César Manrique, the man of Lanzarote, built the most beautiful swimming pools in the world. His own pool, pictured below right, is nothing short of a vision.

Jameos del Agua was envisioned as a tourist attraction in one of the lava tubes (above right) formed thousands of years ago in the northern part of the island. The complex comprises a couple of restaurants, a subterranean lagoon populated by a unique species of tiny albino crab, a concert hall, a museum of vulcanology and the pool.

The pool is built in typical Manrique style: white concrete smothering a natural basin, lava, pebbles and rocks, palm trees and indigenous vegetation. The pool is free-form, the sky reflects bright blue, there are giant outcrops of lava within it, creating natural platforms.



There is no swimming allowed in this pool. I repeat, no swimming.

People touch the water, they reach down and trail their hands in the tantalising water. Everybody wants to be in that water but no one os allowed. That the world's most beautiful swimming pool is only available for looking at is a fact that makes no sense to me.