Is this the scariest hotel swimming pool ever?
Is this a bird? Is this a plane? No, it's a daredevil Shanghai swimmer. Need to brush up your bucket list? Here's a strong candidate: paddling in the Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao's swimming pool.
Swim in the sky
Part of the indoor pool, which perches atop the 24-story hotel, protrudes from the main building and is suspended mid-air. Its bottom is constructed with toughened glass.
This gives guests a delirious sense of swimming in the sky -- they can see the street clearly down below while passers-by on Xiuyan Lu (秀沿路) can see the swimmers way up above.
"I felt as if I was flying in the sky -- I could also enjoy the beautiful scenery of Pudong from here ... it's so cool and wonderful," a swimmer told CCTV.
More on CNNGo: World's 15 most spectacular swimming pools
"We wanted to provide our guests a unique swimming experience, and let them feel they're vacationing even in a bustling city," said a spokesperson from InterContinental Hotels Group, parent company of Holiday Inn.
While not splashing in the water, guests can enjoy Pudong urban views stretching as far as the Lujiazui skyline at the poolside lounge.
First of its kind in China
Exactly 30 meters long, six meters wide and 1.5 meters deep, the swimming pool is the first of its kind in China. It was designed by Singaporean firm Chan Sau Yan Associates, who helmed the interior design of the four-star hotel.
The Holiday Inn Shanghai branch said it gathered input from various architects and even aerospace experts while constructing this sky-high glass-bottomed water cube to ensure its safety.
The hotel did not reveal the pool's construction cost.
The 390-room, four-star hotel -- which opened in May 2011, is located in the booming suburb of Kangqiao, which is some 22 kilometers southeast from Shanghai downtown and 30 kilometers west of Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
More on CNNGo: World's biggest man-made lagoon
According to the staff working at the hotel's gym, the swimming pool is open to hotel guests and a limited number of health club members.
Annual membership for the gym starts from RMB 15,000 per person or RMB 25,000 per family (two parents, two children).
Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao, 1088 Xiuyan Lu, near Henghe Zhong Lu, Shanghai 上海市秀沿路1088号, 近恒和中路, +86 21 3829 1888, nightly rate: from RMB 800, www.holidayinn.com
Do you know any cooler hotel swimming pools? Let us know what's it like and where it is in thesection below.
Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 Walkthrough - Part 40 - Catching Volcarona
Comments