When you’re on vacation in the Caribbean you’ll likely want to make sure your pool game is on lock. As you’re most likely well aware, it can get hot down in the islands and you’ll probably want to take a dip in the pool for some proper refreshment. Maybe you’ll want to do a cannonball. Maybe a jack-knife. Maybe you’ll just want to slip in like a penguin. Or even if you don’t want to get into the pool, lounging around it is often one of the most memorable moments of a vacation. So consider the pool when you’re shopping for the perfect accommodation and make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into, literally.
The pool is often the focal point of the property, vibrantly radiant and sparkling in the sun, encouraging you to relax into a state of bliss and beauty. It can be surrounded by palm trees or lounge chairs, sun bathers or cocktail sippers. Sometimes there’s a swim-up bar, which is of course one of the most romantic ways to spend an afternoon: waist-deep on a submersible barstool knocking back blender drinks and chatting up the islander bartender and friends new and old. The pool is the place where stories happen. It’s the gathering area, the muster point. It’s the central zone where people just want to chill and BE.
Aside from floating in and or around the pool, or contemplating its reflective surface and how that might represent your mind, it’s also great for making splashes. Some hotels and resorts feature kids clubs full of activities, many of which centre around the pool. Maybe some Marco Polo or a little volleyball action. There’s also several styles of pool, from freeform edges to lap pools to shallow kiddie pools to the luxurious infinity pool. These infinity (or vanishing edge) pools create the optical illusion effect of stretching off into the horizon forever. Swimming in it feels like you’re floating. You must try it.
The Regent Palms on Grace Bay Beach (Turks and Caicos)
This gorgeous luxury resort is often voted the best in Turks and Caicos for many reasons, the multimillion dollar freshwater infinity pool being but one of them. The serpentine edges wind along the wooden deck and the entire pool simply exudes good vibes. There’s a swim-up pool bar for snacks and cocktails, both of which are premium. Lounge in a sun pod sucking on a frozen fruit kebab. There’s also a floating hot tub surrounded by the infinity pool and the world’s best best beach just steps away.
Ladera (St Lucia)
The view from Ladera might be the best in Caribbean, if you’re into towering vistas high above the sea with the majestic Titon mountain peaks rising up from the water. And you can take all this breathtaking scenery in right from your own private plunge pool. The rooms here feature a fourth open wall that looks out beyond the pool that you can use at your leisure. Soaking in here is one of the most blissful experiences you can have on God’s Green Earth. I mean, just look at it!
Biras Creek (British Virgin Islands)
One of the most romantic resorts in the Caribbean is also home to one heck of a pool. Accessible only by helicopter or boat, Biras Creek is a sanctuary of bliss and beauty with water everywhere you look. Not only are you in the crux of Caribbean, Atlantic, and lagoon waters, but there’s an excellent pool and the Grand Suites even come with private plunge pools. Go swimming, get wet, have a blast either in the pools or out in the wild open with snorkeling or scuba diving treks.
