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“What’s the best hotel you’ve ever stayed at?”
As professional travel writers, we get asked that question a lot. It’s a tough one to answer – because we’ve been fortunate to stay at places where the “wow” factor punches off the charts.
How do you compare colonial-style casonas in a magical UNESCO-listed Mexican town with sexy over-the-water bungalows in Bora Bora?
We can tell you that villa resorts with private pool suites tend to be some of the most luxurious.
8 Ultra-gorgeous villa resorts with private pool suites
We’ve splashed out in these 8 villa resorts with private pools. (Who said “work” is no fun?)
They’re so fabulous that it’s worth booking a holiday just to stay in one of them!
1) Baraza Resort & Spa – Zanzibar
As soon as you see the Swahili arches, gauzy gold curtains and beautiful antiques, you get an inkling your stay at Baraza Resort & Spa is going to be pretty special.
Then when you’re sipping the resort’s signature Dawa cocktails (made from vodka, lime and honey) on their pure white beach, you know you’ve checked into one of the best resorts in Zanzibar.
(By the way, the beach – Bwejuu Beach – has been ranked among the world’s top 30 beaches by Conde Nast Traveler. We also think it’s one of the prettiest beaches in the world.)
Others think this Zanzibar beach resort is pretty dreamy too.
Baraza, which has just 30 one- and two-bedroom villas (all villas with private pools, of course), was ranked #4 in the “Top 25 Luxury Hotels in Africa” in the 2019 TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards.
Memorable moment: Bathing with clove-scented soap in our egg-shaped stone tub…
2) St. Nicolas Bay Resort Hotel & Villas – Crete
The cure for overdosing on ancient Greek temples and ruins? An escape to St. Nicolas Bay Resort Hotel & Villas on the island of Crete.
Stone-clad suites and villas with organic Coco-Mat mattresses and huge infinity pools, a private beach cove, a spa with a private seawater cave for couples, an authentic Greek taverna, and oh-so-soothing sea views will set you right in no time.
It did for us – though we needed a few days there to make sure we were really better before flying home :-).
A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, this 5 star Crete hotel is one of the best Greece hotels with private pools.
See our detailed review!
St. Nicolas Bay Resort: Chilling at one of the Best Hotels in Crete
St. Nicolas Bay Resort Hotel & Villas
3) Likuliku Lagoon Resort – Fiji
Sure, it’s nice to snorkel right from your deck of the overwater bungalows at Likuliku Lagoon Resort.
It’s the first resort with overwater bungalows in Fiji – and and dare we say, the best over-the-water Fijian bures?
But a string of 18 other ultra-luxe beachfront bures at this 5 star Fiji resort have private plunge pools, outdoor stone showers and huge shaded day beds.
Also very nice!
Plus, there’s the huge main pool you can use too.
That’s not all…
Likuliku’s breezy restaurant serves up light gourmet fare with locally-grown organic produce. Steamed coral trout with cucumber and coconut cream? Mmmmm…
Sailing and kayaking are complimentary. And its spa offers blissful warm stone massage treatments too.
4) Simbambili Game Lodge – South Africa
You can’t beat the leopard and lion sightings at Simbambili Game Lodge. (It’s located in the wildlife-rich Sabi Sand Game Reserve, part of the world-famous Kruger National Park.)
In fact, you’re pretty certain to see all the “Big Five” animals during a three-night stay here – we did.
Bonus: We also witnessed an impressive lion kill on our “Big 5” safari.
Villa resorts with private pools aren’t that common in safari game reserves.
Simbambili, however, has nine honeymoon-deluxe, thatched-roof bungalows with private plunge pools on huge rustic wooden decks.
Your deck faces a water hole in the distance, where you may see a parade of elephants, buffalo, antelope, kudu and other animals coming to drink.
Simbambili Game Lodge also organizes private bush lunches.
See our detailed review!
Simbambili Game Lodge, South Africa
5) Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve – Thailand
There are Ritz-Carltons.
And then there are Ritz-Carlton Reserves – which are even more luxurious.
We were captivated by Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Krabi, Thailand.
Each of the 54 opulent villas has a butler.
Our butler appeared like a genie whenever we needed him. Upon our check-in, he even bathed our trip-weary feet in a bowl of warm oil-scented water, sprinkled with rose petals.
Sinful confession: Overlooking a karst-studded bay, the main swimming pool with its curtained daybeds and complimentary coconut juice service was so alluring that we hardly used our own private pool.
See reviews of Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve on TripAdvisor
Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
6) Banyan Tree Cabo Marques – Acapulco
Tucked away in a lush gated community, the Banyan Tree Cabo Marques is an elegant hideaway, with beautiful Asian-style villas on stilts.
The views of Acapulco Bay from our plunge pool kept us spellbound. As did the orange and magenta sunsets.
And it was fun to see parrots, vultures and seabirds flying above our heads too.
Indeed, this is one villa resort where we happily spent a lot of time in our private pool.
Mind you, we tore ourselves away to eat at the resort’s Thai-themed Saffron restaurant. Always delicious…
See our detailed review!
Banyan Tree Cabo Marques, Acapulco
7) Alila Villas Uluwatu – Bali
Bali is blessed with heavenly villa resorts with private pools – we’ve bedded down in many of them. (See our guide to the best luxury hotels in Bali.)
But when it comes to luxury clout, Alila Villas Uluwatu tops our list of most luxurious Bali hotels with private pools.
For one thing, its one-bedroom villas are ginormous – larger than 3,000 square feet in size – with window walls that open up completely.
We loved that we could almost roll from our living room daybed into our pool.
The ocean views from the resort’s cliffside perch are also stupendous.
See our detailed review!
Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali
8) Vedema, a Luxury Collection Resort – Santorini
Say what? Back when they were together, Brad and Angie stayed here?
But it doesn’t have those gawk-worthy sea views like Ikies, another Santorini hotel we’ve stayed at.
Oh, but you say we’ll be away from the tourist crowds, relaxing in a peaceful setting within an authentic Greek village?
And we can have our own private pool overlooking vineyards? And there are complimentary transfers to a private beach club?
Sign us up!
At Vedema, a Luxury Collection Resort, we stayed in a Dorian Suite – which was lovely even without a private pool.
But the Olympian Villas have private pools.
See our detailed review!
Vedema Resort, Santorini
Luxury hotels with private pools
So there you have it – our round-up of some of the world’s best villa resorts with private pools that we’ve personally stayed at!
What to pack for your pool villa vacay
1) Pool and beach gear – Flattering bathing suit? Big-brimmed sun hat? Good sunglasses? (We’re a fan of Ray-Bans). Roomy beach bag for your sunscreen, water bottles, books and perhaps a towel or two? You’ll need these for the pool and beach.
2) Cute and comfy sandals – Do your tootsies a favor and check out these fab thongs and travel sandals we’ve sussed out!
3) Water bottle – Stay hydrated with this refillable (collapsible) water bottle.
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Photo credits: 10, 11 and 27 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | Lead image courtesy St. Nicolas Bay Resort & Villas | Remaining photos courtesy of the respective private pool resorts
Have you stayed at any fabulous hotels or villa resorts with private pools? Do tell!
These are some gorgeous resorts with great amenities! It must be so luxurious to stay at one of them. They make me want to go somewhere this cold season!
You can’t go wrong checking in at any of these resorts (except you won’t want to pick the Greek resorts for a warm-weather escape between mid- to late-October and early April, as they’ll be closed).
Super swanky! Which one is the most “affordable”?
Tricky question.
If you asked someone else, they might say, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford any of these places!” :-).
But seriously, Simbambili Game Lodge is “affordably” luxurious for a terrific Sabi Sands game lodge in South Africa. There are many safari lodges that are more expensive in South Africa. So it’s probably the most “affordable” of the places we’ve covered here…
I’ve seen your Santorini photos in perfect time as heading there next week and can’t wait…though not staying where you did or where Brangelina stayed but the place we’re going to does have a caldera facing infinity pool so I’m hoping the sun will be out :) You have both stayed in some utterly magical places so I can easily see why it must be such a hard question when you get asked what ” the best” is. That game reserve in South Africa as well as the Fijian retreat are calling out to me most!
You should still get sunshine in Santorini! Having a caldera-facing infinity pool will be lovely. Don’t forget to do the hike from Fira to Oia :-). The weather will be just right for this — not too hot, and you’ll enjoy amazing views and get some exercise too :-). Have fun!
Oh wow the Baraza Resort & Spa in Zanzibar looks seriously gorgeous – what a place!
An interesting list. Now, all I need is a little more money.
We could all do with a little more of that, couldn’t we :-).
Ah, these places are to die for and so are your pictures, Janice! I think the best hotel I ever stayed at was the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, in Banff. For some reason that one got stuck in my mind as being like a fairytale place. Waking up every morning and seeing the turquoise waters of Lake Louise was like a dream come true, but what you are describing in your post far exceeded my dreams. I always wanted to sip a glass of Champagne in one of those infinity pools… dreams, dreams, dreams!
We know the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise well! (We used to live in Calgary and would drive up to the mountains often to ski in winter or hike in summer. And we’ve stayed at the hotel.) It’s such an iconic hotel with a whole lot of history…
Wow, you guys get to stay in ALL the nice places :)
Frank (bbqboy)
Yes, many are pretty sweet :-).
I’m drooling over every single one of these, especially the Banyan Tree Cabo Marques. Great shots and descriptions.
Glad you’re salivating :-). The hard part, though, after staying at places like these is returning back to reality. Then we just have to dream and plan the next trip :-).
These look…..fabulous!
They are indeed… fabulous!
My daughter is getting married 4/15/2017. She wants to go to Ibiza for her honeymoon. Any suggestions on where to stay? She’s 30 he’s 35.
Ibiza sounds fantastic for a honeymoon! But we haven’t visited there, so we can’t offer any suggestions from first-hand experience. We loved the neighboring island of Mallorca (Majorca), where we stayed at four different places (from a farm finca to a castle) – all lovely. If Mallorca is of interest (delightful villages on the north coast and nice walking/hiking), you can read about where we stayed here in this post of ours: https://sandinmysuitcase.com/on-mallorca-you-can-sleep-in-everything-from-a-castle-to-a-farm-finca/
The pools at these resorts are simply drool-worthy! They sure whet the appetite for a winter vacation.
They sure do, don’t they!
No wonder you’re smiling!
Yes, these resorts put big grins of pleasure on our faces :-)