Top 10 best resorts in the world with private plunge pools

Monday newsletters always feature top 10 travel lists to inspire.

Today (April 9, 2018): Top 10 world’s best resorts with private plunge pools.

Swimming pools are the heart of every luxury hotel, and some are so spectacular that they have made it into my top 10 list of the most beautiful hotel pools in the world. However, if you really want to dive into decadence, then staying in a hotel room with its own private plunge pool is a must. It’s a trend among newly built ultra-luxury resorts to impress guests with lavish rooms and palatial villas that feature their own private plunge pools. Indeed, nothing beats watching the sunset over cocktails on your private pool terrace, even if you only go swimming occasionally. So, I’ve splashed my way around the globe to present you my selection of the top 10 world’s best all-pool-villa resorts.

There is more information below the slideshow. Think I missed one? Share your favorite hotel with private plunge pools in the comments section, or take my poll below!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

*** Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for a daily moment of travel inspiration ***

10. BANYAN TREE SAMUI, THAILAND

Koh Samui, Thailand’s paradise island famous for its inviting sapphire waters and white beaches, offers a destination resort that combines pampering with tranquillity: Banyan Tree Samui. Overlooking scenic Lamai Bay, the resort is nestled in a series of cascading terraces on a private hill cove in the south-eastern coast of Koh Samui. With a pristine, rock-framed, private beach and 78 phenomenal villas, lazy days can be spent in utopian luxury. Each villa has white walls that are punctuated with sliding glass doors opening to a large private pool and glass-railed patio, some with stunning views of the shimmering turquoise Gulf of Thailand.

Hotel website: Banyan Tree Samui
Other accolades: Banyan Tree Samui features in my top 10 list of my favorite Banyan Tree hotels & resorts in the world.
Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and $50 USD food & beverage or spa credit).
Review: read my review of the Banyan Tree Samui Resort here.

9. ROSEWOOD MAYAKOBA, MEXICO

Surrounded by emerald jungle, Rosewood Mayakoba is a Riviera Maya resort that defines a private world of rare luxury and refined beauty. Inspired by Mayan traditions, this 1600-acre resort enclave sits along a long stretch of white Caribbean sand, nestled just north of the picturesque waterfront town of Playa del Carmen. Designed to blend harmony with natural landscapes, Rosewood Mayakoba is an oasis of luxury offering 128 suites with private plunge pools, rooftop sundecks, garden showers, individual docks and the finest modern design and details.

Hotel website: Rosewood Mayakoba
Other accolades: Rosewood Mayakoba also features in my top 10 lists of the most luxurious beach retreats in Mexico and the world’s most beautiful overwater accommodations.
Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and $100 USD spa credit).

8. AMANRUYA, BODRUM, TURKEY

A gorgeous bay on the Bodrum Peninsula is home to Amanruya, a tranquil and über-luxurious resort that is run by Aman, widely acclaimed one of the world’s most exclusive ultra-luxury hotel brands. Named after the Sanskrit word for peace, ‘aman’, and the Turkish word for dream, Amanruya is set on a peaceful hillside, offering breathtaking views of the sea and a winding pathway leading to a sheltered pebble beach. The resort offers 36 spacious and elegant pool terrace cottages, each with a private garden and grey-green marble pool. Designed to welcome and soothe, the cottages are gracious homes away from home and a cool air of sophisticated calm prevails.

Hotel website: Amanruya
Other accolades: Amanruya also features in my top 10 lists of the best luxury hotels in Turkey and the best luxury hotels in Bodrum.
Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and one lunch for 2).
Review: Read my review of Amanruya here.

7. AL MAHA DESERT RESORT & SPA, DUBAI, UAE

Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, part of The Luxury Collection by Starwood Hotels, is nestled in an award-winning conservation area where desert wildlife abounds, deep within Dubai’s magical dune landscape. The resort showcases the heritage and architecture of the Bedouins, while also offering a sense of desert adventure, with matchless hospitality in unparalleled comfort. The Bedouin tent-style suites are all lavishly decorated with authentic and handcrafted Arabian furnishings, antiques and artefacts. Bulgari bath products are present in the bathroom. Each suite comes with its own private chilled pool and offers spectacular views of the Arabian Desert as vast and far as the eye can see.

Hotel website: Al Maha Desort Resort & Spa
Other top 10 accolades: Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa also features in my top 10 lists of hotel rooms with the world’s best views, the world’s most luxurious glamping sites, the world’s most luxurious desert retreats.
Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and $100 USD resort credit).
Review: read my review of Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa here.

6. FOUR SEASONS RESORT, SEYCHELLES

Carved into a hillside on the remote Indian Ocean island of Mahé, Four Seasons Resort Seychelles seeks not to impose itself on the landscape so much as bend to its will. In an island nation blessed with the best beaches in the world, it should come as not surprise that the Four Seasons resort is located along a gorgeous stretch of white sand. You can experience solitude and serenity in one of the 67 luxury resort villas, perched on stilts on the jungle hillside or nestled amid greenery close to the beach. All villas have large infinity-edge plunge pools surrounded by a natural hardwood deck.

Hotel website: Four Seasons Seychelles
Other accolades: Four Seasons Seychelles also features in my top 10 lists of the best resorts in the Seychelles, the world’s best family hotels, and my favorite Four Seasons hotels & resorts in the world.
Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, early check-in, late check-out, daily breakfast, and $100 USD resort credit).
Review: read my review of the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles here.

5. JADE MOUNTAIN, ST LUCIA

Individual bridges leading to exceptional suites and rugged stoned-faced columns reaching towards the sky make Jade Mountain one of the Caribbean’s most mesmerizing resort experiences. With the fourth wall entirely absent, Jade Mountain’s 29 suites (called ‘sanctuaries’) are stage-like settings from which to embrace the full glory of St Lucia’s twin peaks, the Pitons World Heritage Site, and of course, the eternal Caribbean Sea. All sanctuaries (with the exception of the 5 Sky suites) come with private in-room infinity pools that stretch out to maximize the stunning views while you’re swimming.

Hotel website: Jade Mountain
Other accolades: Jade Mountain also features in my top 10 lists of hotel rooms with the best views, the world’s best luxury hotels, the world’s best honeymoon resorts, and the most luxurious resorts in the Caribbean.
Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, $100 USD spa credit, early check in, and late check out).
Review: read my review of Jade Mountain here.

4. ALILA VILLAS ULUWATU

Alila Villas Uluwatu is located in the dry savannah landscape of the Bukit Peninsular in the South of Bali. Poised on an elevated plateau that meets with limestone cliffs sweeping down the Indian Ocean, the view from the hotel is nothing less than breathtaking. Blending in with these spectacular surroundings, the architecture of the hotel combines the delights of traditional Balinese pavilion architecture and rural landscapes with modern dynamic treatment of space and form. The 65 spectacular yet serene, open-plan rooms with minimalistic interiors are designed to impart comfort and space; they all come with a private pool and relaxation pavilion.

Hotel website: Alila Villas Uluwatu
Other accolades: Alila villas Uluwatu also features in my top 10 lists of the world’s best honeymoon resorts and the world’s best luxury hotels.
Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, early check-in, late check-out, daily breakfast, and $100 USD food & beverage credit).
Review: read my review of Alila Villas Uluwatu here.

3. SIX SENSES CON DAO, VIETNAM

True to Six Senses’ philosophy of selecting remote yet accessible destinations in areas of outstanding natural beauty, Con Dao – a 40 min flight south of Ho Chi Min City – is a breathtaking location, which has been protected for decades as a national and marine park. The resort is contemporary in design and reflects the essence of a traditional fishing village. All 50 villas rest along a mile of sandy beach, sheltered by hills behind and offering expansive vistas of the sea. They all feature a large infinity pool and all building materials are from natural, sustainable sources, and local where possible.

Hotel website: Six Senses Con Dao
Other accolades: Six Senses Con Dao also features in my top 10 list of the best luxury hotels in Vietnam.
Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, round-trip private airport transfers, two complimentary 30-minute spa treatments for two, early check in, and late check out).
Review: read my review of Six Senses Con Dao here.

2. SONEVA JANI

Located on an uninhabited five-island cluster in the Noonu Atoll, the Maldives’ most exclusive hotel is fringed by pristine beaches, blanketed with lush tropical greenery, and surrounded by a 5.6 km (3,4 mi) lagoon of crystal clear waters with uninterrupted Indian Ocean views. Each one of the 24 water villas has a private lap pool and opens to its own stretch of lagoon, with some villas featuring slides going directly from the top deck into the lagoon below. The highlight of the villas is the retractable roof in the master bedroom, which slides back at the touch of a button so that guests can lie in bed and stargaze.

Contact me to receive a complimentary room upgrade at Soneva Jani.

Hotel website: Soneva Jani
Other accolades: Soneva Jani also features in my lists of the most amazing hotels in the Maldives, most fabulous overwater villas in the Maldives, the best new luxury hotels of 2016, the most astonishing beach retreats in Asia, and my favorite hotels in the world.
Review: read my review of Sonev Jani here.

1. SONEVA KIRI, KOH KOOD, THAILAND

Remote yet accessible by a 1,5 hour flight from Bangkok on the resort’s private plane, Soneva Kiri sits on Thailand’s fourth largest but least populated island, Koh Kood, in the Gulf of Siam. It has 36 fabulous private villas – amongst the largest in the world – that are built on hillsides blanketed with ancient rainforest and overlooking the turquoise waters. Guest are given their own buggy to get to the private and stunning, coconut palm shaded beach. But most are tempted to stay all day in their villa because of the massive, private freeform swimming pools that seems to have come straight out of a fantasy world.

Contact me to receive a complimentary room upgrade at Soneva Kiri.

Hotel website: Soneva Kiri
Other accolades: Soneva Kiri also features in my top 10 lists of the best hotels in Thailand, world’s most beautiful hotel beaches, the world’s most amazing beach hotels, the most astonishing beach retreats in Asia, the world’s best luxury hotels, the world’s best family hotels, the world’s most outrageous hotel experiences, the world’s most remote hotels, and luxury hotels with private airports.
Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when you book via Virtuoso (e.g. villa upgrade, breakfast, early check-in , late check-out, welcome Champagne with Thai tapas on arrival, and-crafted Thai arrival and departure gifts; when staying 4 nights or more, you also receive one beach dinner, a private island picnic with snorkeling at Koh Rang, and a 30 minute spa treatment for two).
Review: read my review of Soneva Kiri here.