Splash hits! From a Beverly Hills hotel to a South American pool so big you can SAIL on it, 12 of the most jaw-dropping swimming pools in the world

ST. REGIS, BORA BORA: This hotel in French Polynesia boasts a number of pools, with author Stefanie stating: ‘You can’t go wrong with any of the three communal pools. At the main pool, a swim-up bar allows you to order cocktails from Aparima Bar without ever leaving the water. Or you could reserve a cabana at the adults-only Oasis Pool [pictured], which is perfect for a lovely little pool date.’ The property also boasts a fish-filled lagoon

FAIRMONT MALDIVES, SIRRU FEN FUSHI: Of this beachside swimming spot, Stefanie notes: ‘It’s the longest infinity pool in the Maldives, and it truly looks as if it stretches right out to sea. A few dozen yards off the end of the pool is the Coralarium, an art installation by Jason deCaires Taylor that doubles as a coral regeneration project’ 

THE SAN ALFONSO DEL MAR RESORT, CHILE: ‘Can you imagine a pool large enough that you can sail boats on it?’ asks Stefanie. ‘Well, you don’t need to image it – it’s real.’ Her book reveals that this huge swimming pool in Algarrobo has a surface area of 20 acres and reaches 11.5-feet deep, holding 66million gallons of salt water. Stefanie adds: ‘It’s located right on the coast, but the water here is too rough for swimming or other water sports – hence the creation of the pool’ 

LE CASCATE DEL MULINO, ITALY: Tuscany is famous for its hills and vineyards, the author says, but it also boasts hot springs like Le Cascate del Mulino (above), located near the village of Saturnia. Stefanie writes: ‘These thermal springs cascade down a hillside, forming white rimmed terraced pools filled with baby-blue water that’s naturally heated to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit (37.5C). You can take a dip all year round’

LA MAMOUNIA, MARRAKECH: Looking to Morocco, Stefanie says: ‘La Mamounia is the place to stay in Marrakech: the 206-room property first opened its doors in 1923, welcoming A-list guests both then and now. I’d argue every piece of the hotel is photogenic, but it’s the subterranean pool (pictured) that takes one’s breath away’ 

TAJ LAKE PALACE, INDIA: Built in the 18th century, this palace-turned-resort is on an island within Udaipur’s Lake Pichola and featured in James Bond film ‘Octopussy’. Stefanie says: ‘The architecture of the palace blends Mewari techniques with a touch of Mughal influence to elegant effect, seen clearly in the ornamentation surrounding the serene pool’ 

ZANNIER HOTELS OMAANDA, NAMIBIA: This property is just one hour from Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, but Sarah notes: ‘Just take a look at the infinity-edge lap pool overlooking the savannah – here, you feel as if you’re out in the middle of nowhere’ 

BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL, LOS ANGELES: Stefanie comments: ‘Los Angeles and swimming pools go hand in hand. Tall palms serve as a backdrop here, with cabanas in the hotel’s signature pink lining the bright-blue water.’ The author notes that the pool has always been a draw for famous types – ‘Katharine Hepburn was reportedly a fan of diving in after playing tennis’

HOTEL VILLA HONEGG, LAKE LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND: This 23-room Art Nouveau-style villa ‘provides spectacular lake and mountain views’ and has ‘standout’ wellness offerings, says the author, ‘in particular, the outdoor infinity pool heated to 93.2 degrees Fahrenheit [34C]’, which is available to non-guests who book a day pass to the spa

KATIKIES CHROMATA, SANTORINI: This private plunge pool looks out over the sea from the village of Imerovigli, which Stefanie calls the ‘balcony on the Aegean’, at Katikies Chromata – ‘a charming cliffside cave hotel built into the volcanic rock of Santorini’

TITANIC MARDAN PALACE, TURKEY: The swimming pool of this all-inclusive resort in Antalya spans more than 100,000 square feet. Stefanie says: ‘It looks more like a lagoon than it does a pool. There are many other pools spread throughout the resort, from an indoor-outdoor saltwater pool to a more intimate heated outdoor pool’

OL MALO, KENYA: The pool at Ol Malo, in Laikipia, is set within a safari camp on a 5,000-acre family-run working ranch filled with wildlife. Stefanie notes: ‘The infinity pool takes a natural shape that mimics a watering hole, and thanks to the camp’s location on an escarpment, it offers vistas over a vast landscape of wooded hills and valleys’

Swimming Pools: The World’s Best by Stefanie Waldek is published by Lannoo and available on Amazon