Inspirations

Take the Plunge!

What could be more tempting on a hot day than a jump into cool water? Whether a former irrigation tank or a perfectly crafted design statement: these pools and water basins are every bit as varied as the holiday homes themselves.

in June 2026

Casa Afife

With its doors and shutters closed, the white-rendered Casa Afife resembles a sculpture. Equally refined is the pool, whose layout subtly reappears in the house itself. The circle within the square – according to architect Guilherme Machado Vaz – emerged entirely intuitively. Only later, while leafing through his sketchbooks, did he realise that this motif had appeared repeatedly in his drawings.

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Quinta da Lila

A 150-year-old farmstead in the tranquil hinterland of the Algarve has been transformed into Quinta da Lila, comprising three holiday houses of varying sizes. Former irrigation tanks have been converted into plunge pools, giving each house its own distinctive pool character — enclosed by massive natural stone walls, integrated into a light timber deck, or fed by fresh mountain water. Together, they lend a relaxed summer atmosphere to the surrounding vineyards.

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Casa 1923

When architect Vânia Brito Fernandes discovered the townhouse, it was an overgrown ruin. Today, Casa 1923 – again clad in colourful azulejos – ranks among Faro’s most distinctive Art Nouveau buildings. As part of the restoration, an additional storey was added, housing one of the minimalist holiday apartments. From the bedrooms, guests step directly onto the roof terrace, where a pale blue plunge pool appears unexpectedly behind high walls.

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Alpine Contrapposto

Set amid the untouched nature of the Slovenian Alps, Alpine Contrapposto is a south-facing ensemble of three buildings once inhabited by farmers and shepherds. While the main house remains the heart of the property, the former granary has been transformed into a place of rest and relaxation, featuring an indoor and outdoor pool supplied with Alpine water, a larch wood sauna and sweeping mountain views.

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Casa Via Santa Croce

Casa Via Santa Croce is an unassuming townhouse dating from 1900. The roof terrace, complete with loungers and a canvas awning, is the perfect place to spend balmy summer evenings – right in the historic centre of Taviano, yet pleasantly removed from the bustle below. Those seeking a slower pace during the day will find it in the sheltered courtyard, where a pergola and the expansive branches of a tree provide natural shade. An outdoor shower and a small monolithic water basin offer welcome refreshment.

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Pension Briol

White sheets flutter across the mountain meadows and a bell calls guests to dinner. At Briol, time seems to stand still. In 1928, the young artist Hubert Lanzinger transformed a farmhouse in the Eisack Valley in an unusually modern manner, introducing large windows and a striking flat roof. The circular outdoor pool, fed by spring water, also dates from this period – South Tyrol’s first public swimming pool, set within a spectacular natural landscape. Anyone taking a dip here feels like a new person.

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Casa Navegna

Just a few metres from the shores of Lake Maggiore stands an extraordinary modernist holiday home: Casa Navegna. Built in 1929 to designs by Swiss architect Ernst Bechstein, it combines different strands of modernism with Mediterranean joie de vivre – from its restrained flat-roofed architecture to the seamless opening of the living spaces towards the garden and lake. The rectangular pool fits naturally into the generous grounds, framed by a stone terrace, palm trees and lush greenery. The interplay of villa, garden and water lends the entire property a relaxed sense of lightness.

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Kaynakli Ev

Nestled within the former consular quarter in the historic centre of Ayvalik on Turkey’s Aegean coast, Kaynakli Ev – the “House with a Fountain” – takes its name from an old cistern that still reflects the property’s close relationship with water. In the sheltered garden, an outdoor shower and a cold-water plunge pool framed by natural stone walls provide welcome relief from the heat. With its crisp concrete forms and small access steps, the basin blends effortlessly into the surrounding olive, lemon and pomegranate trees.

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More HOLIDAYARCHITECTURE Houses with a pool

Holiday home SpronkenHouse

Surrounded by mountains and rows of olive and almond trees, SpronkenHouse is situated on a spacious plot of land in the hinterland of the Costa del Azahar, north of Valencia.

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Hotel Hotel Hinteregger

Family owned for over 100 years, Hotel Hinteregger has been remodeled and enlarged over several generations. Old and new are clearly perceptible and yet harmoniously united.

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Holiday home Fattoria Santo Ianni

Arcadia in the heart of Abruzzo: concrete steps connect the stone houses of the former farmstead. Follow them to discover traditional rooms with a modern twist, endless green hills and a pool with views stretching to the sea.

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Holiday home Casa Kera

Situated on a hill near the baroque town of Scicli, surrounded by carob trees and nature, Casa Kera looks out over the gently rolling hills to the blue shimmering south coast of the island. A house that naturally places itself in the middle of the Sicilian landscape.

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Bed & BreakfastHoliday home Maison Jalon

This small B&B in the green surroundings of Aix-en-Provence combines stark exposed concrete with cheerful retro-style touches. Surrounded by a lush garden: La vie en rose!

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Holiday home Cingle 30

With panoramic views of the bay of Soller and the mountains, Cingle 30 is located on a steep slope in the coastal town of Port de Soller. It consists of a concrete cube that rises above a substructure with traditional quarry stone walls.

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Holiday home Casanova di Mesola

Where Umbria meets Tuscany and Le Marche, Casanova di Mesola is situated in a secluded location on a hilltop with panoramic views — a hideaway that combines nature, design and comfort. Gubbio, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Italy, can be reached in 25 minutes.

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Hotel Milla Montis

With its restrained and at the same time sensational design, the South Tyrolean Milla Montis Hotel enriches the Puster Valley with an architectural highlight. The motto of the architectural intervention: origin, redefined.

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ApartmentHoliday homeResort Kallithea Villas

Kalli thea means great view – and the Kallithea Villas keep what their name promises. The seven villas on a green slope in the south of the Pelion Peninsula afford magnificent views of the Aegean Sea, the bay and the idyllic fishing village of Platanias.

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Bed & Breakfast Convento Olhão

Convento is hidden at the end of a narrow lane in the coastal town of Olhão – very close to the promenade and the local markets.

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Hotel Tannerhof

The Tannerhof in the Bavarian Alps is surrounded by meadows, forests and mountains and, with its buildings, looks like a small village. In 2011, it was transformed from a sanatorium into a hotel and health resort.

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ApartmentBed & BreakfastHoliday home Hasenberg Lodge

High above Lake Walen and amidst the Churfirsten and Flums mountain scenery, mid-century design and selected art, this boutique hideaway celebrates first and foremost the bright sides of life.

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Holiday home Casa Esperança

Architectural love triangle: with its unusual geometry and hidden garden, the modern Casa Esperança in the south of Mallorca finds its own unique position amid historic structures.

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Apartment Umamma

In the Umamma apartment in the small Tuscan town of San Miniato, the Middle Ages are combined with industrial style. The apartment is extraordinary and will elicit a “Wow!” from many guests—or “umamma” as they say in Tuscany for something unexpectedly amazing.

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Holiday home Podere 500

Podere 500 is situated in a picturesque location in the Tuscan hills. Behind the old stone walls of the former farmhouse lies a surprisingly modern holiday home with spacious rooms and a light and airy ambience.

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Holiday home Olive Garden Bungalow

Light and shade, landscape and architecture: the Olive Garden Bungalow combines clear shapes, large window fronts and atmospheric outdoor areas in the Cretan countryside.

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Holiday home Les Brumes

Beautifully staged: In the heart of the Baronnies Provençales stands a circular house whose curved glass façade brings nature and light to the interior – offering sweeping panoramic views of the landscape and the little village of Montaulieu.

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Holiday home Can Bou

With beautiful views of the mountains of the Serra de Tramuntana, the Can Bou holiday home is located on the outskirts of the small town of Sóller – about three kilometres from the northwest coast of Mallorca.

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Bed & Breakfast Das Wanda

In South Tyrol’s wine village Caldaro, Verena Huf has transformed a 1970s guesthouse into a stylish B&B. ‘Das Wanda’ bears the name of a former inn on the island of Elba that belonged to the grandfather. Her B&B radiates the same Mediterranean mood.

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Holiday homeHotel Ayurveda Guesthouse

A tropical holiday paradise awaits you at the Ayurveda Guesthouse. Located in a fishing village on the west coast of Sri Lanka, the resort has a spaciously laid out garden with a small lagoon in the centre and direct access to 3 kilometres of sandy beach.

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