Cool cruising: Luxury yachts with the best onboard pools, because, well, why not?

The summer holidays have passed and so too have the long days in the pool. For the super-wealthy, though, there are always opportunities to indulge in some poolside fun, and where better to do so than on your luxury yacht?

It might seem a little odd that you can take your yacht to some of the most beautiful pieces of water on the planet and choose to hang out in the pool rather than jump into the warm, turquoise waters of the Caribbean or the Med, but when it’s party time, you’ve got to have a pool. You only have to look at the parties taking place on the yachts moored in the Monaco harbour for the Formula 1 Grand Prix every year to see the attraction.

The largest swimming pool measures 25m and is on the 156m Dilbar, delivered by Lürssen Yachts in 2016. It’s more than twice the length of the pool on the Flying Fox, also built by Lürssen and regarded by many as the ultimate super-yacht.

Like the pool at your home, creating a place to take a dip on a yacht can be as simple or as creative as you like. Generally, it’s not about doing lengths before breakfast, although some pools actually feature currents to ensure you can have a decent workout. Mainly it’s about a space to relax, to hang out with friends and guests — and look out at the ocean or a beautiful island lagoon around you.

Super-yacht builder Oceanco recently gave us the lowdown on some of the best pools it has installed for its exclusive clients. They range from a simple jacuzzi to a pool with a waterfall and even one with a built-in aquarium. What the client wants, the client gets in this world.

Back in 2007, Oceanco was one of the first yacht builders to install an infinity pool, which runs to the edge of the aft deck on the 82m Alfa Nero. It allows owners and guests to feel connected to the ocean as they relax but, as the saying goes, that’s not all. In an amazing feat of engineering, the H design on the base of the pool is there for a reason, because the entire floor can be electronically raised to create a flat surface that becomes either an entertainment area or a helipad.

In 2010, the company created Sunrays, an 85.5m yacht that has not one but four spaces to splash around in, not including the baths in the luxurious suites. There are three jacuzzis on the upper decks, one of which has a glass floor, and the main deck has a pool with a semi-circular seating area and yet another jacuzzi. The owner clearly likes drinking bubbles in bubbles.

The 110m Kaos is one of the largest super-yachts to have been built in the Netherlands and to match its size it has one of the largest swimming pools. However, its big talking point is that the pool has a built-in aquarium, perfect for those times when the sea is a bit murky and you can’t see the fish.

Luxury yachts are as much about design as they are about opulence, which is why many are now featuring waterfalls into their pools. It’s not so much about the cascading water itself, but rather about creating a design feature that links two decks together. When Oceanco delivered the 90m Dar in 2018, it featured a waterfall that dropped from the bridge deck down into the swimming pool in the upper deck.

What’s also interesting about the design of the pool is that, unlike most yacht pools that sit relatively flush with the deck, the one on the Dar is raised to ensure children can’t fall in.

A decade ago, yacht pools were constrained by engineering limitations, but today they are limited only by the imagination of the owner or the designer. As if waterfalls and aquariums aren’t enough, design concepts such as that of the Sinot Aqua have pools that cascade into the ocean. It’s enough to give you pool envy.