Resorts with the best swimming pools in the Maldives

Admittedly, you have the biggest swimming pool at your doorstep while vacationing in the Maldives. The Indian Ocean and its blue waters are a delight to explore. Teeming with exotic marine life, it offers adventures you cannot have anywhere else.

But sometimes, you do not want all of that. On holiday, there are moments when you feel lazy and want to lie down and read a book. You still want the option of taking a quick swim, but without worrying about bumping into a juvenile blacktip shark or stepping over a coral. 

Those are just some reasons why hotels in the Maldives have swimming pools. However, with resorts offering accommodations that already have private plunge and lap pools, one wonders if there is really a need for a common swimming pool?  

Why should your resort have a swimming pool?

Normally, a person doesn’t have to ask why a resort needs a swimming pool. Across the world, a shared bathing area is the epicenter of hotel activity. It is often the only place where you can swim, drink, and play simultaneously.

However, the Maldives is different. The resorts throughout the archipelago offer luxurious abodes, many of which come with their own pools. While they may vary in size, private baths give guests privacy, resulting in no need to visit a shared swimming pool.

So, why do resorts have common swimming pools, then?

The reasons to use a large island area for a swimming pool are manifold. Firstly, they add character to the property and its overall architecture. Then, a swimming pool presents the hotel with a convenient event space. Weddings by the water, music performances, breakfast buffets, or festival celebrations are all the more remarkable when held poolside.

Simultaneously, the pool is an excellent place for guests to mingle with each other over a snack and a drink. It’s a spot where you can either lounge or work up a sweat by swimming laps. In fact, if you are remote working in the Maldives, it’s nice to get out of your bedroom and sit by the pool for a change of scenery.

Lastly, a pool is perfect if you do not wish to swim in salt water or cannot because the ocean is not calm. Furthermore, since a dip in the sea post sundown is risky, a swimming pool is your only option for a late-night swim.

Types of swimming pools in the Maldives

Many tourists probably believe that a pool is a pool! There’s no real difference between one or the other.

Well, not quite! Of course, you can differentiate between swimming pools based on their design. But each pool has a distinct functionality and appeals to a specific audience.

So, when booking a resort in the Maldives, pick one where the swimming pool caters to your needs. And to help with your decision, here are different types of resort swimming pools in the Maldives you will most likely come across.

Infinity pool

An infinity pool lets you swim to the very edge, giving the impression that you are one with the horizon. Undoubtedly, the most photogenic of swimming pools in the Maldives, they look stunning and are very romantic, especially during sunset. So, if it is unadulterated ocean views you want while sipping on a cocktail, make sure your resort has an infinity pool.

Family pool

A family pool is larger and more open. It will have places to eat and drink close by. There might be a slide and floaters for children to play with. The water depth is safe enough for kids. In some cases, a family pool consists of two interconnected pools. One meant for children and the other for adults to swim easily.

Adults-only swimming pool

Many family-friendly resorts in the Maldives have adults-only swimming pools built specially to give visiting couples some intimacy. These pools are usually in a secluded part of the island, have a private atmosphere, and stay open till late at night. You may sometimes find a bar adjoining the pool.

Saltwater pool

A saltwater pool is like any other bath except for having salt in place of chlorinated water. It provides guests a chance to enjoy the sea without compromising on the comforts of a regular swimming pool.   

Standard resort pool

A standard resort pool is fundamental and similar to any pool at any hotel or resort worldwide. It may or may not have an interesting design and might even have a simple rectangle shape. Around its edges, you will find sunbeds and tables to sit, a café, and in some cases, a bar with stools that are in the pool.

Reflection pool

A reflection pool has architectural importance. It isn’t for leisure activities. Think of it as a small lake with ankle-high water that adds to the property’s design aesthetics. Typically, you cannot go inside the pool, and it may have a fountain or a feature of some sort in its center. Reflection pools do make for a great photo background.   

Private and plunge pools

A private pool is for exclusive use and comes attached to your room. Whether it is a beach villa or an overwater bungalow, private swimming pools are limited in their size. However, they give you privacy and a chance to take a swim at any time. Similarly, a plunge pool is for individual use. Small in size, they are just about ideal for a dip or to enjoy a floating breakfast.

Resorts with the best swimming pools in the Maldives

You’ll find all types of swimming pools in the Maldives. Private resorts and some public island hotels use the pool area to create a purposefully tranquil ambiance.

Although a simple rectangular pool is enough for guests, the Maldives is known for going beyond the ordinary. As a result, there are some truly fantastic pools across the islands.

Here are seven swimming pools in the Maldives that stand out for their ingenuity, design, and overall fun factor;

One&Only Reethi Rah

Considered among the most famous resorts in the Maldives, One&Only has three pools for its guests, spread out across the island. The 30-meter-long adults-only Lap Pool extends over the lagoon and has a built-in jacuzzi. Adding more charm to the pool is a carved stone bed in the middle and a lounge area on the side.

The family pool meanders like a river creating a beautiful haven for all ages to play or relax. You’ll find floaties here as well as mini-hammocks between tall shade-providing palm trees. The kid’s pool is another fun place for the little ones to splash around. It has a designated lifeguard and is a place where kids can partake in several water-based activities.  

Fairmont Maldives

At the Fairmont, you’ll find not only one of the best swimming pools in the Maldives but also the longest. Stretching from one end of Sirru Fen Fushi to the other, and then some, the pool is like a lush tropical river dividing the island into two halves. Along the way are numerous palm trees, on the sides and in-between, providing much-needed screening from the harsh afternoon sun.

At almost 200 meters in length, the pool edges next to the ocean, making it the perfect spot for Insta-worthy photos. Furthermore, the swimming pool overlooks the resort’s Corolarium – Maldives’ only coral regeneration program consisting of a spectacular aquatic sculpture. 

Although Fairmont presently has the longest swimming pool in the Maldives, The Chedi Kudavillingili is likely to take over this title from them when it opens for business in 2021.    

Baros Maldives

Curvaceous and intimate, the swimming pool at Baros is just too dreamy not to jump in. Built on stilts over the lagoon, the infinity pool is among the most romantic spots on the island, especially after sundown. It also has strategically placed LED lights that accentuate the setting.

Adjoining the blue water is a wooden deck with a few sun loungers and umbrellas. Also, part of this little oasis is a bar that serves up refreshing cocktails throughout the day.  

Anantara Kihavah

To reach Anantara Kihavah in Baa Atoll, you have to take a 35-minute seaplane flight. Making it worth the effort is a resort with many exclusive features, including an overwater observatory and SEA – one of the select few underwater restaurants in the Maldives.

Adding glamour to the “most Instagrammable resort in the world” is its 49-meter-long swimming pool. Having sea-green tiled flooring, it is ideal for a delightful dip, laps, or sunbathing. There are loungers on the sides and in front of the pool, overlooking the sea. Behind it is the resort’s poolside restaurant. At night, this whole area lights up, oozing a kind of sensuality that makes it a lovely place for a post-dinner stroll.

Kuda Villingili

Spread over a 40-acre island, Kuda Villingili is only a 30-minute speedboat ride from Malé Airport. The resort boasts of having the “biggest swimming pool in the Maldives,” with a length of 150 meters.

A beautifully planned space, the pool area perfectly amalgamates nature, comfort, and design in a contemporary fashion. There are cabanas, sunbeds, umbrellas, and lush greenery all around. Moreover, there is also a separate child-friendly pool nearby.

Huvafen Fushi

Located in North Malé Atoll, only 30 minutes by speedboat from Malé, Huvafen Fushi has one of the most stunning resort swimming pools in the Maldives. When the light is right, the sky, the sea, and the pool align themselves in such a way that you cannot differentiate one from the other.

A large fiber-optic lit infinity pool, guests wanting to relax can idle on the connected wooden deck with sunbeds and umbrellas. However, the icing on the cake in this idyllic corner of the island is the unmissable Lonu Veyo. This circular one-of-a-kind saltwater floatation pool is perfect for quiet recreation. It has its own separate approach via a wooden jetty.

Dusit Thani Maldives

Located in the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll is the Thai design-inspired luxury resort Dusit Thani Maldives. Accessible via a quick 35-minute seaplane ride, the resort has one of the largest swimming pools in the Maldives. Covering an area of 750 sq. meters, the pool area consists of a wooden deck for lounging and a couple of covered places to eat.

An infinity pool, where the water seems to flow into the ocean, it has several shaded spaces around the edges to lie down and unwind. However, the main focus element of the pool area is a large banyan tree that helps create an authentic Asian ambiance. Finally, come evening and the swimming pool at Dusit Thani takes on an amorous persona. It is when LED lights twinkle in the water, bringing the star-filled sky down to your feet.