The pool at the River Wing of Pudong Shangri-La, Shanghai.[ Photo provided to Shanghai Star]

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“We have both an automatic monitoring system and a twohourly manual water quality check to ensure water sanitation,” said Yang Lei, Spa manager of Park Hyatt Hotel.

“Of course, as the peak season for swimming is coming, we will also adjust the frequency of water checks based on the fl ow of swimmers,” he added.

If pools in Pudong area are all about height and vertigo-inducing views, the ones tucked in the century- old Bund area across the Huangpu River are centered on history and retro chic.

The Art-Deco pool in the PENINSULA HOTEL SHANGHAI is an example. With rows of palm trees and a glass dome above, this pool gets its distinctive Mediterranean style from a floor of blue and white mosaic tiles arranged in the pattern of willowy branches.

To swim inside is like being part of an oil painting, and surrounded by an orchestra, as the soothing music from the underwater sound system shimmers with the waves. The blue and white tiles are also an indicator of the water quality, as its pattern is blurred when the water contains impurities.

The balconies adjoining the pool look out on the ultra lush greenery from the garden of the former British consulate and are one of the hottest spots for sunbathing because of their seclusion. The pool is open to hotel guests exclusively.

The underground swimming pool housed in the legendary INTERCONTINENTAL SHANGHAI RUIJIN HOTEL features a more retro chic space in the style of the golden age of 1920s’ Shanghai. Despite it being built just a couple of years ago, the irregularly shaped pool, resembling a fl oating cloud, is smoothly integrated into the 100-acre century- old Art Deco and French- Provincial style estate, built by British horse racing tycoon H E Morris. Kuomingang leader Chiang Kai-shek and his wife Soong Mei-ling once resided here. The pool is now open to both hotel guests and the public. A simple dip costs 300 yuan and monthly membership costs 1,800 yuan.