Soak up the views from world’s best infinity pools

Nothing beats the awesome views from the world’s coolest infinity pools, says Joe Minihane. So which hotspot will you choose for a holiday that leaves you…

YOU don’t need to wade way out into the sea or the middle of a lake to get a sense of the infinite. Fabulous infinity pools are designed to give you a frog’s-eye view of the world tumbling away at the water’s edge, all without having to check tide times or worry about conditions getting a little rough for swimming.

Perhaps you want to complete a few lengths while elephants and zebras cool off at a nearby watering hole, or stare out from the water’s edge over the clifftops of Italy’s most majestic coastline. Or simply take in the moodiness of the Lake District without having to face up to the inclement weather. You’ll find infinity pools that allow you to do just that.

The wild water of Tanzania is not advisable when it comes to open-water swimming. No one wants the attention of a hungry hippo, after all.

That’s where Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti comes in. Its sensational infinity pool overlooks a busy watering hole where regular visitors include elephant herds, giraffes and, during the twiceyearly great migration, huge numbers of antelope.

From this angle, close to the water, it’s easier to get a true sense of animal behaviour and feel an even deeper connection with the vast savannah and mountains which ring the resort. At 82ft (25m), it’s also long enough for a proper swim before a well-earned sundowner.

Rooms start from £955 per night, based on two sharing and including three meals a day plus house beer, wine and spirits (fourseasons.com).

POOLS that combine the pleasure of being able to enjoy a spot of proper swimming as well as the opportunity to lounge in front of jaw-dropping vistas are a class apart. And at Lefay Resort & Spa on Italy’s Lake Garda, that’s exactly what’s on offer. The pool sits high on a mountainside, looking straight out over the lake with craggy peaks looming to the side. Swim breaststroke and as you reach the edge, it can feel as if you’re about to take off.

Seven nights’ B&B in a junior suite costs £2,120pp, including return flights from Gatwick (classic-collection.co.uk).

If you prefer your Italian grandeur by the coast rather than in the mountains, then Monastero Santa Rosa is the place to be. This resort and spa on the Amalfi Coast, a former 17th Century monastery, has an infinity pool, set beneath terraced gardens, to blow all others in this beautiful region out of the water. Swimmers who slide into the pool’s cool embrace will feel as if they’re being buoyed up on the azure waves of the Mediterranean far below. Seven-night all-inclusive breaks cost from £2,659pp (britishairways.com).

The Lake District might seem an unlikely candidate for a world-class infinity pool, but at Another Place, The Lake, swimmers can take a dip safe in the knowledge they won’t have to deal with sudden downpours or freezing temperatures in order to get in.

For this pool is indoors, with vast floorto-ceiling windows looking out from the far end of the pool across Ullswater and up on to the top of Barton Fell. The result is a pool that offers the sense of scale and magic you get from wild swimming in the lake, without having to pull on a wetsuit or strap on a tow float.

Double rooms cost from £267 per night (another.place).

Banyan Tree hotels have long been a byword for luxury across Asia. And the group’s first European property, Angsana Corfu, does not disappoint, with an infinity pool designed as its focal point.

Arcing around a deck replete with sun loungers and a cabana, it offers sweeping, uninterrupted views over the Ionian Sea and beyond, all the way to the rugged peaks of the Greek mainland.

For those looking to make a bigger splash, some of the resort’s larger villas have their own infinity pools. Rooms cost from £389 per night (angsana.com).

THE infinity pool at Tenerife’s Gran Melia Palacio de Isora makes no compromises when it comes to size. At a massive 54,000 sq ft (5,000 sq m), there’s plenty of room for swimmers of all abilities. And the views over the Atlantic Ocean way below are special, with Mount Teide, the highest peak in Spain, lending it a stunning backdrop. It’s made even better by the fact that it’s saltwater, bringing beach vibes to the poolside.

Rooms start from £250 per night based on two sharing (melia.com).

For those happy to blow the budget on something truly spectacular, Secret Cove, a villa on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, ticks all the boxes. Its infinity pool sits high above a hidden beach with a private path down to the sand. Chances are guests will want to eschew the roiling waves of the Pacific, though, opting instead for a languid dip in the pool and a chance to soak up views far out over the ocean.

The villa costs £3,731 per night and sleeps eight (purekauai.com).

Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity and lush

landscapes make it the ideal escape for anyone wanting to get closer to nature.

After a day spent on the lookout for quetzals, macaws and toucans, not to mention the country’s most famous resident, the sloth, where better to relax than the infinity pool at Origins Luxury Lodge, which takes in epic views of the jungle valley stretching for miles below.

Guests can also head out with the onsite Michelin-starred chef to pick ingredients for their evening meal.

Lodges start at £731 per night based on two sharing, including horseriding, wildlife walks and lagoon fishing

(originslodge.com).

Deep in Bali’s jungle, a short drive from the popular resort of

Ubud, Como Shambhala Estate is home to the Wanakasa

Residence, which translates as ‘forest in the mist’. This lavish treehouse features an infinity pool wrapped around the side of the building, designed to mirror the bend in the Ayung River 330ft (100m) below. Swimming here feels as if you’re suspended high above the canopy, with just the sound of the birds flitting through the leaves for company.

From £3,930 per night, with space for up to 13 guests (comohotels.com).

Ensuring you get to dive into the still waters of the hotel pool often means sacrificing that wellearned holiday lie-in. But at the super-luxe Sugar Beach on St Lucia that’s not an issue, as every suite comes with its own infinity pool with views of either the Caribbean Sea or the Pitons, which tower high above the resort.

From £1,575 per night based on two guests sharing a Beach Residence (viceroyhotelsandresorts.com).

Lux Grand Baie Resort And Residences, on the northern coast of Mauritius, is a dream escape for those who love sleek, modernist architecture, but its infinity pool is what makes it stand out from the crowd in this Indian Ocean paradise.

Set on the rooftop and shimmering beneath shady palms, it offers swimmers the chance to indulge in some languid backstroke while drinking in the scenery. It’s the perfect place to see out the day or escape the crowds down in the enduringly popular Grand Baie village.

Junior suites start from £373 per night, based on two sharing (luxresorts.com).

Lizard Island, at the northern tip of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, is an hour by plane from Cairns. It offers the chance to easily explore this natural wonder of the world without the need for a long boat trip. And The Villa at Lizard Island Resort also happens to have Australia’s best infinity pool, a 26ft (8m) gem that looks right out over the reef, with woodland tumbling down towards the beach – the ultimate place to watch the sun slide into the Coral Sea.

Costs from £3,680 per night and sleeps four (lizardisland.com.au).