One of my favourite travel memories is of a hotel pool. It was perfectly circular and surrounded by trailing bougainvillea in the grounds of an old Indian palace.
Flowers dropped their petals on to the tiles as I slipped into the water at sunset.
Slowly, the sky changed from searing blue to a dusky purple as I floated on my back, and night crept in from the east.
The hundreds of grubby travelling kilometres just drifted away.
I’ve had a soft spot for perfect pools ever since – and if you want to wash away your cares, these are some of the very best places to go.
Nilambag Palace Hotel, Bhavnagar, India
The pool that launched my hotel-pool obsession as an impoverished backpacker is still a big draw at this hotel, but the old world charm works well too, with its quirky Indian twist.
Prices are reasonable for the quality.
• www.nilambagpalace.com, rooms from €30
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa, Hawaii
Pools at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa in Hawaii are almost beyond belief. Photo: Hyatt HotelsIt seems as though the Hyatt Kauai was conceived around the pools rather than the other way round.
The hotel is at the top of a long slope down to the sea and the pool starts right there, with an adults-only section and then a long, lazy river (swim against the current here for an extra workout) that meanders under waterfalls and past caves with convenient rock seats.
The river deposits you at the waterslide, or you can take a pit-stop in the hot tub, then dive into the wide open pool with the volleyball net, but the real pièce de résistance is the saltwater lagoon at the edge of the hotel grounds.
Complete with pseudo sand and little islets, it’s so large that people learn to dive in it; but it also has a shallow, lapping edge, perfect for tots who might get knocked over by large waves on the adjacent Shipwrecks Beach.
Nothing can replace nature, but the Hyatt has had a darn good go at it.
• www.kauai.hyatt.com, rooms from €217
B2 Boutique Hotel and Spa, Zurich
The B2 has a passion for pools and has created a double whammy; in the basement, a ‘temple of relaxation’ nestles in an old brewery; the former barrel vessels are filled with hot mineral water, steaming beneath a vaulted stone ceiling.
On the roof, there’s another spa where you can see a panorama of the city while immersed in the bubbling warm water.
They’ll even sell you swim shorts if you forget yours.
• www.b2boutiquehotels.com, rooms from €300
Thrill-seekers can swim 24 storeys up – with a view of the street below – at the Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao. Photo: IHGHoliday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao, China
If you’re scared of heights, this one might not be for you. The pool is perched 24 storeys up floating on nothing but air.
The glass bottom juts right out so that you can see passersby on the street 100m below. Don’t forget your goggles; there’s nothing like a little people-watching while doing laps.
• www.ihg.com, rooms from €90
Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Tanzania
Infinity pools; seen one, seen ’em all?
Well, no... this particular infinity is just metres from a waterhole where elephants, antelope and pretty much any other animal that needs a drink gather.
It’s hard to imagine a better view, especially as the sun sets on the African savannah.
• www.fourseasons.com/serengeti, rooms from €720
Banyan Tree Seychelles, Mahé, Seychelles
It’s all white sand, granite boulders and rolling blue waves in the Seychelles, but the Banyan Tree has taken it one step further with a pool at Intendance Bay suspended right over the beach.
They also have private suites with their own infinity pools, just in case you don’t want to mingle.
Gaze out over the tropical islands dotted about in the Indian Ocean and start plotting how you can move here forever – after you win the lottery that is.
• www.banyantree.com, rooms from €782
Hanging Gardens, Ubud, Bali
At the top of a cliff and looking right into the rainforest, the tiered infinity pool at the Hanging Gardens is breathtaking.
Each room has its own private section of pool and the steep and remote location guarantees total privacy.
You’ll see monkeys and a host of forest birds as you float.
• www.hanginggardensubud.com, rooms from €340
If that price tag is way out of your budget, the Best Western Kuta Beach, Bali, has an awesome rooftop infinity pool with views of the ocean and Kuta Beach for considerably more affordable prices.
• www.bwkutabeach.com, rooms from €32
Belmond Hotel Caruso, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Take a deep breath and dive into the blue: the really deep blue. The pool seems to segue straight into the sea at this most gorgeous of hotels, and in the background, the Amalfi Coast lies seductively with its rugged mountain scenery.
The hotel is a former 11th-century palace set on cliffs and ‘seeming to drift on a balcony above the Mediterranean Sea’. The building is a work of art in itself, with ancient walls painstakingly restored and fresco-covered ceilings.
Forget your worries. Forget everything. You won’t want to come home.
• www.hotelcaruso.com, rooms from €700
If that price is too high, try the Metropole Taormina in Sicily, which has a panoramic infinity pool on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean – www.hotelmetropoletaormina.it, rooms from €300 – or the Atahotel Capotaormina, which has a glorious pool set into the rocks just above the sea and summer specials from €93 per room.