In the past few months, we’ve occasionally been posting design inspiration for our friends and customers. After all, even when a pool is a good value, it’s still a major investment. It’s worth it to make the most not only of the pool itself, but the opportunity to turn your garden into a really beautiful and unique place to cool down and unwind. One way to do that is with an outstanding landscape design that incorporates your pool and the space around it.

Aruba's Natural Pool

Of course, nature is one of the best places to look for inspiration. We’ve been exploring real-world natural beaches, waterfalls and pools, and one of the most lovely we’ve found is Aruba’s Natural Pool. This secluded spot isn’t just an amazing place to take a swim, it also has a look that can pretty easily be used as an inspiration for a garden design. You can view a large set of inspiring visitor photos on Trip Advisor’s Natural Pool Page.

Aruba’s Natural Pool: A Hidden Gem

The Natural Pool is located in Arikok National Park and it’s well known as a great place for snorkelling; many unusual fish species can be found there. When the tide is coming in, water crashes over the rocks and creates a great show for visitors. However, when the water is calm, it’s a wonderful place for a dip. Everyone who’s had a chance to visit the Natural Pool says that one of the best parts of the experience is the journey through Aruba’s outback and the dramatic reveal when the pool is finally in sight. Visitors move from a dusty, rocky landscape to a beautiful place for swimming, protected by stone at the edge of the open water. It creates a sense of awe and wonder.

Pool Ideas Inspired by Aruba’s Natural Pool

You probably won’t be putting fish into your private pool, so snorkelling and colourful sea life won’t be the focus. The things to think about in using the Natural Pool for inspiration are the use of rock, the use of falling water and the element of surprise.

Surround all or part of your pool with natural boulders (with enough room around the edges to ensure safety, of course). If you’re thinking about incorporating a spa, you could place it at one side, edged by natural rock, and place a waterfall next to it, creating the illusion that you have two natural pools nestled into a rocky landscape. Another strategy would be to build up a stone wall on one side and install a waterfall there. This would work especially well on a sloped piece of property; the stone wall might double as a retaining wall, and the look would be absolutely fantastic. The waterfall could be either gradual or direct.

Consider creating a dramatic reveal for your pool. One strategy is to place the pool in a slightly elevated position relative to the ground floor of your house, with boulders blocking the views from some directions. Don’t forget leave a few critical sight lines open, though, especially if you have kids. Consider creating an especially dramatic approach for guests. Of course, a pool like this would be absolutely incredible on a piece of oceanfront property, where it could be made to resemble a natural stone formation on the edge of the water.

Remember, an Albatross Pool can be any size and shape, so you have many options to work with. A good landscape designer or landscape architect can work with the pool experts at Albatross to help you make your vision real, whatever the inspiration.

It’s hard to believe, but there are a few people out there who don’t like swimming pools. Sure, there are some who aren’t comfortable in the water and others who will always opt for the beach over a pool. However, the number one reason we hear is ‘I hate chlorine’.

Natural Pool

Why the Chlorine Haters Have a Point

There are good reasons why chlorine is used in pool cleaning systems and has been for many decades. It keeps the water free of dangerous bacteria and dramatically cuts the risk of sicknesses and infections being spread through pool water. It’s also true that the dose makes the poison. The higher the concentration of chlorine, the more likely the negative side effects are to occur.

Nevertheless, some people are very sensitive to chlorine and almost everyone will experience some irritation and respiratory distress if it’s too concentrated. It can turn dyed-blond hair green and fade swimsuit fabric. It can exacerbate asthma and allergies. It has even been linked to more serious health problems. So, cutting down on chlorine is generally a good thing, if you can find something that does the same job with fewer potential side effects.

What is a Natural Pool?

That brings us to natural pools. There are several pool cleaning systems that can cut down on or eliminate the use of chlorine. Pools that use these alternative systems are often called ‘natural pools’, however, the Europeans have a much stricter definition for the term. They define a natural pool as one that doesn’t use any type of artificial cleaning system at all and instead relies completely on plant-based filtration. Whether or not they create true European-style natural pools, here are a few of the alternatives to conventional pool chemicals.

Salt Water and Mineral Systems

Salt water pools sound ideal, but the fact is that they do actually contain chlorine. They simply produce it through electrolysis, which causes a chemical reaction in salt. They’re relatively expensive to install but inexpensive to maintain, and they can keep a pool sanitary with a lower concentration of chlorine than would usually be necessary, so they are still a good way to reduce your exposure to the chemical. Building a salt water pool also means that you don’t have to handle or store concentrated chlorine. More recently, Mineral-type systems have been released into the market and are being heavily promoted to potential pool buyers. A Mineral system works very similarly to a Salt system but instead of adding salt to the pool to produce chlorine, a different type of mineral is added such as magnesium.

Ozone Systems

Ozone systems use electricity or ultraviolet light to create ozone from water. This is done in an ozone cell that’s separate from the pool, and the pool water is pumped through it. They can be energy intensive, but this method of ozone treatment is so safe that it is used in many modern drinking water treatment plants. However, these systems are energy intensive. The pool water needs to be continuously pumped through the ozone chamber. Ozone units are most practical for small pools and spas.

Pool Ionisers

Pool ionisers add copper and silver ions to the pool water through filtration and/or an electrical charge. They reduce the amount of bacteria in pools, and they greatly reduce the amount of chemical treatment needed to keep them clean and sanitary. Ionisers are inexpensive to use and maintain, as well, so they will pay for themselves through money saved on pool maintenance and pool chemicals. We offer Dontek Ionisers as part of the disinfecting system for our Fresh Water Swimming Pools. Our Fresh Water Swimming Pools work with an inline tablet feeder system which creates water that is noticeably softer and more natural-feeling than the water in conventionally disinfected pools.

Plants in Your Pool

By European standards, none of the pool cleaning systems mentioned so far make for a true natural pool; the only way to create a natural pool is to eliminate artificial cleaning systems altogether. How do you do that? You use plants for filtration. Most natural pools have two areas: a swimming area that can look just like a regular pool and a regeneration area with species of plants selected specifically to clean and renew the water. Often, decorative plants are added to improve the look of the pool. These pools can be truly stunning and are certainly at the cutting edge of sustainable pool design. Are they as safe as conventional pools? Only time will tell. Most people who want to create a European-style natural pool hire a qualified designer, and here at Albatross Pools, we’re always happy to work with your landscape and pool design consultants.

Month: June 2014

Pool Landscaping Inspiration: Aruba’s Natural Pool