Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Awe-Inspiring Swimming Pools

Hanging Pool

This architecturally- daring pool, designed by Architexas , sits atop The Joule hotel in Dallas, Texas. Ten stories above the ground, the pool projects eight feet over the edge of the building and hangs directly above Main Street, giving dippers dazzling downtown views. Photo Credit: Gadling.com

Private Bay Overlook

Shown above is one of many private infinity pools at Six Sense Hotel in Koh Yao Noi, Thailand (northeast of the better-known island of Phuket). The pool deck offers a magnificent view of Phang Nga Bay and its limestone monoliths, but the best part? Butler service upon request. Photo credit: Newsdesk.se


Pantheon Pool

The Homestead Crater—a 55-foot-high dome filled halfway with 96°F mineral-rich spring water—is a favorite among local water skiers, snorkelers and scuba divers. Located at the Homestead Resort in Midway, Utah, this natured-inspired pool is lit during the evenings to illuminate the mineral deposits that decorate the chamber’s walls. Photo Credit: HomesteadResort. com


Blood-Red Pool

Appropriately set in Marrakesh, Morocco—known as the “Red City” due the city buildings’ crimson-colored mud walls—this 105-foot-long pool sits at the center of the Murano Oriental Resort. Paved with red enamel and similarly-hued mosaic tiles, the pool water gives off a rosy tint, providing a visual allusion to the city’s nickname. Photo Credit: OUTNEXT.com


World’s Largest Pool

San Alfonso del Mar in Algarrobo, Chile is home to the world’s largest swimming pool, according to the Guinness World Records. Set on an artificial lagoon, the crystal-clear pool crosses over almost 20 acres and is 140-feet deep—equivalent in size to 6,000 standard-sized pools. The pool includes Jacuzzi tubs, solar heating, water cascades and an aquarium that holds more than 42 different species of local sea life. Photo Credit: Americazoom. org


Snow-Side Pool

The Grand Hotel Portillo, one of Chile’s most famous ski resorts, is home to this heated, glass-enclosed indoor-outdoor pool. (Beside it there sits a hot tub of nearly equal size!) Beloved for its sweeping views of the Andes mountaintops as well as its secluded location (there are no neighboring towns for miles), it is here where the hotel guests unwind after a fun-filled day on the slopes! Photo Credit: SkiDream.com


Lap Pool

This enticing infinity pool belongs to New Zealand’s Blanket Bay Luxury Lodge. The seemingly never-ending heated stretch of water allows the perfect view of Lake Wakatipu through the on-the-edge, open-air cutout window carved into the stone. Photo Credit: MadisonMag.com


Infinity Pool

The Bulgari Resort in Bali is home to a pool dubbed the “epitome of infinity”—so named because it appears to blend right into its surrounding scenery. The peak it’s perched on offers unparalleled views of the Indian Ocean and hangs among cliffs of grey, hand-cut volcanic stone that jut out dramatically over the surrounding seas