A luxury indoor pool might be the ultimate creature comfort. It offers a private, resort-style experience to its residents and supreme hospitality to its guests, whatever the weather.
The indoor pool comes in many styles: For the serious swimmer, a resistance pool or lap pool builds strength, stamina, and flexibility. For the rest of us, all-weather amenities—spas, waterfalls, even fireplaces—make it a perfect place to relax, reflect, or entertain.
Herewith, Luxury Defined offers a dip into four enchanting indoor pools. So, go ahead and jump right in!
1. Grand Trianon-Inspired Palais in Yvelines, France
This magnificent palais in Vésinet, just outside Paris, takes inspiration from Le Grand Trianon, Louis XIV’s “little palace of pink marble and porphyry” at the Palace of Versailles.
Listed as a historical monument, the grand neoclassical villa was built in 1900 by the shipowner Arthur Schweitzer. It was the home of French poet Robert de Montesquiou from 1908 until 1921.
General de Gaulle was a guest in 1940, en route to form the 4th Armored Division in the Battle of France (a plaque mounted on the building commemorates the occasion). Since then, the residence underwent an extensive renovation and offers 21,528 square feet across three levels, including the subterranean level, with its cinema, squash court, gym, and lavish indoor pool.
There are four suites within the main house and four more in the guest house. A caretaker’s villa, staff accommodations, garages, and nearly two acres of immaculate formal grounds complete the ensemble.
2. Madliena Villa in Swieqi, Malta
This sleek contemporary villa looks out to sea in Madliena, an exclusive residential enclave on Malta’s northeast coast.
The open-plan main level has two skylights to ensure all-day sunshine. Five bedrooms are on this floor: two overlooking a peaceful garden, and two with sea views. The primary bedroom is a sanctuary all its own with an en suite bathroom and two large walk-in closets.
The ground level is designed for R&R with a cinema, kitchen, playroom, gym, and a beautiful indoor pool with its own sea view.
The second kitchen serves the upper level, the heart of the home with formal and casual entertainment zones, indoor and outdoor dining spaces, and the highlight, an infinity pool terrace with a bar, lounge, and lush gardens planted with succulents.
Two self-contained apartments each have an en suite bedroom, kitchenette, private entrance, and outdoor space. A three-car garage and ample guest parking are further amenities.
Additional amenities include smart-home technology, an elevator, and a three-car garage.
Related: Discover Beachfront Estates in Paradise
3. Kenah Hill in Killiney, County Dublin, Ireland
One of South Dublin’s finest homes, the magnificent Kenah Hill sits among the Scots Pines on nearly three acres in the affluent south Dublin suburb of Killiney.
This stately Italianate residence, with panoramic views of Killiney Bay, was built in 1871 and extensively renovated to 21st-century luxury standards.
Castellated stone walls and an electronically controlled gate introduce the home’s 19th-century grandeur with a circular forecourt, and its three-tiered fountain.
The interiors, 10,000 square feet in all, testify to Victorian craftsmanship: Corniced ceilings, gilded paneling, hand-painted wall treatments, and elegant bay windows are just some of its fine details.
The grandly scaled reception rooms and formal dining room are supported by a bespoke kitchen with a grand Aga range and breakfast room with French doors opening to a sunny sandstone dining terrace.
The wrought-iron balustrade of the great, cantilever staircase rises to six upper-floor bedrooms. The seventh bedroom is on the lower ground floor with its galley kitchen, wine cellar, and games room.
Outside, steps descend to the lawns and the glorious glass pavilion, a 21st-century “crystal palace” housing the heated pool, solarium, and service bar.
Below, a fenced, all-weather tennis court is embraced by gardens, mature trees, boxwood hedges, rolling lawns, a greenhouse, and elevated terraces to take in the sea views.
4. Lakeside Manor in Barrington Hills, Illinois
This grand, château-inspired manor has a bucolic setting on the shores of Lake Keene in Barrington Hills, Illinois, an affluent community about an hour northwest of Chicago.
Within the stately stone facade are 6,809 square feet of palatial interiors with exquisite woodwork, lustrous finishes, custom ceilings, antique fireplaces, and tray ceilings with crystal chandeliers.
The main floor offers formal living and dining rooms, a family room, an office, a library, and a vast island kitchen with breast space wrapping in a sunroom adorned with beautiful Saltillo tiles.
Upstairs are five en suite bedrooms. The primary suite has a cozy fireside lounge with a view of the lake, as well as opulent dual bathrooms and walk-in closets. Four additional bedrooms are within the self-contained guest house.
The pool gets its own structure, a vast pavilion with a cedar-clad cathedral ceiling walls and vaulted cathedral ceiling—and a playful, cured slide for splashing into the water. There’s a hot tub and a sauna nearby.
Further resort-grade amenities include a meditation room, games room, workshop, and craft room on the home’s lower level. The garage structure accommodates eight cars. Outside, a fenced tennis court, rolling lakeside lawns, and a fishing dock await.
Seeking an indoor pool? Start here.
