The World’s 10 Best Pools
Discover the best of the world, from unforgettable stays and local flavours to inspiring experiences and so much more. Explore our growing collection of guides and find your next favourite.
SkyPark Infinity Pool at Marina Bay Sands
Singapore, Singapore
The SkyPark Infinity Pool runs along the top of Marina Bay Sands, placing swimmers on Level 57 above central Singapore. Its long vanishing edge aligns water with the city skyline, creating a perspective that changes between daylight and the illuminated buildings after dark. The pool is part of the hotel's elevated SkyPark, where planting and open terraces soften the scale of the three towers below. Stretching for 150 metres, the pool offers room for swimming as well as lingering at the edge. Loungers and shaded areas support a slower visit, with the panorama remaining the central attraction. From the water, the dense arrangement of towers around Marina Bay becomes easier to read, while the height introduces a different sense of the city's coastal geography. Access is reserved for registered hotel guests, so this experience forms part of an overnight stay at Marina Bay Sands. It can be combined with time in the hotel's restaurants, shops and wider waterfront complex, though the pool has its own distinct appeal. Early and later visits reveal different light and atmosphere, making it a place guests may return to several times during a stay.
The Red Pool at The Library
Koh Samui, Thailand
The Red Pool is the visual centre of The Library, a design hotel on Koh Samui's Chaweng Beach. Its saturated colour creates a striking contrast with the pale sand and sea beyond, giving the pool terrace a character quite different from the island's more conventional beachfront settings. The composition is deliberately simple, allowing colour, water and the horizon to carry much of the experience. Swimming here is closely connected to the hotel's wider idea of time spent reading and slowing down. The Lib, its library space, looks towards both the sea and the Red Pool and holds a substantial collection of books. Minimalist surroundings make it easy to move between a swim, a chair and a few pages, with the beach immediately adding another setting for the same unhurried rhythm. The hotel also has a separate Long Pool for more regular laps, which gives the Red Pool its own role as a distinctive social and visual focus. Dining, spa and massage services, and a fitness room complement time beside the water. Its location on Chaweng places this carefully composed retreat within reach of one of Samui's active beach districts.
Infinity Pool at Alila Ubud
Ubud, Indonesia
Alila Ubud's infinity pool projects towards the wooded slopes of the Ayung River Valley, bringing the hotel's hillside setting into sharp focus. The long, clean outline of the water contrasts with the layered greenery beyond, while the vanishing edge creates a sense of continuity between pool and forest. It is a considered piece of resort architecture whose impact comes largely from its position. At 25 metres, the pool accommodates proper laps as well as quieter time beside the water. Sunbeds occupy the adjoining terrace, where changing light and the movement of cloud across the valley give the same view a different character through the day. The surrounding hotel is arranged with the intimacy of a Balinese village, and the pool serves as one of its shared gathering places. Rooms and villas look towards hillsides and gardens, while Spa Alila and the resort's dining provide ways to extend an unhurried day. Guided walks, cycling and activities involving local farmers and craftspeople offer a closer introduction to the area beyond the grounds. Returning to the pool after exploring gives the landscape another role: a broad, quiet backdrop to swimming above the valley.
Twin-Tiered Infinity Pool at Hanging Gardens of Bali
Payangan, Indonesia
The twin-tiered infinity pool at Hanging Gardens of Bali follows the steep contours of a forested valley near Payangan. Its two curved levels appear to reach out over the trees, with the water's edge drawing attention towards the jungle beyond. Seen from the surrounding terraces, the arrangement becomes a distinctive architectural response to the hillside rather than a conventional rectangular resort pool. Swimming gives a closer sense of that relationship with the landscape. The upper and lower levels create different viewpoints, while the curved edges and vegetation keep the experience connected to the valley. Poolside spaces allow guests to pause between swims, and the nearby bar looks across the twin tiers, making the water part of the setting even when it is time for a drink. The pool belongs to a resort of villas and suites spread through the landscape above the Ayung River. A riverside spa, yoga and Balinese cooking experiences provide additional ways to spend time on site, while guided walks and cycling explore nearby villages and rice fields. The shared pool remains a particular focal point, offering a place where the resort's dramatic terrain can be experienced at a slower pace.
Sanctuary Infinity Pools at Jade Mountain
Soufrière, Saint Lucia
At Jade Mountain, private infinity pools form part of the living space of the resort's sanctuaries, opening towards the Pitons and Caribbean Sea. The hillside position above Anse Chastanet gives the water a broad natural backdrop, while architect Nick Troubetzkoy's use of stone columns and individual bridges creates a distinctive approach to each suite. Architecture is organised around the view rather than enclosing it. The Star, Moon, Sun and Galaxy sanctuaries have their own infinity pools, with the choice of category affecting the scale and perspective of the accommodation. Water and open living areas are closely integrated, allowing guests to move between swimming and relaxing without leaving their private space. The experience is particularly suited to watching changes in weather, light and colour across the sea and mountains. The wider resort adds dining at the Jade Mountain Club, the Celestial Terrace and spa treatments, with access to activities on the Anse Chastanet estate. Beach time, sailing and diving provide different ways to explore the coast. Guests choosing specifically for a private pool should select a sanctuary category, as the Sky Whirlpool Suites follow a different accommodation concept and do not include one.
Rooftop Pool at The Silo Hotel
Cape Town, South Africa
The rooftop pool at The Silo Hotel brings a quiet swimming space above Cape Town's V&A Waterfront. From this elevated position, the harbour, city and mountain landscape become part of a single outlook, while the hotel beneath occupies the upper floors of a converted grain silo. The setting connects the pool with both the waterfront's industrial history and its present cultural life. The heated water allows guests to linger, with the surrounding terrace providing room to sit and take in the view. The experience is as much about perspective as swimming: boats and waterfront activity continue below while the open sky changes the atmosphere above. Light meals and drinks are available at The Silo Rooftop, giving the wider terrace a social role alongside the more private pool area. Swimming is reserved for resident hotel guests, even when the rooftop restaurant welcomes outside diners. A stay also brings access to rooms filled with art and colour, a spa and the hotel's other dining spaces. Zeitz MOCAA sits below the hotel, making it possible to combine time with contemporary African art and an afternoon above the city within the same distinctive building.
Desert Pool at Amangiri
Canyon Point, United States
Amangiri's main swimming pool curves around a rock formation in the desert of southern Utah. The meeting of water, stone and spare modern architecture gives the pool its distinctive character, with the surrounding mesas determining the scale of the scene. Its position within the resort makes the ancient landscape a close physical presence rather than simply a distant view. The pool terrace offers places to settle beside the water, while the exposed rock creates changing patterns of light and shade. Swimming provides another perspective on the resort's muted buildings and their relationship with the desert. At different times of day, the colour of the stone shifts from pale warmth to deeper tones, making the same poolside setting feel markedly different. Amangiri's suites, restaurants and substantial spa allow the pool to form part of a wider stay devoted to the region. Guided hikes, climbing routes and excursions explore the canyons and open country beyond the grounds, with the pool offering a calm return after a more active morning. This is the main resort pool at Amangiri, distinct from the private plunge pools attached to selected suites and the tented pavilions at nearby Camp Sarika.
Lake-View Pools at The Oberoi Udaivilas
Udaipur, India
The lake-facing pools at The Oberoi Udaivilas bring swimming into the architectural language of Udaipur's palaces. Set above Lake Pichola, they combine views towards the City Palace with the resort's domes, courtyards and colonnaded walkways. The relationship between the pool water and the lake beyond creates a layered setting, particularly when the light softens across the city. Selected Premier City Palace View Rooms have access from a private courtyard to a semi-private pool. This arrangement allows guests to step directly from their accommodation into the water while retaining the social character of a shared swimming space. Larger suites offer their own pools, including lake-facing options, so the accommodation category determines both the level of privacy and the outlook. The pools sit within a resort of landscaped gardens and interiors inspired by Rajasthani design. Restaurants, yoga and spa treatments provide reasons to remain on site, while boat journeys and excursions connect guests with the city across the lake. Choosing specifically for this experience calls for a lake or City Palace view category: the resort also has garden-facing pools, which provide a different atmosphere without the same panorama.
Infinity Pool at Caruso, A Belmond Hotel, Amalfi Coast
Ravello, Italy
Caruso's infinity pool sits high above the Amalfi Coast in Ravello, where water appears to continue towards the sea and the surrounding mountains. The elevated position gives the pool a sense of openness, with Mediterranean gardens framing the approach. It is part of a hotel set within an eleventh-century palace, bringing contemporary outdoor leisure into an unusually historic setting. The pool's broad outlook encourages a slower rhythm between swims. Sun loungers and cabanas provide places to read or settle into the view, while the La Piscina pool club adds drinks, light social activity and wellness experiences around the terrace. The Lattari Mountains give the setting depth, changing the atmosphere as sunlight moves across the slopes and coast. A stay at Caruso offers further ways to enjoy Ravello without losing this connection to the landscape. Rooms and suites retain individual historical details, and the hotel's dining ranges from more formal meals to casual poolside choices. Gardens, yoga and other activities create alternatives to excursions down to the coast. Returning to the pool after exploring the town places the sea back in view, with the height and quiet of Ravello shaping the experience.
Infinity Pool at Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
The infinity pool at Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti looks across open savannah towards a watering hole in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. Its free-form outline brings a relaxed swimming space into the safari setting, with the landscape continuing beyond the water's edge. The possibility of seeing animals nearby gives time at the pool a distinctive quality, even on a day spent largely at the lodge. Loungers around the terrace provide a comfortable position for watching changes in light and movement across the plains. Elephants and other wildlife visit the watering hole, though sightings follow their own natural patterns. The appeal is in remaining attentive to the setting: a quiet interval between swims can become part of the wider wildlife experience without leaving the lodge. Rooms, suites and villas provide a base for guided game drives and other excursions, while the spa and restaurants allow a gentler pace between outings. The Discovery Centre adds context on local wildlife, Maasai culture and conservation research. The shared infinity pool is a central part of that balance, offering a place to return after a morning in the bush while keeping the surrounding Serengeti visibly present.