountain landscape.
Why we love it The latest pool trend is minimalism but so what? Sumptuous and sexy, Le Grand Bassin has art nouveau elegance and theatricality. Is it a Baz Luhrmann or Wes Anderson movie set? Neither: it’s the brainchild of fabled hotel designer Bill Bensley and inspired by 1920s French Indochina.
Take the plunge This isn’t a pool for laps but for floating on your back, as if you’re in a dream. Gaze up at red chandeliers and green-marble columns, or down at lovely turquoise tile work. Alas, you’ll never look as sleek as the bronze figures seemingly about to dive in from the pool’s edge.
Deeper dive Collapse on a velvety lounger, order the Heritage cocktail (Vietnamese gin, wild apple and dry vermouth) and gaze at Zen mist drifting over hillsides. You’ll soon doze off in the warmth.
More Hotel guests only. Rooms from VND 3,485,604 ($204) a night. See mgallery.accor.com
Le Sirenuse, Positano, Italy
The pool You expect something dramatic from a cliff-clinging Leading Hotel of the World, and this is it: a pool hovering between sea and sky, with sinuous mosaic tile work and trim white parasols.
Why we love it Until recently this pocket-sized pool stunned only for its vertiginous Amalfi Coast views: rooftops, church domes, peacock seas between rumpled headlands. What has propelled it into the swimming-pool stratosphere is its beautiful 2024 revamp by Swiss visual artist Nicolas Party.
Take the plunge You won’t see the views while swimming but will get wafted with the scent of lemons from terracotta-potted trees. The play of light on the pool’s mosaics is a lovely liquid canvas on which you can scribble your own wake.
Deeper dive Unobtrusive but attentive service ensures you’re never short of a chilled drink or a lemon granita. Bag yourself a little table for two on the edge of the pool terrace for one of the world’s best sunsets, when the silver wakes of boats decorate a purple Mediterranean.
More Hotel guests only. Rooms from €804 ($1435) a night. See sirenuse.it
The Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles, US
The pool If swimming pools had a style prototype this would be it: a plain blue rectangle created in 1938, surrounded by candy-striped sun lounges and tall palms, with an endearing retro feel. Behind rises the “Pink Palace”, a Hollywood hotel legend.
Why we love it This is a pool to seduce your imagination because you can’t beat the pedigree of Hollywood’s uber-glamorous golden age. Here, Johnny “Tarzan” Weissmuller and Raquel Welch were discovered poolside, Joan Crawford and Faye Dunaway learnt to swim, and legends such as Gregory Peck and Marilyn Monroe splashed about.
Take the plunge The water is heated. It seems de rigueur to swim with your sunglasses on but duck your head underwater and you’ll be serenaded with music from movie soundtracks.
Deeper dive Divine pink cabanas come with minibar, TV, phone-charging stations and staff to polish your sunglasses. During summer movie screenings, the select cabana-occupying few are plied with champagne and movie-themed desserts as they watch classics such as Some Like It Hot.
More Hotel guests only. Rooms from $US1060 ($1630) a night, cabanas additional. See dorchestercollection.com
Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, Phuket, Thailand
The pool A private pool villa is the ultimate swimming-pool indulgence. Bonus: if you skinny-dip, you won’t get arrested. This resort, which featured prominently in Netflix series The White Lotus, has nothing but pool villas, all with attractive, generously sized pools.
Why we love it The pool is the focus and all you have to do is slide open your villa’s glass doors to leap in. Lush tropical gardens soften every angle and you’ll spot squirrels, lizards and bright yellow birds as you float.
Take the plunge A shallow end suits kids in this family-friendly resort. Submerged edges allow you to sit in the water as you quaff a cocktail, or you can retire to a lounger or pavilion. A deep, double-sized stone bathtub opens to the pool.
Deeper dive The resort also has a shared pool, which has two other much-loved pool features: a swim-up bar and overwater loungers that seem to float above the pale blue water. If you’re up at sunrise join the yoga session.
More Hotel guests only. Pool villas from THB 15,435 ($724) a night. See anantara.com
The Joule, Dallas, US
The pool This is a small, plain pool, surrounded by a few prim loungers and cabanas, but dramatically wedged 10 floors up into the 1920s neo-Gothic facade of a former bank building.
Why we love it The unexpected location is fabulous and whimsical. Then there’s the urban cool and pool vibe amid the downtown bustle and rumble of Main Street traffic below. At night the pool glows electric blue thanks to fibre-optic illuminations.
Take the plunge Those with a head for heights will want to swim out to the pool’s cantilevered section, from where you can spot commuters like tiny fish far below. At dusk you’re floating amid skyscrapers with lights aglitter.
Deeper dive In summer, mist machines refresh you; in winter, heaters take off the chill. At the pool bar you can order posh Tex-Mex snacks such as chipotle shrimp tacos or smoked-brisket quesadillas to accompany your frozen margarita or watermelon sangria.
More Hotel guests complimentary. Visitor day passes from $US50 ($77), cabanas from $US150 for five with minimum $US250 food spend. Children as hotel guests only. See thejouledallas.com
Molitor Hotel & Spa, Paris, France
The pool This art deco treasure, inspired by ocean liners, was inaugurated as a public indoor and outdoor swimming venue in 1929. It was reimagined by “starchitect” Jean-Philippe Nuel and is now a national monument.
Why we love it The retro feel is great, so is the beachy vibe in this city location. This is a dip into pop history: the bikini debuted in a photoshoot here in 1946, and topless bathing arrived in 1968. The full name of the main character in Life of Pi is Piscine Molitor Patel.
Take the plunge Do laps in the middle lanes or splash tranquilly in a section that bulges out at one end. The best swim might be after dark, when illuminations create an intense, glowing blue effect.
Deeper dive Study the indoor pool’s 78 dressing rooms, each decorated by different artists with abstracts, portraits, graffiti or 3D effects. Look out, too, for original stained-glass depicting 1920s swimmers.
More Hotel guests, or those who book a spa treatment or Lunch & Swim at the brasserie. Rooms from €329 ($587) a night. See molitorparis.com
Silver Nova and Silver Ray, Silversea
The pool An irregular pale-blue pool, a twisting white sculpture, a small chic bar: you feel as if you’re on the rooftop of a swanky urban hotel rather than on a cruise ship.
Why we love it Pool decks of luxury cruise ships are all same-same, inward-looking and slightly drab. The pools on these two new ships are different, sitting asymmetrically to one side of deck 10, providing not just a boutique-resort feel but unobstructed ocean views. Simple yet elegant and refreshingly different.
Take the plunge A small waist in the middle of the pool, and its restrictive size, mean you won’t be doing laps. Wallow during sunset sail-aways, though, and enjoy the harbour views.
Deeper dive Loungers face outwards across the pool rather than surrounding it, providing heady openness. Shaded alcoves are perfect in tropical heat. The port side has an upper-deck walkway and seating onto the action below, plus a whirlpool gazing straight out to sea.
More The ships sail worldwide. A 14-day cruise from Hong Kong to Tokyo on Silver Nova departing February 26, 2026, costs from $14,310 a person. See silversea.com
Marina Bay Sands, Marina Bay, Singapore
The pool This hotel’s 150-metre-long pool straddles the rooftop of three buildings and, from a distance, looks like a sci-fi invention that might get up and walk. Its sweeping green-blue curve is lined on one side by palm trees.
Why we love it The pool isn’t just outdoors and 57 floors up but has a cantilevered infinity design that makes it appear to hover at skyscraper level, sometimes literally in the clouds. Superb views take in downtown Singapore and Marina Bay.
Take the plunge The pool is the big drawcard of this huge hotel, so expect crowds jostling for perfect social-media shots amid a scrum of selfie sticks. The 6am opening will bring peace to early birds but beware: the water is surprisingly chilly.
Deeper dive You could stay all day since Lavo Italian restaurant and Spago Bar & Lounge (which serves Asian light food) are on the same level. Ce La Vi rooftop bar at the pool’s end, under red parasols, has stunning night views, and guest DJs.
More Hotel guests only. Rooms from SGD 730 ($864) a night. See marinabaysands.com
Olea All Suite Hotel, Zakynthos, Greece
The pool Swim-up rooms might be one down from private pool villas but they are still wonderfully indulgent, allowing you to step straight into the water from your deck. This one is a corker for its vast expanse, tiered hillside arrangement and the uncompromising, concrete minimalism of the hotel’s architecture.
Why we love it Swim-up rooms are often associated with the tropics but we like the more unexpected Mediterranean vibe, views over the Ionian Sea, and the gnarly old olive trees. The resort’s minimalism and brushed concrete cubes, instead of fussiness and thatched roofs, are another unexpected pleasure.
Take the plunge The snaking, lagoon-like pools are tiered to spectacular effect, and the atmosphere, super-calm. You can hear bees buzzing in the landscaped gardens as you lie on your back and stare at the sky.
Deeper dive Hang out in a hammock. Head to the Turkish bath. Hit the central pool, which has the requisite swim-up bar. And dine at Cocoon, the sandy-floored, circular poolside restaurant.
More Hotel guests only, no children under 12. Swim-up rooms from €344 ($614) a night. See oleaallsuitehotel.com
Kitsilano Pool, Vancouver, Canada
The pool This huge, saltwater, beachside pool, first opened in 1931, is a Vancouver icon, with a shallow, beach-like entry at one end to suit children. Go now: the pool is reaching its structural end-of-life and will be redeveloped at some time after 2027.
Why we love it Until the much-delayed reopening of North Sydney Olympic Pool, this might be the world’s best outdoor public pool. It’s generously sized, sits in one of Vancouver’s trendiest and youthful suburbs, and has lovely views of downtown skyscrapers, and mountains across the harbour.
Take the plunge If you’ve never swum in a saltwater pool you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the extra buoyancy. If you want to do more than bob about, join serious swimmers doing furious laps in the middle lanes – though note a lap in this pool is 137 metres, compared with the usual 50 metres.
Deeper dive Surrounding beaches buzz with locals playing volleyball, Frisbee and tennis, while others windsurf on English Bay. Kitsilano is full of eateries and boutiques.
More Adults $CA7.93 ($8.70), children $CA3.97. Best reserve in advance. Open late May to mid-September. See vancouver.ca
Not-quite swimming pools with a difference
Camps Bay Tidal Pool, Cape Town, South Africa
Who doesn’t like the location, safety and family-friendliness of an ocean pool? Take a dip into the chilly Atlantic waters here and you’re rewarded with views of Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles outcrops. Pale, scattered boulders add a Zen effect. The sun sets straight ahead, so plan a late-afternoon swim and head to Victoria Road restaurant strip afterwards. See capetown.travel
Szechenyi Thermal Bath, Budapest, Hungary
Budapest has fine baths fed by hot springs, with antecedents that date back to Roman, Ottoman and Habsburg eras. Locals wallow all day in these wellness and social institutions. Szechenyi, grand in glass and daffodil-yellow plasterwork, is the largest and most entertaining, with 16 pools: from a large, gently steaming outdoor pool, to ornate indoor alternatives. Fabulous in winter when snow falls. See szechenyibath.hu
Spa World, Osaka, Japan
Japan’s hot-spring pools are too small for swimming but this eight-storey urban version has a swimming pool plus many other wallow-worthy waters with wonderfully kitschy themes. Splash into Europe (Roman, Greek and Spanish baths), then ascend two floors to Asia (Japanese, Persian and Balinese baths). And who wouldn’t want to soak in a faux Trevi Fountain? There’s also a kids’ section, awkwardly named Spapoo. See spaworld.co.jp
Badeschiff, Berlin, Germany
Several European cities have floating public pools but to Berlin goes the prize for this uber-cool spot on the Spree river, created from a repurposed barge (the name means Bathing Ship), flanked by wooden decks and sun chairs gazing towards Berlin TV Tower. In summer, DJs provide a beach-club vibe. In winter, the pool shelters under a giant transparent dome and features two saunas. See visitberlin.de
Blue Lagoon, Grindavik, Iceland
This vast expanse of warm, geothermal seawater is Instagram-famous. Yet while it’s cliched and crowded – go first thing or in the evening – the lagoon is hard to resist for its pale, milky-blue waters, massage waterfalls and steam cave, plus a swim-up bar, mud-mask bar and lava-cliff restaurant. Surrounding lava fields and steaming vents in the background give it an otherworldly setting. See bluelagoon.com
