3 Ways a Swimming Hole Qualifies for HGTV’s ‘Best. Pool. Ever.’

Kelly Woo July 6, 2019, 9:00 am

Prepare for some serious pool envy.

HGTV goes all in this month with a “Saturday Night Pool Party” lineup that not only finds Mario Lopez helping homeowners upgrade in the new makeover show Supersize My Pool (9/8c) but also profiles more than 30 of the country’s coolest swimming holes in the series Best. Pool. Ever.

New & Returning Shows Coming to TLC, Discovery, HGTV, OWN and More in 2019-2020

Here’s a sneak peek.

All-Inclusive

In order to qualify as a “best pool ever,” the space needs to be a feat of both engineering and imagination, according to HGTV development and production exec Betsy Ayala.

When the owners of the Poway, California, home (above) first moved from Colorado, they wanted a more resort-like feel. Over 16 months, they designed and built this 92-foot-long, 30-foot-wide spectacle surrounded by imported palm trees. The glass bead floor displays a starlike effect, and the swim-up bar connects to a sunken kitchen. But the pièce de résistance is a “sunken living room” that can accommodate 16 people.

(Matt Harbicht)

Treasure Island

This Corona, California, pool was inspired by adventure and theme parks and incorporates waterfalls, a slide, and a rock maze.

“The entire pool was designed around the 15-foot-high skull rock — a perfect place to dive into the water below,” Ayala says. Swim under the skull carved into natural stone, and you’ll find a hidden cave.

(Jordan Weintraub/Getty Images)

Cliff-Hanger

Located in the Santa Monica Mountains in Brentwood, California, this home boasted jaw-dropping views but no space for a pool. The owners had to get creative and build a concrete structure into the cliffside to hold one. “This gives the impression that the pool is floating in midair,” Ayala says.

Even more impressive are the windows added to the side of the pool and to the home’s lower-level office, so whoever’s stuck working can still take in the vista.