Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More Next
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2020

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2020. Read More Next
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More Next
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    • Travel Guides
    • Flight Deals
    • Travel Deals
    • Ways to Save
    • Hotels + Resorts
    • Attractions
    • Amusement Parks
    • Disney Vacations
    • Festivals + Events
    • Airlines + Airports
    • Buses + Trains
    • Ground Transportation
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Trip Ideas
  3. The World's Most Jaw-Dropping Pool Views

The World's Most Jaw-Dropping Pool Views

By Debbie Pappyn
January 27, 2016
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: David De Vleeschauwer
It’s that time of year again: the bleak, post-holiday stretch of winter that seems to drag on forever. While the sun may not be shining where you are, remember: It is out there somewhere—and you only have to hop on an airplane to find it. It helps to book a hotel with a view, or better still, book a hotel with a pool with a view. Because there’s no better cue for the winter blues than an azure sky reflected in clear, calm water. Here is our pick of the world’s most scenic places to swim, from a resort in Zimbabwe where you can watch herds of zebra gather around the water’s edge, to a pool where you can look out over Chile’s Atacama Desert and the Andes beyond while doing your laps.
Start Slideshow

1 of 9

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Tierra Atacama, Chile

Credit: David De Vleeschauwer

There’s nothing as blissful as taking a swim while looking out over a silent, almost lunar desert landscape. One of our favorite spots to do this is Chile’s Atacama Desert, where the weather is always stunning, with barely a drop of rain. The infinity pool at Tierra Atacama is beautifully simple, giving the impression that the water flows straight off into the red desert. Watching the peaks of the Chilean Andes become lit up by the rose-gold hues of early evening makes it even harder to get out of the water.

1 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 9

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Four Seasons, Langkawi

Credit: David De Vleeschauwer

If you’re looking for a dose of quintessential Asian hospitality in a sublimely tranquil setting, look no further than the Four Seasons Langkawi in Malaysia. The resort is a world away from touristy Phuket in Thailand, but offers the same endless white beaches, limestone rock formations and hidden mangrove forests—as well as two stunning pools with glistening views of the Andaman Sea.

2 of 9

3 of 9

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Injidup Spa Retreat, Margaret River, Australia

Credit: David De Vleeschauwer

Far away from the crowded beaches of East Australia, Injidup Spa Retreat looks out over the empty white sands where the Pacific meets the Indian Ocean. On the coast of Margaret River, one of the most renowned wine regions in Australia, the hotel has 10 villas, each with their own plunge pool, from where you can watch dolphins and humpback and blue whales frolic in the deep blue ocean.

3 of 9

Advertisement

4 of 9

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Camp Amalinda, Zimbabwe

Credit: Camp Amalinda

The safari’s not over at Camp Amalinda—even after you’re back at camp. Plunge into the pool after a long day of wildlife watching, and you can observe nearby zebras as you bob up and down in the water. The camp is located in a particularly peaceful corner of Zimbabwe, not far from the grave of Cecile Rhodes, so it makes a great spot to take in a safari, while also immersing yourself in the fascinating history of this country. Before or after your swim, that is.

4 of 9

5 of 9

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Amangiri, Utah

Credit: David De Vleeschauwer

Hidden in the Utah desert near Lake Powell, the pool at Amangiri curves around a spectacular sandstone monolith. It’s said the rock imbues the water with a special healing energy, and when you look up, there’s nothing but above you but the pure, intense sky of the Navajo desert.

5 of 9

6 of 9

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Songsaa, Cambodia

Credit: David De Vleeschauwer

Here in the Gulf of Thailand, it’s hard to tell where the infinity pool ends and the sea begins. When you’re adrift in this private island resort’s main pool, you’ll probably find yourself wondering if it really matters, anyway. You’ll almost certainly have the water to yourself, since most guests have private pools in their villa, all looking over the glassy ocean surrounding the islands of Koh Rong.

6 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 9

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Four Seasons, Bora Bora

Credit: David De Vleeschauwer

The Bora Bora lagoon may well be the most famous and desirable stretch of ocean in the world. To match the numerous natural swimming options on offer, Four Seasons Bora Bora has created stunning over-water bungalows with their own plunge pools, in addition to a huge, wave-shaped pool with views of Mount Otemanu and the lagoon, where sea turtles, stingrays and dolphins are a common sight.

7 of 9

8 of 9

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Delaire Graff, Winelands, South Africa

Credit: David De Vleeschauwer

At this high-end property near Stellenbosch, you can count the different grape varieties growing in the vineyard in front of your private pool as you sip from an icy glass of Sauvignon Blanc. The Delaire Graff Estate, set on the highest crest along the stunning Helshoogte Mountain Pass, is also the perfect place to watch the sun set over South Africa’s scenic winelands.

8 of 9

9 of 9

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Amano'i, Vietnam

Credit: David De Vleeschauwer

At this secluded resort on Vietnam’s south-central coast, your only dilemma will be which pool with a view to choose from. There’s the Cliff Pool, next to the Central Pavilion, which looks out over East Sea, or the one at the Beach Club, next to the white-sand beach of Vinh Hy Bay. For the ultimate, private swim with a view, choose a pavilion or villa with its own pool. No matter where you decide to swim, you’ll have amazing views of Nui Chua National Park, a rugged nature reserve famous for its rare black bears.

9 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Debbie Pappyn

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 9 Tierra Atacama, Chile
2 of 9 Four Seasons, Langkawi
3 of 9 Injidup Spa Retreat, Margaret River, Australia
4 of 9 Camp Amalinda, Zimbabwe
5 of 9 Amangiri, Utah
6 of 9 Songsaa, Cambodia
7 of 9 Four Seasons, Bora Bora
8 of 9 Delaire Graff, Winelands, South Africa
9 of 9 Amano'i, Vietnam

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap
  • Travel Guide Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
Travel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

View image

The World's Most Jaw-Dropping Pool Views
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.