Yesterday’s post featured pictures of 5 of our favorite man-made recreational swimming holes. Even though a picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes it doesn’t say quite enough about the subject. So we now bring to you the story behind these magnificent places, starting with the world record-holding destination of San Alfonso del Mar.
San Alfonso del Mar is located in Algarrobo, Chile, just north of central along the coastline. Built in 2006, the private resort has attracted multitudes of tourists for its crown jewel: the swimming pool made by Crystal Lagoons. The pool is one kilometer, or 3/5 of a mile long, contains 66 million gallons of saltwater, and reaches a depth of 115 feet in some places. The swimming pool was named largest in the world by the Guinness Book of World records in 2008. This amazing lagoon features indoor and outdoor swimming in crystal clear turquoise waters, private white sand beaches, jacuzzis, various water activities…all with the sea lapping on the beach right behind it.
The truly incredible feature of this colossal swimming hole is its design. Crystal Lagoons CEO Fernando Fischmann, who is a trained biochemist, developed a technology that processes seawater in a way that is inexpensive, ecologically sound, and produces warm, clear waters. His technology is extremely effective at addressing problems with algae and other particles without the heavy use of chemicals, and is catching the attention of developers worldwide. An even more prominent advantage of his system is the implications it holds for energy companies. His lagoon system would directly address the issue of power plants’ need to be in proximity to a body of water in order to cool the plant, which can cause disruptions in local ecosystems and harm marine life. Fischmann’s closed lagoon system would now enable a power plant to be built further inland, operating with man-made, eco-friendly lagoons as their coolants.
Any kind of non-motorized water activity you can think of can be done here. There are lessons for kayaking, sailing, SCUBA diving, and swimming, as well as waterslides, an indoor lagoon within a glass pyramid that features heated sand, temperature-controlled waters, massage jets, and waterfalls. While the resort is considered private and every residence is individually owned, the resort offers an on-site rental service for owners, which you can rent by the day, week, or month. The residence buildings are constructed in such a way that every unit has an ocean/pool view, and the view at night is breathtaking.
San Alfonso del Mar is family-friendly and fully contained with restaurants, bars, nightclubs, markets, and spa facilities. This would no doubt create a memorable experience for anyone involved!
