Ten Swimming Pools. For Mermaids.

By Karen and Erica

Summer in the city. Our minds turn to swimming pools. There are quite a few extremely fabulous pools all around the world we might like to immerse ourselves in. Here are ten:

1. One within reach is at the TWA Hotel at Kennedy—the renovated and incredibly beautiful Saarinen terminal building. The infinity pool on the roof overlooks a runway. Maybe not everyone thrills to the sight and sound of arriving and departing jets while sitting in a pool with a martini—but we do!

2. Another pool in the neighborhood is in the Baccarat Hotel opposite the Museum of Modern Art. Looks incredibly elegant, but to get in we would have to check in. Does that make sense? Maybe! We love the lobby bar and the rooms are probably great too.

3. And a third one for us—the pool at the QCNY Spa on Governor’s Island. An infinity pool overlooking Lower Manhattan and its harbor and the Staten Island Ferry. Glorious.

4. But we must get out of NYC. First stop—Budapest, to the Gellert Spa and Baths. Bathe in an Art Deco wonderland. Looks extraordinary. We will make it a point to go when we are in that part of the world, but if you get there before us please tell all.

5. Then, Beijing. When Karen was in Beijing more than a decade ago, and was unexpectedly there for several extra days with her two young children, she discovered the pool at the Grand Hyatt. A subterranean vault painted to look like a brilliant tropical island, columns transformed into trees, birdsong throughout, and a permanent blue sky. She and her kids spent hours there every day. She remembers that pool with fondness and gratitude, and hopes to see the updated one, pictured here.

6. Of course since then pool technology has been updated too. One of the amazing changes—pools suspended in midair. Check out the video of someone in this pool in Market Square Tower, Houston. Walking on air never looked so cool! Or so scary.

7. And then there’s London’s newest offering, a pool suspended between two towers. Incredible. How can we get into it? Even if we only see it from the outside, it might be worth the trip.

8. Maybe you don’t want to swim suspended in the air. Maybe you do want to swim where elephants drink? Check out this pool at the Four Seasons Safari Lodge in Tanzania.

9. Another pool to be shared with local fauna is this one in Kruger National Park. Slightly unnerving. Extremely remarkable. How much do elephants drink?

10. The Burj al Arab—one of the most beautiful hotels we have ever seen—has another magnificent pool, set in a generally magnificent building.

Whether we get to any of these pools or not, we do like to dream, and we are are fascinated that people are using their imaginations—and new technology—to create these fabulous places.