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BEST SWIMS<br />
BUCKET-LIST DIP<br />
Bondi Icebergs<br />
Pool or sea? The dilemma has never<br />
been more delicious than at Sydney’s<br />
iconic Bondi Beach, where the sandy<br />
southern reaches meet an Olympicsized,<br />
man-made swimming pool<br />
(and a smaller kids’ one) known as<br />
‘the Icebergs’. The swimming club it’s<br />
named after was founded 90 years ago<br />
so that Bondi’s lifeguards could train<br />
year-round, and there’s nothing more<br />
exhilarating than being smacked in the<br />
face by salty surf while powering across<br />
its wind-rippled infinity pool. Don’t miss<br />
the sauna, included in your ticket price.<br />
SECRET SPLASH<br />
The Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye<br />
At the foot of Skye’s brooding Cuillin<br />
mountains, the river fizzes into a<br />
string of crystal-clear ponds. Clamber<br />
down from the trail onto broad, flat<br />
rocks so you can shed your gear and<br />
dive into the limpid water of the first<br />
pool. It’s freezing so bring a wetsuit<br />
outside of summer. Emboldened by<br />
that icy adrenaline? Dive down to swim<br />
under the submerged stone arch that<br />
connects two of the pools. They’re<br />
an easy half-hour hike along gently<br />
ascending hillside from the nearest car<br />
park (Glumagan Na Sithichean).<br />
SKY-HIGH SWIM<br />
Shangri-La Hotel at the<br />
Shard, London<br />
Swimming above London’s<br />
helicopters — in the Shard’s 52 nd -<br />
storey ‘Skypool’ — is a once-ina-lifetime<br />
encounter. It’s also a<br />
once-in-a-lifetime spend for a swim,<br />
as the pool is open only to hotel<br />
guests. Note to fitness swimmers:<br />
it’s diddy, at just 11m long. Note<br />
to parents: kids are only allowed<br />
between 9am and 11am and 3pm<br />
and 5pm. Note to daydreamers:<br />
there are sofas and free coffee, so<br />
make a morning of it.<br />
HOTEL-POOL SWIM<br />
Four Seasons Serengeti<br />
A dust-dry plain sprouting baobab<br />
trees, clouds scudding across a<br />
burnt yellow sky, and<br />
herds of elephants, buffaloes and<br />
zebras at feeding time. A baby<br />
elephant clambers into the water to<br />
cool off just metres from the lip of<br />
the infinity pool where you’re doing<br />
the same. From sunrise to sunset,<br />
this glimmering water gives you a<br />
front-row seat for the Tanzanian<br />
watering hole’s daily dramas (keep<br />
your eyes peeled for trotting<br />
warthogs), as well as miles of empty<br />
savannah ahead. You’ll see the<br />
most diverse wildlife during the dry<br />
season (July-October).<br />
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