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.

More about Casa Afife

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.

More about Quinta da Lila

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.

More about Casa 1923

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.

More about Alpine Contrapposto

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.

More about Casa Via Santa Croce

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.

More about Pension Briol

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.

More about Casa Navegna

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.

More about Kaynakli Ev

More HOLIDAYARCHITECTURE Houses with a pool

Holiday home Monte Abastura

Regional tradition and minimalist zeitgeist: The former sheepfold is located in the heart of the protected Reserva Natural do Sapal in the Sotavento — the less explored part of the Algarve.

⟶

Holiday home LLEÓ57

LLEÓ57 is a listed former mansion two minutes from the marketplace of the small town of Pollenca in the north of Mallorca which, with 390 sqm, offers plenty of space for its guests.

⟶

ApartmentHoliday home Casacosta & Casacosta Nextdoor

The two holiday homes are situated far from from the tourist hotspots of Tenerife in the village of El Poris on the island’s southeast coast. Casacosta is a modernist villa from the late 1970s.

⟶

Hotel Gasthof Bad Dreikirchen

At last, some loneliness! Bad Dreikirchen in South Tyrol once enchanted Sigmund Freud. The inn, which cannot be reached by road, has been a place of accommodation since the Middle Ages and has retained its mysterious charm.

⟶

ApartmentHoliday homeResort Borgo Tranquillo

Le Marche in central Italy is not as well known as nearby Tuscany, but is a hot tip for travelers in Italy. The Borgo looks traditional from the outside, but inside it has a modern loft style with individually designed apartments.

⟶

Holiday home Sauerlandbleibe

The Sauerlandbleibe in the half-timbered village of Bödefeld proves that a group house can be stylish. The 200 year old farm house with room for up to 26 people is suitable as holiday accommodation or for conferences.

⟶

Holiday home Little Stone House

The Little Stone House is situated six kilometres from the Spanish city of Tarifa, the surfing paradise on the south coast of Andalusia.

⟶

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.

⟶

ApartmentHoliday home Casa Sassello

Archaic presence: Casa Sassello, overlooking Lake Maggiore, combines the raw materiality of the traditional Ticino with the precise style of the wdmra architects. A crafted choreography of the elements – in a fabulous location!

⟶

ApartmentHoliday home Che Bella Vista

In a remote location among the Ligurian mountains, Che Bella Vista is situated on an old vineyard surrounded by dry stone walls. The house in typical regional architectural language forms a calming contrast to the topography and vegetation of the surroundings.

⟶

Holiday home Montevid

Surrounded by pine trees, air and tranquillity, the Montevid holiday home sits at an altitude of 1100 metres and enjoys a magnificent view. A place in the vineyards of La Palma inspired by the stone walls of its location, with a stunning view of the sea and the stars.

⟶

Holiday home Haus Grabenschake

Old meets new — in the hills of Styria, surrounded by meadows and forests in a wonderfully secluded location, a 200-year-old farmhouse was juxtaposed with a modern glass building that literally stands against the slope with the help of a 40-metre-long natural stone wall.

⟶

Holiday home Hof Wendenius

Between old half-timbering, rediscovered murals and modern exposed concrete: the more than 200-year-old three-sided farmstead in the Taunus region immerses its historic backdrop in bright light, delicate colours and light elegance.

⟶

Holiday home Loft by LIEU

Are you dreaming of a holiday that brings the whole family – or all your closest friends – together? In the south of France perhaps? Accommodation with traditional charm and casual flair? In the countryside, but close to the sea and the mountains. Voilà: Loft by LIEU.

⟶

Hotel Das Schgaguler

At the South Tyrolean Schgaguler Hotel in Castelrotto at the foot of the Alpe di Siusi, you can admire the amazing transformation of an 80s building into an elegant modern boutique hotel.

⟶

Holiday home Villa Due Pini

Surrounded by an olive grove and overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea as well as the Aurunci mountains Villa Due Pini is situated on a hill above the medieval town of Itri. The Italian architect Cherubino Gambardella designed the house based on an unfinished reinforced concrete skeleton.

⟶

Holiday homeResort Au Perier

Au Perier, situated in the Dordogne in southwest France, is like a tiny, relaxed village: four houses, a central square, a pool, an open barn and a vegetable garden.

⟶

Holiday home Casa Lia

Arm in arm with the Alentejo and just a stone’s throw from Lisbon: the Casa Lia bungalow feels like a warm embrace – with its clean lines, minimalist colours and the tranquillity of the Portuguese countryside.

⟶

Holiday home La Vignarella

La Vignarella holiday home in the north-east of Corsica lies directly behind the dunes and merges almost seamlessly with the beach. The modern architecture of this house harmonises perfectly with its surroundings.

⟶

Holiday home Vila Mravljevi