The swim-up suites we can all dive into
EVERY week, our Holiday Hero NEIL SIMPSON takes an in-depth look at a brilliant holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you don’t have to. This week: swim-up hotel suites.
THEY’RE set to be the year’s biggest holiday upgrades: swim-up hotel suites that let you slip straight into the pool from a private terrace opening from your room. You might be surprised to learn that they aren’t just for the superrich – swim-up suites are increasingly available across Europe and beyond in all budget ranges.
A top choice from Kuoni is the stylish Secrets Villamil Resort & Spa on Majorca. Pick one of the select group of waterside, swim-up rooms and guests don’t just get easy access to the pool. They are also waved into the hotel’s exclusive Club Lounge for quieter breakfasts and exclusive hors d’oeuvres in the afternoons. From £959pp per week, including flights (kuoni.co.uk).
In Croatia you can book swim-up suites at the adultsonly Tui Blue Adriatic Beach hotel on the Dalmatian Coast.
Set at the foot of a pine-clad hillside, the hotel has sea views out to the pretty island of Hvar, which is ideal for day trips.
The ground-floor swim-up suites come with sunny private terraces so you can go from bed to pool in a few short steps. Book allinclusive holidays for fine dining and sunset drinks in the on-site Mojito bar. From £707pp per week, with flights from Manchester and other UK airports (tui.co.uk).
At the Lara Barut Collection hotel on Turkey’s south coast, families can pick swim-up suites that sleep three. Or choose a deluxe, family-focused swim-up suite that can sleep up to five. The all-inclusive hotel reopens in June after an extensive, five-month renovation project, so everything will be sparkling new. Leave your poolside suite to eat in any of nine restaurants, or relax on the private Blue Flag beach with cabanas and pavilions on the sand. From £1,449pp per week, with flights from Gatwick (ba.com/turkey).
An increasing number of Greek hotels offer swim-up suites, and specialists such as Olympic Holidays recommends Crete’s beachfront and just-renovated White Olive hotel.
Or fly direct to Zakynthos and check in to the romantic Olea All Suites hotel. Set on a hillside and surrounded by olive trees, its elegant, modernist rooms are adored by architecture fans. Swimup suites let you lie on a private, poolside sunlounger (the size of a double bed) and gaze across vineyards and out to sea. From £2,133pp per week, including flights (olympic holidays.com).
In Cyprus, a top swim-up choice is the adults-only Tasia Maris Beach Hotel & Spa, where guests can book rooms with steamer chairs and parasols on private terraces leading directly to the pool.
The hotel is set alongside Nissi Beach, one of the island’s most popular, and has four main restaurants, a beach bar and a swimup bar to complement its swim-up rooms. From £1,065pp from Manchester, Gatwick and other airports (jet2holidays.com).
Head to Egypt’s Red Sea coast to find swim-up suites at the luxurious Baron Palace Sahl Hasheesh hotel near the resort town of Hurghada. It’s one of the world’s most popular dive sites and the starting point for snorkelling, swims with dolphins and sunset cruises.
Here swim-up suites promise over-sized terraces with private steps down into one of the resort’s four main infinity swimming pools. Recent reviews rave about the hotel’s friendly staff and palatial, five-star experience, and recommend candlelit drinks on poolside terraces. From £1,425pp per week, including flights (easyjet. com/holidays).