4 Hotel Pools That Capture the Extraordinary

Few places capture Venetian elegance like Hotel Cipriani. A private boat whisks you away to Giudecca Island, where you step into a world of timeless glamour. Hidden within its gardens and palatial suites lies a secret: the largest swimming pool in central Venice.

When the pool was commissioned, a simple miscalculation transformed it into an icon. Measurements intended in feet were interpreted in meters, resulting in an Olympic-sized saltwater pool—a rare extravagance in the floating city. Surrounded by terracotta tiles and framed by the hotel’s pastel-hued façade, it has become a lively social hub where guests sip Bellinis (invented right here at the hotel) and take in unobstructed views of St. Mark’s Square across the water.

You are swimming in a piece of history, in a pool that was never meant to be quite so grand but is all the better for it.

Paris is a city of hidden treasures, and in the heart of Le Marais, Le Grand Mazarin holds one of its most artistic secrets: an indoor swimming pool that feels plucked from a dream.

Tucked beneath the hotel, this intimate retreat is a canvas of deep greens and shimmering blues, designed to feel both whimsical and deeply sophisticated. The ceiling, a magnificent fresco by artist Jacques Merle, evokes celestial skies, while the water reflects the intricate tilework that lines the walls.

Inspired by the great Parisian salons of the Enlightenment, Le Grand Mazarin itself is a place for conversation, artistry, and indulgence. Its pool is no different—more than a place to swim, it is a gallery, a sanctuary, and a portal to a different era of Parisian luxury.

High above the Persian Gulf, on the 18th floor of the world’s most extravagant hotel, you find a pool unlike any other. The Talise Spa pools at Burj Al Arab are not just elevated in location but in artistry, wrapped in opulence from floor to ceiling.

Across all pools in the hotel, 10 million gold and azure mosaic tiles shimmer, their patterns inspired by traditional Middle Eastern designs. The indoor infinity pools feature floor-to-ceiling windows that dissolve the boundary between water and sky. As you float in their heated embrace, you are suspended above the city, gazing out over Dubai’s futuristic skyline and the endless expanse of the sea.

Like everything at the Burj Al Arab, the pools are a marvel of engineering and indulgence, a reflection of the hotel’s commitment to making the impossible possible.

On the sun-drenched shores of Kalafatis, Cali Mykonos reimagines island luxury. Carved into the landscape, its crowning jewel is the longest infinity pool in Mykonos—a 130-meter stretch of crystalline water that seems to pour into the Aegean beyond.

Here, marble sourced from local quarries lines the pool’s edges, its natural curves mirroring the undulating coastline. The water, kept at the perfect temperature, laps against the sunbeds, inviting you to drift effortlessly between pool and sea.

Cali Mykonos is a retreat for those who seek tranquility over spectacle. Sunsets here are a slow-burning masterpiece, with golden light bouncing off the water, casting ripples of color across the sky. It is a place where time slows, where each swim is a meditation, and where luxury is not just seen. It is felt.