Dip into these swim-perfect outdoor hotel pools

The beauty of swimming pools has been an alluring drawing point for many well-travelled guests when hunting for their next vacation spot. This is a fact high-end hotels know all too well, bringing in expert architects to design aquatic marvels that reflect each hotel’s individual aesthetic and seamlessly blend into the surrounding environment, acting like a natural body of water. Amidst the plethora of stunning pools that grace the hospitality industry, it’s nearly impossible to crown the best. So instead, we have put together our selection of outdoor hotel pools, let’s jump in.

Stunning outdoor hotel pools around the world

Amangiri

Tucked within a canyon in Utah, Amangiri’s pool could be a glimmering mirage in the heat of the dust. Fortunately, its beauty is not a figment of imagination and the mesa-embracing pool echoes the tranquillity of the canyons. Amangiri sits low within the untouched red-rock desert landscape and is blissfully at one with its native context. Its water pavilion also offers a steam room, sauna, plunge pool and heated step pool to cool off under the western sun. The resort offers 34 contemporary suites and has a camp of 10 tented pavilions to act as a base for any mountainous expeditions.

aman.com

Amankila

Amankila, which translates to ‘peaceful hill’ in Sanskrit and is extraordinarily situated on a dense hillside beneath sacred Mount Agung, has been the go-to spirit-lifting sanctuary in Eastern Bali since its opening in 1992. The resort’s distinct tiered infinity swimming pool, also the work of the late American architect and furniture designer Ed Tuttle, see three pools cascading down to one another, akin to Bali’s terraced rice fields, that blend with the vast expanse of the blue horizon that awaits in front. The design takes inspiration from the nearby Taman Ujung water palace, which sees three large ponds connected by elegant bridges and pathways. Amankila’s large 41-meter turquoise-tiled lap pool is equally alluring, found at the sun-kissed private black-sand Beach Club and nestled amidst tall coconut palms and frangipani trees.

aman.com

Amanzoe

Aman Resorts is known for adding an essence of quiet luxury to global destinations which are thoughtfully balanced with the locations’ unique characteristics, including the surrounding history, culture and architecture. Amanzoe, of course, is no exception. Located on the east coast of the Peloponnese near Porto Heli, Greece, it rests within the scattered Unesco-protected ruins. Acting as a contemporary Acropolis, Amanzoe’s standalone pavilions offer the privacy of individual pools which are heated and stretch to 9.5 metres. Mirroring the surrounding architecture the pools are regal and somewhat take on the role of ancient Roman baths. From the comfort of the cooling water take in the views of olive groves and the Aegean sea.

Please note: Amanzoe is currently closed and will reopen on 1 April 2025 for the summer season.

aman.com

Cali Mykonos

Situated on the serene cliff front that embraces Kalafatis Beach, far away from the bustling Old Town nightlife, the whitewashed hotel Cali Mykonos draws immediate attention with its 130-metre infinity pool, which elegantly winds around to mimic a neighbouring stream’s curvature. Filled with solar-powered heating panels and fresh seawater drawn directly from the Aegean Sea, Cali’s aquatic tour-de-force furthers the hotel’s integration into the landscape – its water being equally crystalline as the private port’s below. The pool, like the hotel’s main building and villas, is the work of Athens-based architectural firm STFN Lab and combines traditional Cycladic architecture with natural landscape features. As such, it boasts natural marble and stone sourced from the original property excavation. Guests can enjoy the most natural swim alongside the pool bars, which boast mythology-inspired cocktail menus.

calimykonos.com

Capella Ubud

Inspired by the first European settlers in Bali in the early 1800s, Capella Ubud remains true to the concept of a rainforest camp by providing 22 one-bedroom tents and a two-bedroom lodge nestled within lush forest terrain with traditional sloping rice terraces. Famed American landscape architect Bill Bensley, the creative force behind the project, ensured that no trees were cut during construction, preserving the camp as a secluded sanctuary boasting maximised jungle views. Despite each guest space featuring individual saltwater pools, Capella Ubud’s crown jewel is The Cistern, a vast amenity presenting a 360-degree panoramic view of the Keliki Valley. The pool, shaped like a rainwater reservoir, comprises marine-grade steel plates, which had to be transported manually to the site due to their 100 kilos weight.

capellahotels.com

Como Laucala Island

At Como Laucala Island in Fiji, the entirety of the resort matches the island it is located on. Its interiors are softly curved, and designed with fluidity in mind to accommodate indoor and outdoor living. The spaces also feature ‘balabala’ fern stems and a traditional coconut husk weave known as ‘magimagi’ immersing guests with authenticity. The pool, or ‘Lagoons’ as they are titled, continues this. Harsh angular edges are scrapped, and instead water’s fluid nature is contained within the pool’s asymmetric curved lines. Each residence is different, some are perched on the rocky cliff face with unwavering ocean views, others are nestled in the tropical treetops, and some are on the beach with effortless access. What they all have in common is privacy and intimacy with their surrounding environment.

comohotels.com

Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como

The ethereal beauty of Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como, has long been perceived as infinite, much like its recently introduced heated outdoor swimming pool and sun deck, which float over the lake’s cinematic southeast shores. Designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, the 40-meter pool elegantly sits against a lower vaulted stone colonnade, featuring a dark local Cardoso sandstone finish and prefabricated steel structure that reflects the water’s cobalt-blue surface. Here, the hotel’s casual dining venue, NAMI Café, offers a laid-back poolside menu of classic Italian al fresco lunches, complemented by refreshing cocktails and freshly prepared juices – all set against the original 19th-century stone arches of the building, once the home of celebrated Italian opera singer Giuditta Pasta.

mandarinoriental.com

Miramonti Boutique Hotel

Miramonti in Merano, northern Italy, perches within its mountainous terrain. Its private spa, which includes a Japanese onsen and an infinity pool, is 1230 metres above sea level and overlooks the tree-covered mountains. The infinity pool is 16 metres long and 5 metres wide and is, as they describe, a ‘panoramic lounge.’ The pool itself is never below 32°C and is filled with salt water. As it extends out into the surrounding environment, the saltwater pool allows for beautiful views of Merano below and an effortless reconnection with nature.

hotel-miramonti.com

Our Habitas AlUla

Waking up to an impressive view takes on a new meaning at Our Habitas AlUla. Being right at the centre of Ashar Valley in Saudia Arabia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the property ensures the immense beauty of the natural world and the dramatic splendour of human creations from every angle – its swimming pool flaunting front-row views of the golden sand stretches and rocky outcrops that emerge from the desert’s expanse. Despite having been a hub of trade and cultural exchange for millennia, AlUla, often likened to an open-air museum, is a brand-new tourism destination. This is why the Our Habitas team was tasked with creating Habitas’ distinctive social architecture, bringing guest experiences and human connections to life. Bathing in an ancient desert valley might not be on everyone’s bucket list, but after discovering this property, it certainly will be.

ourhabitas.com

Qualia

With the Great Barrier Reef on your doorstep, you would wonder why a hotel in this location would need a pool, yet the beauty of well-curated options is what elevates a luxury hotel to another level, and Qualia Resort has done just that. Rather than competing with Mother Nature’s natural beauty, the resort has worked with it, creating a seamless infinity pool which overlooks the world’s largest barrier reef. When not residing in one of the 60 private pavilions, Qualia’s pool is a blissful viewing point to observe the surrounding wildlife, Coral Sea and Whitsunday Islands.

qualia.com.au

Reschio

Reschio, a 3,700-acre pastoral estate with a 1,000-year-old castle at its core, has long observed the twists and turns of history from the passage of pilgrims, to world wars. Today it stands as a boutique hotel, known for its star-studded guestbook full of names of those seeking an escape from Hollywood. Located in the heart of Umbria, a region known as the ‘green heart’ of Italy, Reschio is well at home within its context. Its outdoor pool poses as a lake and seamlessly reflects the surrounding greenery making it a tranquil spot to dip into. Opposite the old watch tower has been converted into a refreshing poolside bar offering tempting gelato to freshly made cocktails.

Read more about Reschio’s history here

reschio.com

The Retreat at Blue Lagoon

Perhaps one of the most famous outdoor pools there is, The Retreat at Blue Lagoon is an example of creating an outdoor pool which blends in with its environment. This Icelandic sanctuary boasts a 60-suite hotel and subterranean spa. And when all this relaxation works up an appetite, Michelin-starred dining is on offer. The pool is actually a private lagoon- with waters sourced from the same healing waters as the Blue Lagoon. This intimate outdoor pool is contained within the lava canyons allowing warmth to radiate from the mineral-rich volcanic earth.

bluelagoon.com

Le Sirenuse

The swimming pool at Le Sirenuse, a family-run boutique hotel in the beautiful coastal town of Positano, Italy, is akin to a swimming pool of dreams. As part of the hotel’s ongoing site-specific commission series, art advisor Silka Rittson-Thomas asked Swiss artist Nicolas Party, best known for his abstract interpretations of familiar landscapes, portraits and still lifes that are both fluid and vibrant, to thoroughly transform the poolside terrace in time for the summer season. The result is an immersive and playful space where organic forms intertwine and dance underwater. Party’s work, a lively aquascape made of Bisazza mosaics – a choice instructed per the wishes of the hotel’s co-owners, Antonio and Carla Sersale, to honour Antonio’s late father’s vision – is a joyful reinterpretation of the location’s distinctive view of the sea and mountains.

sirenuse.it