So incredible are the world’s coolest pools that they’ll have you lingering longer than you ever expected. At these 10 examples from Utah to Dubai, you can hang over the edge of a building, plunge through a shark chute, and let loose at one of the biggest pool parties on the planet. Losing track of time in the water at beach-side pools or hotel plunge pools hasn’t been this much fun since you were a kid.
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Ubud Hanging Gardens
Location: Just outside Ubud in Bali, Indonesia
Cool Factor: Tiers of infinity that reach into the jungle
The Ubud Hanging Gardens' two-level pool is set in a lush rainforest where monkeys chatter in the coconut palms and swift rivers cut through the valleys of Bali. Here, you're completely wrapped in nature. The pool's unique shape mimics the form of the nearby rice paddies laid out in hillside terraces. From this eco-resort's pool you can look out over the valley to an intricately designed temple on the opposite cliff or stretch out and relax on a sun bed. Each of the resort's individual villas, fashioned from Balinese wood and thatch in traditional style, has its own private infinity pool.
After a Swim: Join a resort yoga class on the wooden deck alongside the rushing Ayung River below. Learn to cook Balinese specialties on-site or take the morning botanical walk and learn about medicinal uses of local herbs and plants.
Ubud Hanging Gardens
Location: Just outside Ubud in Bali, Indonesia
Cool Factor: Tiers of infinity that reach into the jungle
The Ubud Hanging Gardens' two-level pool is set in a lush rainforest where monkeys chatter in the coconut palms and swift rivers cut through the valleys of Bali. Here, you're completely wrapped in nature. The pool's unique shape mimics the form of the nearby rice paddies laid out in hillside terraces. From this eco-resort's pool you can look out over the valley to an intricately designed temple on the opposite cliff or stretch out and relax on a sun bed. Each of the resort's individual villas, fashioned from Balinese wood and thatch in traditional style, has its own private infinity pool.
After a Swim: Join a resort yoga class on the wooden deck alongside the rushing Ayung River below. Learn to cook Balinese specialties on-site or take the morning botanical walk and learn about medicinal uses of local herbs and plants.
InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Location: On Dubai Creek, near Dubai International Airport
Cool Factor: Swimming out over the edge of a building
Choose your swimsuit carefully at this hanging pool. The InterContinental Dubai Festival City's rooftop pool suspends over the promenade below for all onlookers and uplookers to see. The overhang, transparent on all sides and the bottom, gives new meaning to "infinity edge." When you're eye-level with the pool's surface, the water ends where the waters of the huge Dubai Creek begin. Swim out to the overhang and you can see the downtown skyline and Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. On the terrace of this 25-meter-long (about 82 feet) wonder, the pool bar serves drinks and snacks throughout the day.
After a Swim: On the pool deck, the spa runs tai chi classes. On the ground level, you can shop at the huge Festival Centre mall or play a round of golf at the hotel's Al Badia Golf Club.
Amangiri Resort
Location: Near Lake Powell in Utah
Cool Factor: Designed around an 80-foot-tall rock in the middle of the desert
There's no shortage of drama in the American Southwest landscape, and this pool only adds to the effect, wrapping around a towering natural sandstone rock escarpment. Sitting like a mirage in the middle of a bone-dry, desolate desert valley, Amangiri's pool is a spot of color in an otherwise sand-hued resort. On the pool deck you can stretch out on king-sized daybeds that appear to float on the water or, on a cool night, you can warm up around a fire in the adjacent campfire pavilion.
After a Swim: Enjoy a meal at an outdoor table near the pool. Or book a pool suite and you'll have your own plunge pool and private terrace with a daybed, both ideal for stargazing under the dark desert sky.
San Alfonso del Mar
Location: Algarrobo, Chile, on the Pacific coast
Cool Factor: A faux miniature ocean next to the real one
About 70 miles west of Santiago on the Pacific coast is a saltwater pool that looks and feels like a transplanted turquoise Caribbean sea. Over a half-mile long, covering 19 acres and reaching 115 feet deep, the San Alfonso del Mar resort pool is the largest in the world. It's big enough for sailing, kayaking, and scuba diving without currents or cold splashes. The pumped-in ocean water is filtered and heated to 79 degrees—multiple degrees warmer than the actual ocean just beyond the railing. In the winter and on rainy days you can slip under the pool's glass pyramid area where even the sand is heated.
After a Swim: Watch a game on the resort's regulation-sized professional soccer field. San Alfonso del Mar also has one of the country's largest aquariums, home to sharks, rays, and more than 55 other species.
Ushuaia Ibiza Beach Hotel
Location: San Antonio area of Ibiza, Spain
Cool Factor: The ultimate pool party in the clubbing capital of the universe
This stylish beach hotel opened last year in the clubbing district of San Antonio, and already Ushuaia's poolside stage has established itself on the A-list summertime party circuit. During the day, party people relax on pool loungers or in VIP areas with Balinese beds and cocktail service. Then the hedonistic crowds gather poolside for afternoon parties with top international DJs whose tunes and pyrotechnics pulse late into the night. Last summer, Paris Hilton, Dennis Rodman, and P. Diddy were part of the thronging scene.
After a Swim: Get a massage by the pool to renew sore dancing legs, or go for a soak between parties in the Wellness and Beauty Centre's VIP hot tub overlooking the Mediterranean. Amateur DJs can record tracks in the hotel's professional recording and production studio on-site.
Hotel Villa Mahal
Location: Outside Kalkan, Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast
Cool Factor: Mediterranean sunsets from the edge of infinity
Perched atop a cliff that drops 181 steps into the Mediterranean, this pool at Hotel Villa Mahal does exactly what infinity pools were meant to do: It makes you feel like you could float effortlessly right off the edge. The blue hues of the pool against similar shades of sea and sky instill a sense of calm. And from this isolated spot above the bay there's no traffic or city noise to distract from the serenity. Cocktail in hand, you can take in panoramic views of the Taurus Mountains on the Anatolian plateau as you watch the sun sink into the sea.
After a Swim: In the evenings, the sun loungers at the bottom of the steps are replaced with tables for romantic seaside dinners. Here, a little boat shuttles guests to and from Kalkan.
Golden Nugget Las Vegas
Location: Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas
Cool Factor: Swimming next to sharks
In a city where hotels are constantly upping the ante on cool pool design, the Golden Nugget Hotel's $30-million outdoor pool complex, The Tank, is hard to beat for thrills. Here you can swim within a few inches of southern stingrays, tropical fish, and five species of sharks: sand tiger, black tip, nurse, brown, and zebra. Only a piece of transparent acrylic separates you from these sleek swimmers who swallow their prey whole. For a quick 360-degree view, slip down the three-story, clear tube waterslide that cuts through the shark tank before spilling into the main pool.
After a Swim: Dry off and watch the sharks from the H2O Bar or from one of three poolside casino gaming tables. Poolside cabanas have TVs, phones, minifridges, and ceiling fans.
Singita Sasakwa Lodge
Location: Western edge of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Cool Factor: The chance to see one of Earth's largest migrations
Swim up to the edge of the main pool at the Singita Sasakwa Lodge for a view that will blow you away: the famous Great Migration, an annual trek of 2 million animals on the wide-open Serengeti plains. You can see mass movement in June, July, and August. But, really, the best time for viewing is in September and October, when large wildebeest herds remain, along with inflated numbers of topi, zebra, Thomson's gazelle, and eland.
After a Swim: Head back to your guest cottage's private infinity-edge pool and get the same view all to yourself. Singita Sasakwa Lodge is one of only three lodges on the private 350,000-acre concession.
Nemo 33
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Cool factor: Dipping into the world's deepest indoor pool
Don't be surprised if you see little bubbles emerging from the dark abyss of this Belgian pool. Nemo 33 is a scuba-diving training facility deep enough for divers to learn the basics and practice more technical skills at depths of 115 feet. When in Brussels, the pool is the next best thing to Bora Bora: The 91-degree mineralized water has very little chlorine, thanks to filters that use sensors to make adjustments to the crystal clear water every 10 seconds. Swimmers can bring a mask and snorkel or free dive to get a closer look at the underwater ledges, caves, and the lip of the pit's 115-foot drop—a spot where even experienced divers occasionally pause for a passing wave of vertigo.
After a Swim: Eat noodles with an underwater view. Nemo 33's Thai restaurant is underground, with windows that look into the pool's depths.
Marina Bay Sands
Location: On Marina Bay in Singapore
Cool Factor: Floating on the skyline
If there was ever a pool designed to test your fear of heights, this one—with a vanishing edge on the 57th-floor rooftop of Marina Bay Sands resort—is it. The pool, 492 feet long (nearly one-and-a-half football fields) and stretched across three guest room towers, claims the record for the world's longest elevated swimming pool. The privilege of taking in the skyline view from these waters is one reserved for hotel guests only. Even though there is a public observation deck on the rooftop SkyPark, camera-toting crowds aren't allowed anywhere near the pool. Check out the experience in this video.
After a Swim: Go ice-skating at the hotel's indoor rink or play in the Sands casino. Each night, The Club lounge on the rooftop opens its Chocolate Bar buffet, with 57 decadent cocoa creations.
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