Swimming pools are amazing, in hotter regions like the Middle East, they serve as a quick and easy way to cool down. These days though we have infinity pools, far more luxurious and beautiful, because we all deserve to cool off in style.
Infinity pools are where the water flows over one or more edges, making it look like there is no boarder to your swimming pool. These pools are often set against bodies of water such as oceans to appear like an ‘infinite pool’. Because of this desire, a lot of them are set in the most luxurious and idyllic of spots.
Here’s a look at some of the best infinity pools throughout the Middle East:
Turkey
Hoyran Wedre Country House
Okay so we just said infinity pools equals luxury, but this pick shows that infinity pools can also boast simple, rural beauty. The Hoyran Wedre Country House in the tiny Turkish village of Hoyran sports one of the most tranquil pools in Turkey. The hotel itself is set on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, meaning that as you lounge by this infinity pool, you seem to merge into this sea.
Çırağan Palace Kempinski
This subtle infinity pool is located on the Bosporus, a beautiful Turkish waterway. It is part of one of Istanbul’s top five-star hotels, meaning that you can enjoy a steady stream of served beverages while you take in the beauty of the Turkish waters. This infinity pool may only one small edge, but it’s enough to make it an infinity pool and the beauty of its surroundings certainly earn it a spot on this list.
Dionysos Hotel
Yet another more rural entry. Turkey seems to boast a more traditional landscape to other more marble-y entities on the list. Situated in a green area of Turunc, this hotel gives you views of cliffs, mountains and the sea. This infinity pool stands right on a cliff edge, making you feel very high up, this is a pick for those ‘NOT’ afraid of heights.
Litore Resort Hotel & Spa
Most hotels just have a grand building and then slap an infinity pool on the end. Litore Resort Hotel is not like most, it has its infinity pool as a centrepiece. The design of this opulent pool makes it seem like it curves around the main hotel building. It may not have quite the same view as the other Turkish entries on the list but it certainly has a stellar design.
Jordan
Kempinski Hotel Ishtar
Tucked away 400m below sea level at the lowest point on Earth you’ll find Jordan’s Kempinski Hotel Ishtar, it boasts both a hyper-luxurious feel and an elegantly historic feel. Just a stone’s throw from the Dead Sea, the hotel and its handful of infinity pools will give you some of the best sea views in all of Jordan.
Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea
The Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea is found in a “traditional village setting nestled among lush gardens”, giving you a sense of blissful luxury without the sometimes over-the-top gold leaf and whatnot. It lays in the northern shores of the Dead Sea, described as an oasis of transquility. The infinity pools make up part of the 1.5 acre Zara Spa at the hotel.
Kempinski Hotel Aqaba Red Sea
Unlike other infinity pools, this one has a lot of sunbeds, shade and seating around it, while still offering breathtaking views of Aqaba. If you find yourself a bit chilly from a dip in this pool, you can always use the nearby hot tub.
Lebanon
Le Grey
From one of the lowest infinity pools on earth in the Dead Sea, to one of the highest infinity pools. This pool in Beirut is set on a rooftop, giving great views of the city as opposed to an ocean. The infinity pool here is also heated, making it a good choice for holiday goers in the cooler months. The hotel sits in Downtown Beirut, making it a good spot for all the action Lebanon has to offer.
Oman
Al Bustan Palace Muscat
When you’re hotel is made by Ritz-Carlton, a mind-boggling level of luxury is guaranteed. This hotel has five pools you can choose from, one of which is this five-metre long infinity pool. Lined with trees and greenary, this is one of the most beautiful spots in Oman. If you can drag yourself out of the pool, the hotel also sports the longest private beach in Oman.
The Chedi Muscat
You’re looking at what happens in Oman when infinity pools is one of your top selling points. This hotel has a host of pools that all offer a different feel and take on luxury. Our personal favourite is The Long Pool (pictured first). Its torches, lighting and tree lining is so beautiful it makes you feel as if you are lounging on a film set.
Six Senses Zighy Bay
Though all fabulous in their own right, the vast majority of entries on this list are communal infinity pools. Six Senses Zighy Bay offers a selection of private infinity pools with you room. This is luxury in the privacy of your own back garden. The pools also look onto onto the beach, which is only a few steps away.
Shangri-La Al Husn Resort and Spa
Leading on from an immaculate courtyard, this infinity pool can be viewed from a private beach cove. This clifftop infinity pools is smaller than others on the list, but argubly more intimate and private. It is lined with trees and allows for a perfect view of the sea. You are welcomed into the pool with two modest fountains that aid to the sense of understated luxury.
United Arab Emirates – Abu Dhabi
The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
One of the largest and most modern infinity pools in all of the Middle East, this Ritzy pool leads right onto a private beach and is surrounded by trees, grass and sunbeds.
Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa By Anantara
This pool looks a bit similar to an earlier Oman entry, though here you get a few extra UAE touches. The bases of all the trees is a sleek marble and the backdrop for the infinity pool is the massive Eastern Mangroves Hotel.
United Arab Emirates – Dubai
FIVE Palm Jumeirah Dubai
Marketed as the ‘hottest hotel in Dubai‘ – which paradoxically means it’s the coolest. This hotel boasts its infinity pool as a centrepiece of its architecture. Surrounding the pool are a host of super modern balconies, as well as trees and sunbeds. You can also admire the impressive Dubai skyline from this pool.
La Ville Dubai
Surely by definition a good view in Dubai is one where you can see the Burj Khalifa. This edgeless pool allows you to bask in the glory that is Downtown Dubai. Though more modest in its surroundings than other poolsides on the list, the view this pool offers it top notch.
Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa
Though this hotel boasts three pools, this is the only infinite one there. This pool features ‘bubble seats’ which allow you to perch in the water while taking in the views of the dessert before you. It has a more traditional feel than other glass or marble pools on the list.
Jumeirah Zabeel Saray
The main pool of this hotel has a 59-metre infinity edge, stretching back 31 metres. This hotel nessles itself among patatial gardens, this royal sense of luxury makes its way to the granduer and scale of this pool. It offers views of the Palm Jumeirah which are completely unmatched.
Burj Al Arab
Four Jacuzzis, 126 beach sunbeds and 24 luxury day beds, a swim up bar as well as a pool food menu, did you expect anything less from the ‘7-star hotel’? This terrace add on boasts an infinity pool that goes right up to the edge of the sea.
Address Beach Resort at JBR
The newly-opened Address Beach Resort at JBR in Dubai just got an official Guinness World Record for the “highest outdoor infinity pool”, 294 meters above the ground on the 77th floor. The pool is 560 square meters in area, with a 75 meter long area that guests can swim in, offering views across the Marina, along the coast to Bluewaters Island, and over towards the Burj Al Arab as well. One for the bucket list.
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