#835 An infinity pool pushes my smiles over the edge

Taking a vacation makes us all happy, but to me, the best part of my vacation is spent sitting by the hotel pool, relaxing with a drink in my hand. And I’m not talking just any pool, my idea of a relaxing day poolside includes an infinity pool with a view of the ocean extending out from it. It’s enough to put a smile on my face and a skip in my step just thinking about it.

An infinity pool, sometimes call a negative edge, zero edge, disappearing edge, or vanishing edge pool, is a pool where the water flows, or sometimes just seems to flow, over one or more edges and produces a visual effect of water without any boundaries. They are usually designed so that the disappearing edge visually merges with a larger body of water such as the ocean or with the sky in the distance. This visual effect is usually rather stunning to look at and is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face at first site.

Infinity Pools of Texas does a good job explaining the difference in architecture between the infinity pool, the knife edge pool and the perimeter overflow pool on their blog.

The concept of the infinity pool originated in France and was utilized in the “Stag Fountain” at the Palace of Versailles in the early 1600s. Although this was the first use of this type of pool, the concept really didn’t catch on for use in commercial or residential spaces until the 20th century when the infinity pool began showing up at the most exclusive resorts and hotels as well as some of the most luxurious homes in the world.

The Huffington Post has an article here about 10 amazing infinity pools with some very lovely pictures.

So you think you want an infinity pool at your home?

Why don’t more homes have them? Infinity pools are challenging to construct often times due to their location on the resort or hotel property. With most infinity pools being built into hillsides and often overlooking some of the most breathtaking views possible, they need to be structurally sound. The Marina Bay Sands hotel has the highest and largest infinity pool in the world on the 57th floor of the hotel in Singapore. (Click here for some amazing views of the Sky Park and the infinity pool.)

With all of that infinity pool construction knowledge aside, I think they are one of the best, and most important, features of any hotel or resort. I have sometimes even made the last minute decision to change hotels just so I could have one with an infinity pool. After all, vacations are supposed to make us happy and put a smile on our faces right?

Have you ever been in an infinity pool? Do you like them more or less than a normal pool? Click here to leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.