The World’s Largest Swimming Pool
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Beach Resorts | Chile | Romantic & Honeymoon | Swimming Pools & Underwater | World Record | 8 Comments
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You know a swimming pool is big when an average swimmer is unable to complete a single lap within it. And when this swimmer is likely to be passed by a sailboat while trying.
That’s the situation at the San Alfonso del Mar Resort in Algarrobo, Chile. The pool there—the world’s largest according to the Guinness World Records—took five years and nearly US$4 billion to build. (That’s not a typo, that’s billion with a “b”). The yearly maintenance costs total about $1 billion. (That’s not a typo either).
The pool is a full kilometer (.62 miles) long, 35 meters (115 feet) at its deepest point and covers more than 20 acres. The massive amounts of water required to fill the pool comes from the Pacific just beyond the pool’s edge. A high-tech filtration system cleans ocean water, cycles it through the pool and then returns it to the Pacific in an environmentally friendly way.
San Alfonso del Mar Resort itself is a little Disney-like, in the best and worst ways. The resort is well-run and family friendly. It is also overrun with little kids and has the vibe of some fantasy world—you’d hardly know you were in the country of Chile while staying here.
By the way, choose to stay here for the pool and run into bad weather the San Alfonso has you covered. The resort also has a massive indoor pool complete with waterfalls, jet massages and a beach with heated sand!
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That’s a pretty impressibe sized pool, but I’d have to agree with Nina above – they could have done a lot more interesting things with that much space and water to work with
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Actually I think this is a bit silly. Ok, so it’s a f**** large pool, but it has it’s own beach and clearly it’s not allowed swimming everywhere as you can hire your own pool boat.
I also don’t think they should have made the stucture of the pool in that way. I don’t find it interesting enough. Should have been some canals, small walking bridges etc!
Nice idea though, looks awesome, but I think it’s a bit too much.. Or too little interesting stuff..
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I have tried to find prices but am unable to find anything and multiple websites. Can anyone provide me some pricing information? Thanks
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i would love to be there this coming summer
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Peter,
Respectfully, I disagree with your sentiments. Totally!
As we noted in the review: “You’d hardly know you were in the country of Chile while staying here.” So, this isn’t being billed as some sort of cultural experience. We definitely don’t think anyone should travel to Chile and see absolutely nothing else of the country. Why do you assume they would?
Further, this resort is owned by a Chilean company, the environmentally-friendly technology the pool uses was developed by another Chilean company, the whole resort was built by a third Chilean company and the hotel has a large all/mostly Chilean staff. So, contrary to your claims, the citizens of Chile get almost all of the money guests spend here.
Further still, the majority of the guests staying at the resort are Chilean. So if you think that staying at the San Alfonso is a form of exploiting Chile then you also have to conclude that large numbers of Chileans are voluntarily exploiting themselves, which seems an odd thing to think.
Go to Chile, we say, and experience the culture, the people and the incredible beauty of this wonderful country. And incorporate a stay at the San Alfonso into your trip, if that’s your thing. It is a cool hotel to experience.
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Twitter: peterabolins
This is just wrong…
Come to Chile and see absolutely none of the country, or the people who live here, and spend a fortune happily knowing that the citizens of Chile will never see a penny of it.
Exploitation? Nah, never…
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WOW, thats a long swim your going for in that….crazy pictures with boats in it also
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That’s such a beautiful pool. I wouldn’t even attempt to swim half of it.
Maria@Conversations with Moms’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday – Size does Matter
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