Need to unwind? From New Zealand’s natural sand hot tubs to the Hanki-Panki Pool in Maui, we’ve got the hottest hot tubs for your next holiday. Grab a drink, bring some friends and take a dip.
1. Hot Water Beach, New Zealand
A stretch of sand exposed only at low tide, this remarkable place, which sits on the eastern edge of the North Island’s stunning Coromandel Peninsula, is a true natural wonder.
Here, two underground fissures feed water as hot as 64 degrees Celsius to the area just below the surface of the sand, meaning that anyone with a bucket and a spade can dig their own hot tub.
2. Las Casitas del Colca, Peru
This collection of luxury villas—located just off a dirt road in a high, remote valley famous for its amazing network of Incan terraces—gives every guest their own private hot tub.
Open the patio doors of your villa and you’ll find a lovely stone pool fed by mineral waters, with a lovely view of alpacas grazing, the high, jagged Andes rising in the background.
3. Miette Hot Springs, Alberta, Canada
Image Source: Jasper Travel
The hottest hot springs in the Canadian Rockies, the natural mineral water here flows out of the mountain at a sizzling 54 degrees Celsius, which cools to a comfy 40 degrees Celsius by the time it enters the three Miette pools.
But the best part is what you’ll find all around these springs.
Set in Jasper National Park, the pools are surrounded by a panorama of snow-capped peaks, providing some of the best views in Western Canada.
4. Geothermal Pools, Reykjavik, Iceland
The region around Reykjavik bubbles forth with a number of warm wonders.
There’s the city’s network of neighbourhood pools, sort of like a local YMCA, but with hot springs. There’s also Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach, where golden sand brought in all the way from Morocco and a flow of natural hot water make swimming and sunbathing possible in the farthest northern reaches of the Atlantic.
The best of all is the Blue Lagoon just outside of town, where superheated water from a lava flow creates a vast, beautiful, blue area of healing waters.
5. Danube River Cruise, Eastern Europe
A pool with a view is a beautiful thing—and a view that changes every day is even better.
Rolling down the famous Blue Danube through Eastern and Central Europe, river cruise boats (including those operated by AMA Waterways) provide a unique perspective on some of the region’s finest sites.
Settle into the whirlpool atop the ship with a glass of red wine, and the view comes to you—look up as an ever-changing tapestry of centuries old-castles, towering church spires and domes, dramatic bridges, hills, mountains and modern skylines rolls by.
6. Hanki-Panki Pool, Maui, Hawaii
A whirlpool in paradise, the Hanki-Panki Pool at the Napili Kai Beach Resort is Maui’s biggest hot tub.
Sitting here in a pool set on a hillside with a view out to the surfers and stand-up paddle-boarders plying the waves of Napili Bay, you may just feel transported back in time—building restrictions on the bay ensure that there are no high-rise hotels in sight, and Napili Kai prides itself on providing an authentic Polynesian experience.
7. Szechenyi Thermal Baths, Hungary
Photo by Marc Ryckaert
Right at home in a city that doesn’t lack for drama—a place with a history of battle and revolution, with a breathtaking skyline set on vertiginous cliffs—these 15 indoor and outdoor pools feel like they’re housed inside a palace.
Built in Neo-Baroque style in 1913 as a medical facility, the natural waters here, which range from 26 degrees Celsius to 38 degrees Celsius and contain calcium, magnesium, sodium and other minerals, are said to ease a variety of ailments, from sports injuries to arthritis.
