Hotels with private pools: four stays and how to choose the right room

Pool size, heating, privacy, season: five questions to ask before you book, and how The Rooster, Meneghetti, Olinto and Es Racó d'Artà answer them.

A swim before breakfast, a dip after dinner, no need to leave your terrace: a private pool changes the way you spend a holiday. But photographs rarely tell the whole story. How big is the pool? Is it heated? And can anyone see in?

At The Rooster on Antiparos, Meneghetti in Istria, Olinto in the High Atlas and Es Racó d'Artà on Mallorca, the answers depend on the house, villa or pavilion you book. Here’s what to look for.

Five questions before you book

• Is the pool really yours? “Pool” in a room name isn’t a promise. Check the amenities list, and if it says “or”, get it in writing.
• Can you actually swim in it? A plunge pool is for cooling off. Even the size in square metres won’t tell you whether you can swim lengths: that comes down to length, shape and depth.
• Is it heated? If you’re travelling in spring, autumn or winter, ask whether heating is included, whether you need to request it in advance and what temperature to expect.
• Can anyone see in? Woods, gardens and freestanding houses don’t guarantee privacy. Ask for photographs of the pool and terrace belonging to the accommodation you’ll actually book, including any neighbouring buildings or paths.
• When is the hotel open? Check the hotel’s opening dates and whether the pool is available throughout the season. Early or late in the season, the question of heating comes up again.

The Rooster: which house has which pool?

The Rooster has no rooms, just 16 houses scattered among hills, gardens and sand dunes. Each has its own pool and an outdoor shower, and pool size varies by house category. The one-bedroom houses sleep up to three and have a 20-square-metre pool. As Above So Below and Haven of Tranquility have two bedrooms, sleep up to five and have a 30-square-metre pool. At Haven of Tranquility, both bedrooms open straight onto the terrace and pool.

The exception is 1.5 kilometres away in Kambos, the farming heart of the island. The Farmhouse has three bedrooms for up to six guests, its own kitchen and the hotel farm’s vegetable garden outside the door, but only an eight-square-metre plunge pool. That works well for a family who mainly want space and quiet. If you want more than a quick dip, ask about length and depth, whichever house you choose.

According to the hotel, each house was placed for the views, shade, shelter from the wind and privacy.

The Rooster is only open in the warmer half of the year, roughly May to early October, so check the exact dates before you plan. Coming in May or October? Ask whether your pool is heated.

Meneghetti: read the amenities list

Meneghetti sits among vines and olive groves near Bale, between Rovinj and Pula. The rooms and suites in the historic stancija have no pool of their own. You can count on one at the Estate Pool Residence, the La Alta villa with its own garden, the three-bedroom Il Capo Meneghetti Pool Villa for families and groups, and Casa del Bosco, a freestanding house among the trees and the most secluded place to stay on the estate.

Other places with “pool” in the name need a closer look. The Colossal Garden or Pool Residence, 150 square metres and designed for families, says it openly: it has either a private garden or a private pool. If a private pool is essential, ask the hotel to confirm you’ll get one.

On cooler days, you don’t have to rely on your own pool. Ask before booking whether the villa pools are heated. What you can count on is the heated indoor family pool, open to every guest, including those in the stancija, at set family times. The spa has a second heated indoor pool for quiet hours, and in the warmer months there’s the hotel’s own beach too. A villa with a pool for summer, the warm indoor pool for May or October: a stay here covers both.

Olinto: how warm is your own pool in winter?

Olinto is in the Ouirgane Valley in the High Atlas, about an hour’s drive from Marrakech, and is adults-only. Its nine freestanding pavilions come in two categories. Six have a garden. Three (Eucalyptus, Lavender and Lantana) also have a private pool, set into the garden between two patios. The pool pavilions are bigger, too: 78 square metres against 50 for the garden pavilions, plus a separate living room.

Here, heating is the question. The private pools can be heated, and the hotel offers them all year round. If you’re heading to the Atlas in winter or spring, ask whether heating is included, whether you need to request it in advance and what temperature to expect.

In summer there’s another reason to have your own pool. From mid-June to the end of August, Olinto sells day passes, so you share the 240-square-metre main pool with day visitors. Hotel guests also have a separate 50-square-metre heated pool.

Es Racó d'Artà: casita, house or a finca of your own?

Es Racó d'Artà is an old finca in the hills near Artà, in north-eastern Mallorca. Only certain room categories have a private pool. The eight rooms in the main house, Sa Possessió, and the other casitas don’t. The casitas with a private pool are scattered through the woods, with the pool right on the terrace. The private-pool casitas suit couples who want their own outdoor space. Families or groups can choose one of the larger houses.

Sa Meva Casa has two bedrooms and a large pool built into the woods. Sa Finqueta sits outside the main grounds, a short drive from the main hotel, with an infinity pool looking across the valleys to the Sant Salvador monastery. It gives you distance from hotel life, and you can still use Es Racó’s facilities while the hotel is open.

“Not specified” means the hotel doesn’t publish it. The questions most worth asking are the length and depth of the pool and how heating works: whether it’s included, whether you need to request it in advance and what temperature to expect.

Before you book

• The Rooster, Antiparos: one-bedroom houses sleep up to 3, two-bedroom houses up to 5; The Farmhouse has 3 bedrooms for up to 6 guests and is 1.5 km from the hotel. Children may use the pool only with an adult watching them at all times. Check the season dates before you plan.
• Meneghetti, Istria (floor area of the accommodation, not the pool): Estate Pool Residence 75 m², La Alta villa 100 m², Il Capo Meneghetti Pool Villa 225 m², Casa del Bosco 325 m², Colossal Garden or Pool Residence 150 m². Guests: Estate Pool Residence and La Alta 2+2, Il Capo 6+4, Casa del Bosco 4, Colossal 4+2. The hotel gives the regular number plus how many more can stay; ask whether those extra places are extra beds or a sofa bed and whether they’re meant for children. The indoor family pool and the beach (warmer months) are included for all guests; the spa’s Tranquility Zone is 18+.
• Olinto, High Atlas: pool pavilion from €1,250 a night, garden pavilion from €950 a night, both for two adults. Day passes from mid-June to the end of August. Transfers from Marrakech on request.
• Es Racó d'Artà, Mallorca: spa 16+. If you stay at Sa Finqueta, you can use the hotel’s restaurant and spa while it’s open.

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