HOTEL REPORT: PRIVATE POOLS WITH STUNNING VIEWS

There’s never been a better time to slip away from it all in a totally private pool, where you can sunbathe bare or just shade yourself from the rest of the world. We’ve rounded up the most alluring pools in the most jaw-dropping locations, below.

MALDIVES

Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi

Image Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi

If the Maldives has been on your destination bucket list, this is the time to book that trip. The island nation which is usually considered one of the more expensive destinations in the world to travel to is offering deals like never before due to the pandemic. Nestled in the Indian Ocean and famous for its serene turquoise waters and overwater villas, the recently re-opened Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi is the first luxury resort near the capital city of Malé in the last decade. Which means it’s a quick and easy yacht ride from the airport anytime, day or night, which is a luxury in the Maldives where transfers from the airport to your hotel add on lots of extra travel time. Every villa on the island—which varies from on the beach, reef or overwater—has its own private infinity pool, dining gazebo, outdoor deck and swinging daybed.

ST. BARTH 

The Christopher in St. Barth

Image Courtesy of The Christopher in St. Barth

The Christopher in St. Barth has revealed new four-bedroom villas designed to be a relaxing, yet luxe, home-away-from-home. With privacy and discretion in mind, the designer Olivia Putman (daughter of the famed French interior and product designer Andreé Putnam) has brought the inside out and vice versa through a mix of natural materials including bamboo, sandstone and volcanic stone, which are accented with pops of the hotel’s signature shade of orange. The villas feel vast and open as a result with large decks and, of course, each one features a private pool, melding together the privacy of an independent villa rental but with all the comforts and services of a 5-star hotel.

MYKONOS 

Kalesma

Image courtesy of Kalesma

One of the shining stars of the Greek Isles, Mykonos has long been a destination for international tastemakers including Jackie Onassis, Grace Kelly, Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as artists, poets, and designers alike. For generations, people have been attracted to the island because of its natural beauty, winding alleyways, local delicacies, and thriving beach life. Most of all, people have long loved Mykonos for its Greek sense of hospitality which leaves every visitor feeling like family. Set atop a hilltop above Ornos Bay and just under two miles from the town center, the soon-to-be-opened Kalesma is an all-suite property of unpretentious luxury and world-class indulgences. Subtle and sublime yet satisfying to even the most discriminating aesthete, the hotel’s 25 rooms are set within a lush hillside blanketed with plants, each suite boasting unobstructed views from the private patio and full-sized heated pool.

ST. TROPEZ

La Réserve  Ramatuelle

Image courtesy of  La Réserve Ramatuelle

There are few places in the world with the excitement and activity of the Côte d’Azur in summer. This is why the La Réserve Ramatuelle specializes in what they describe as an intensely private experience but only 15 minutes outside St. Tropez. The unique location allows guests the experience and enjoy the excitement of the Côte on demand but with the ability to retreat back into the privacy of La Réserve. Built into cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean, each of the 14 villas is contemporary yet traditional, minimal yet rich, with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows that open the home completely to the outdoors. The villas are set within its own private gardens and feature a private heated infinity pool and jacuzzi which overlooks onto Cap Taillat and the sea below.

NAMIBIA

andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge

Image courtesy of andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge

10 mini-villas created in a symphony of glass, rock and steel comprise the experience at andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in Namibia. Situated within the Sossusvlei Private Desert Reserve, a 31,500-acre plot within the Namib desert (the oldest living desert in the world), this is a place of uncompromising luxury amidst unparalleled landscapes. Known for its tranquility, surreal surroundings, isolation and wide-open skies optimal for stargazing, the property is also proudly sustainable.  It utilizes solar power, a water harvesting and recycling system, and was built with as little impact as possible to the environment. Each of the 1,400 square foot guest suites has full views of the outdoors from every corner of the suite, and along with each villa’s private pool, the outdoor shower with180-degree desert views is the jewel in the crown. 

COSTA RICA

Nayara Tented Camp

Image courtesy of Nayara Tented Camp

While the mini-villas at Nayara Tented Camp may technically be considered tents, what they actually are are next-level rainforest glamping suites. One of the first luxury tented camps in Central America, the Costa Rican property has 21 tented accommodations built on stilts into the hillside, high up onto a cliffside perch giving each tent unobstructed views of the Arenal Volcano in the distance and the lush rainforest below. With double outdoor showers and patios for breathtaking views, each tent’s private pool is fed by warm mineral springs sourced from the volcano itself.

GREECE

Amanzoe

Image courtesy of Amanzoe

The Aman group of hotels is known for being one of the first hotel groups to have a property receive a 6-star rating when the additional star was introduced in 2009. Since then, the group has continued to grow its brand of exclusive locations, architectural uniqueness, privacy and service around the world. When they opened the Amanzoe resort in the Peloponnese region of Greece, an area historically devoid of tourists, they created a collection of 38 rooms (called pavilions) and outfitted each one with its own private infinity pool overlooking the Aegean. The resort was designed by Ed Tuttle, the man who created the architectural blueprint for the Aman resorts, who imbued a neo-classical vibe to the property to match its Greek surroundings through generous use of pale marble and Doric columns, of which there are 566. While the interiors are contemporary, polished and neutral in tone, there is a feeling of richness brought to life through the Jim Thompson textiles and the oak ceilings and the light let in at every turn through walls of glass and doors made with panels of translucent marble. Although the property is not beachfront—it has a separate beach club guests can access through Amanzoe’s complimentary fleet of luxury cars—leaving the sanctuary of each pavilion is absolutely at your discretion. Because the idea is to never have to leave, at all.