Poolside perfection

When the place you stay in has a pool, it quickly becomes the heart of your holiday. It’s where you wake yourself up in the morning, idle in the afternoon and gather at night with the stars shimmering on the water.

Here are some of our favourites, from wild swimming spots hidden by trees, to terrace pools and luxurious spas.

Poolside perfection is one of the ten themes in our 100 Holidays series. Explore them all here.

Gîtes with pools

At Gîtes de Beauregard, you can immerse yourself in the perfect crossover between laid-back days by the pool and the unassuming style of classic French gîtes. We have a few others to check out as well.

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Pools in Britain

You might wait slightly longer in Britain for a day hot enough to drive you into the pool, but when they come around, somewhere like The Lodge Cotswolds is the perfect plunge. Discover more British places with pools.

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Pools across Europe

The pool at the bottom of the stepped terrace at Villa Vetrichina, hiding in the woods in the hills near Siena, might be the most lovely we’ve seen, but you can decide for yourself with our European pools collection.

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Spa breaks

Tense? Nervous? Headache? You need somewhere like Chewton Glen, with a pool room straight from a film and teams of experts ready to melt the tension out of you. Or any of the other relaxing spots in our spa breaks collection.

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Hotels with pools

Locanda del Gallo, with mountain views, ornate day beds and tumbling terraces leading down to the infinity pool, will ruin standard hotel pools for you forever. We’ve got a few others that’ll do the same, if you want to see…

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Pools with epic views

When the design of a hotel as cool as Estalagem da Ponta do Sol is upstaged by the view from the pool, it’s definitely something special. Find a couple that might challenge it in our pick of pools with epic views.

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Natural pools

Launch yourself off the jetty at Little Barn and paddle through the water as dragonflies and birds dart around you, at one of our pick of places with natural pools, where you can ditch the chlorine and swim wild.

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Big places with pools

When you can gather a group of friends somewhere like La Badoussie, with its tree-shaded terraces and bright communal spaces, the pool is almost a bonus. Almost. Take a look at more places for the perfect pool party.

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Pools in Italy

The distinctive conical buildings of Trulli del Bosco are rare originals, well-preserved on the wilder side of Puglia, with more of our fabulous Italian places with pools waiting at hilltop villas and wineries all across the country

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Pools in Spain

After hiking the hills on gourmet walking tours, feasting on Iberican goat’s cheese, ham and honey, you’ll need some quiet floating time at Molino Rio Alájar, one of the fabulous Spanish places with pools you’ll find in our collection.

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