10. Marina Bay Sands – Singapore
Just looking at bathers enjoying this sky-top pool at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore makes me cringe. Where are the guard rails and safety harnesses? What if someone drinks too much and ventures towards the edge? What if you go for a night swim and get confused about where to dive in? It seems as though swimmers might slide right out and fall into the empty space below.
9. The Cambrian – Switzerland
Dress warm for this pool. Hanging of the side of a ice-crusted mountain in Switzerland, the pool confronts a fear of hypothermia and a fear of height simultaneously. I can’t help but wonder if it’s customary to wear a parka as a swimsuit cover-up before and after entering the water. I know I’d be sporting one.
8. Holiday Inn – Shanghai
Not for the faint of heart, the 30 metre long swimming pool at the Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao is located on the 24th floor, is suspended terrifyingly over the edge, and features a glass bottom, so you can swim and take in the vast view below at the same time.
7. Swala Luxury Lodge – Tanzania
Watch out for man eating lions while bathing in this pool! Found in the middle of the Tanzanian wild, you’ll be sharing space with gazelles, elephants, and zebras. As part of a larger resort experience by Sanctuary Retreats, this pool let’s you take a swim on the wild side.
6. Hilton – Auckland, New Zealand
I’ve always been a bit self-conscious in a bathing suit, so this pool makes the list of scariest pools because of its urban location and glass wall. Hanging between two buildings in Auckland, this pool at the Hilton Hotel allows people on the street below to watch you swim laps.
5. Sky Tower Pools – Mexico City
These pools in Mexico City hang precariously over the edge of the Sky Tower just like little bird houses. Similar to the Holiday Inn pool in Shanghai, this concept is actually scarier because it’s several pools overlapping each other. Just imagine what happens if one pool falls on all the others.
4. Alilia Uluwatu Infinity Pool – Bali
Infinity can be deadly if we’re talking about water. A pool that doesn’t end? Unless you’re an Olympic swimmer, that’s a daunting concept. This infinity pool in Bali is at once terrifying and elegant.
3. Koh Samui Blood Pool – Thailand
Despite its blood-red hue, no one was murdered in this swimming pool. But the bizarre color still makes my skin crawl. Situated at Thailand’s Chaweng Beach in Koh Samui, the scarlet pool is part of a minimalist designed, low-impact hotel and resort. This is luxury done in an environmentally smart way.
2. Natural Pool on Victoria Falls – Africa
This all-natural pool is the scariest option Mother Nature has to offer. The pool sits above Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe and allows dare devils to swim 100 feet above the river below. There’s nothing between vacationers and a horrid drop except a natural underwater rock wall. Ouch.
1. The Hemeroscopium House in Madrid
This is a swimming pool that shouldn’t be physically possible. This gravity defying wonder actually runs the full length of the house and extends over the side. But don’t be worried: this lovely, minimalist house also has a ground floor pool for you scaredy-cats out there.
