Five most stunning swimming pools across the world
PANORAMIC PLUNGES | From cave pools carved inside caldera of Santorini to heated outdoor pools perched atop the Himalayas, and hanging tree-nest pools in Phuket, these are some of the world’s most tempting plunges

The swimming pool is a major part of every de-stressing vacation, the languorous moments completely loosening you up and letting worries drift away. That’s why resorts take great care to make their swimming pools absolutely droolworthy. We’ve handpicked five of the best swimming pools across the world—for their innovativeness or their sigh-inducing views, to add to your list of future sojourns.

Keemala, Phuket

Nestled in glorious greenery, Keemala’s pool villas are incredible architectural anomalies
Nestled in glorious greenery, Keemala’s pool villas are incredible architectural anomalies

Keemala’s stunning Bird’s Nest Pool Villas are inspired by the Rung-Nok Clan (Nest Clan) who enjoyed an opulent life. Their craving for exclusivity resulted in the woven tangle of a birds nest design seen on the exteriors of this villa type. With their pools above the canopy and spectacular 360-degree views of the ocean, forest and mountains, this eco-friendly resort does a fabulous job of innovativeness. Nestled in glorious greenery, Keemala’s pool villas are incredible architectural anomalies. This one, because of its secluded nature, could also be amongst the most romantic pools on the list.

Wildflower Hall, Shimla

Nothing spells serenity like a heated alfresco whirlpool that sits atop the Himalayas
Nothing spells serenity like a heated alfresco whirlpool that sits atop the Himalayas

Wildflower Hall has two splendid pools: an indoor one with beautifully detailed mosaic floors and chandeliers, and an outdoor heated al fresco infinity whirlpool that overlooks range upon majestic range of the Himalayas. The outdoor one would be our pool of choice, because nothing spells serenity and indulgence like a heated pool that hangs above the Himalayas, bringing you the best of both worlds.

The Residence, Maldives

Submerged daybeds in the pool to just blow away your cares
Submerged daybeds in the pool to just blow away your cares

The Residence in Maldives has gone a step ahead in innovativeness and added daybeds to their infinity pools overlooking the emerald waters! Yes, we do mean submerged daybeds in the pool to just blow away your cares and let it all hang out. The resort itself is situated on Falhumaafushi, a pristine island in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll, one of the largest atolls in the world—but the submerged daybeds are sure to be an experience of a lifetime.

Katikies Hotel, Santorini 

The incredibly enchanting cave pool carved right into a caldera
The incredibly enchanting cave pool carved right into a caldera

This one is our favourite by far! This hotel nestled in in one of Europe’s most popular—and most heart-stoppingly beautiful— islands has an incredibly enchanting cave pool—a pool carved right into a caldera. The particular nature of architecture in Santorini, Greece has endowed the local whitewashed hotels with lots of distinctive features, cave pools being one such delight. There’s also the customary infinity pool, this one situated 90 m (300 ft) above the Aegean Sea.

The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa, Gulmarg

This pool brings the outsides in so fully, you’d feel you were swimming in a Himalayan lake
This pool brings the outsides in so fully, you’d feel you were swimming in a Himalayan lake

Now we’re talking the Paradise of Kashmir, and Gulmarg is the place to go if you need to satiate your craving for the snow-laden Himalayas. Just one look at this pool inside the Khyber Himalayan Resort is sure to floor you, for it brings the outsides in so fully, you’d feel you were swimming in a Himalayan lake. Of course, as an added advantage, you can later head to the adjoining spa by L’Occitane for some TLC.

Mandarin Oriental, Singapore offers Piaget Rose Suite Package

Mandarin Oriental, Singapore is collaborating with Swiss watch and jewellery maison, Piaget, to offer guests the extravagant Piaget Rose Suite experience, which includes one night’s accommodation in a luxurious Marina Bay Suite and super indulgent Piaget Rose gifts, along with champagne, spa treatment and a drawn evening bath in the suite. The special gift that guests will receive is a romantic and timeless Piaget Rose 18K pink gold pendant with a brilliant-cut diamond, along with a Piaget Rose candle. Guests will be welcomed to their Marina Bay Suite with a bottle of Ruinart Rosé Champagne, which they can savour while admiring panoramic views of the city’s skyline. The super luxe spa treatments included in the offer use rose porfyr stones, while the evening bath within their own suite would be a soothing, rose-infused oil bath perfumed with rose petals. The offer is valid from 1 May to 31 October 2017 with room rates starting at SGD 4,800 per night for double occupancy.

Here’s the new BMW Motorrad Concept Link zero-emissions bike

BMW has drawn back the curtains from its latest Motorrad Concept Link, a zero-emissions electric bike. The Link itself is inspired by another concept, the even-more-futuristic-looking Motorrad Vision Next 100 that BMW showcased last year at the LA Auto Show. This connected motorcycle is the brand’s vision of a zero-emissions urban vehicle, which is “not based on today’s concepts, but rather meets the basic functionality needs, the technical architecture and the digital reality of today’s users,” according to Alexander Buckan, Head of Vehicle Design at BMW Motorrad. The bike has distinctive features such as flat energy packs in the underfloor and the compact drive on the rear wheel. The exterior features a two tone colour scheme, with a contrasting grey titanium and semi-matt black body, alongside a semi-exposed interior including the drive unit and cooling ribs. The low-slung bike also features an adjustable seat length, as well as a hidden luggage compartment for easy storage. The bike’s color panels can also be swapped for a custom look. The instrument panel is replaced by a projection. What’s more, functions like opening the door of the underseat storage compartment respond to a rider’s arm movements while wearing a special matching motion-control jacket. BMW has gone even further to envisions the bike choosing music on its own, depending on your preferences! Now ain’t that a smart bike!

Mermaid Dreams: Get hitched underwater at Alila Manggis, Bali

For all those who’ve been fascinated by mermaids as kids, and dream of a one-of a kind wedding as adults, here’s your chance to do something extraordinary. Alila Manggis Bali is offering an unbelievable underwater wedding, where couples can exchange their vows beneath the ocean waves in the clear waters off Bali’s east coast, known for its spectacular dive sites. Suitable for divers and non-divers alike, the Underwater Wedding package includes a wedding rehearsal in the pool, dive introduction and dive gear familiarisation, a wedding celebrant, two dive buddies, a beautifully decorated ‘jukung’ boat to transport the bride and groom, as well as two nights’ accommodation and complimentary romantic dining and spa experiences. This package also includes a four-hour underwater pre-wedding photo shoot before the big day, conducted either in the ocean or the resort pool by professional underwater photographers from Drewperspectives.

Ford launches Lincoln luxury chauffeur service

Lincoln owners in San Diego will be getting a gift from Ford—the soon to be launched luxury chauffeur service. Ford’s premium marque Lincoln is offering this program for owners who have signed up to the brand’s client membership program, who will be able to reserve the services of a fully qualified chauffeur for their own luxe vehicle. But this chauffeur doesn’t just drive you around, but also runs errands on your behalf. Lincoln already offers several interesting services such as pickup and delivery service that automates the issue of car maintenance. Rather than you having to take your car into the dealership, they send their own representative who collects and returns the car at your convenience, while in the meantime you are given a loaner vehicle to use. The essence of this service, of course, is that time is a precious commodity in the modern age. Other luxury carmakers too are offering various services that take into account the fact that owners would appreciate the saving of their time as much as any luxury car feature. So for instance, Bentley has given owners in the US the option to order fuel via an app, while Cadillac lets owners even switch between models for specific time periods— perhaps sporty convertible for the pleasant months and a chunky SUV for a snow-covered winter—all for a flat monthly fee via its app-managed Book by Cadillac service. Those are surely innovative services, and we can’t wait to have some of these launched in India, too.

Engadin Valley to host Jamie Cullum for free concert at Festival de Jazz

The Engadin Valley will host Jamie Cullum for a free concert, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Festival da Jazz – the highest jazz festival club in Europe that has seen the attendance of various jazz luminaries such as hick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Richard Galliano, Brad Mehldau and Randy Crawford. The festival is characterized by an intimate setting, in which internationally renowned artists perform in front of a maximum of 150 spectators. On Wednesday 19 July 2017, Jamie Cullum will give a free concert at the Oberengadiner Hausberg Muottas Muragl that will set a fabulous backdrop of the Swiss Alps. With more than 10 million albums sold, Cullum is considered the most successful UK jazz musician ever. Cullum was also nominated for two Golden Globes and won numerous awards worldwide. He also performed for Queen Elizabeth during her birthday celebration.

Ramadan, One&Only Royal Mirage Dubai, iftar buffet, luxury travel, Arabian cuisine, Moroccan cuisine

One&Only Royal Mirage Dubai is offering its guests a blend of ‘style and tradition’ for iftar in the holy month of Ramadan. Among the experiences on offer is the authentic Moroccan experience, with Iftar at Tagine restaurant giving a mixture of buffet and a la carte options. You get to choose from a selection of Morrocan Salads, Lentil soup, preserved Chicken Tagine with Lemon Confit and Olives, Sherry Fish Fillet Charmoula, all complimented by the sounds of traditional Oud and Tabla. The International and Middle Eastern Iftar Buffet at The Rotisserie has flavours of Middle Eastern cuisine and the live grill serving traditional Ouzi Lamb with Oriental rice, Tagine Kofta with Egg and Green Peas and Homemade Oumali Pudding. Along with these, there’s the Palace ‘Ramadan Café Courtyard’ where you can stroll through arches and water fountains and spend the evening enjoying a selection of oriental specialties, coffee and tea. Finally, the Arabian Court ‘Ramadan Majilis’ lets you choose from Mezzes, Shawarmas and Manakeesh along with oriental sweets to the accompaniment of the Oud and Tabla.

Mercedes Benz, VAIO create laptops that make car sounds on boot up!

Yes, you heard that right. When the people at Mercedes Benz Japan collaborate with VAIO for special edition laptops, they create ones that go vroom-vroom when they boot up! How cool is that? Motor heads must just be dying to get their hands on this one, but hold on—these limited edition creations are only for the Japanese market. They are based on the company’s flagship VAIO Z model and come in two different versions, each a nod to two different Mercedes models. The “300SL” variant is a tribute to the first iteration of the SL-Class grand tourer, fastest production car of its day, famous for the iconic and spectacular gullwing doors. The other version is based on the “Vision Tokyo” Mercedes concept car exhibited at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. Along with the boot up sound, the laptops feature special laser engravings of their respective car with preinstalled wallpapers of the cars, too. And there’s the Mecedes Three Pointed Star logo present on the touchpad—along with several other hidden places! The touchpad logo comes with a special transparent cover to protect it from fading with use. The i7 model is priced at 285,000 yen and the i5 at 250,000 yen with only 100 units being up for sale.

Apple designer Marc Newson creates $12000 hourglass filled with nanoballs

In the world of the ultra-luxe and extraordinarily expensive, this surely makes it to the list of things that baffle us. Apple designer Marc Newson has just designed a special $12000 hourglass for Hodinkee, and it’s filled with seamless, stainless steel nanoballs covered with copper and topped up with an anti-corrosion layer. The Marc Newson Hourglass is custom created in a glass factory, with only hand-blown borosilicate glass. Measuring 150mm tall and 125mm across at the widest point, the hourglass times 10 minutes and is filled with approximately 1.3 million of these nanoballs that measure just 0.6mm in diameter. And according to Hodinkee, it’s the nanoballs that make all the difference, because watching them “bounce around the bottom chamber” and listening to the “unique sound of the nanoballs flying around, hitting the glass and one another as they settle at the bottom, is utterly mesmerizing.” Well, if you’re curious there’s only one way to find out. You need to put down a nonrefundable $6,000 deposit and wait a few months to get your hands on one. Out of the limited run of 100 units, only six have been made so far, and they’re already sold out. Four more will be available in June and then 10 will be produced for each subsequent month until the count of 100 is complete. Well, here’s to the sound of flying nanoballs for $12000!

Azimut debuts the Grande 35 Metri superyacht

Azimut has unveiled the Azimut Grande 35 Metri super yacht, leading the luxurious Grande lineup. The 35 metre superyacht is the biggest boat in Azimut’s high-end Grande collection, with exteriors designed by Stefano Righini, and interiors boasting the brilliance of world-renowned architect Achille Salvagni. On the Grande 35 Metri maximum beam length is 7.5 metres, with a wide body that fits in all the features of a superyacht, including a side garage and a 3.25 metre jet ski. The cruising speed of 21 knots and top speed of 25.5 knots all comes from two engines that generate up to 2,400hp each. Soothing shades of creams and whites line the insides that display a wood and steel finish. Five large and luxurious cabins hold up to 10 guests along with six crew members.