How do you prefer to spend your summer? Probably some of you like to take a dip in the pool to get away from the stifling summer heat. Summers are increasingly hot due to climate change, so it is no wonder that the pool business is booming recently.
Environmental performance of classic pools is often poor, so many people are opting for an eco-friendly swimming pond. There are several types of natural swimming ponds. Frequently, the purification works through another pond, called the regeneration zone, which uses a gravel filter or a wetland of plants. Quite similar to the process in nature, where water plants clean ponds. In fact, the natural pool along with its regeneration zone forms a small ecosystem. Typically, over time, it will change and attract animals or insects, providing them with welcome refreshment as well. (Read more about the benefits of a sustainable garden). Having a pond ecosystem will save you money because many maintenance costs are eliminated. On the downside, a swimming pond is more expensive in construction and, due to the regeneration zone, often requires more space than a traditional pool.
Swim Pond vs. pool: Why don’t you try it out at one of the Green Pearls® accommodations? You can splash in the water with a good conscience while enjoying the cool water. A bonus: your body will thank you for the lack of chlorine, as the chemical dries out the skin.
HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu
For instance, we recommend the NaturBadeSee of the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu. Located in Germany’s smallest town, the hotel is well known for its holistic wellness treatments and is a great base for hiking and biking. (insert link). The swimming pond feeds from the hotel’s own water spring and virtually cleans itself. Classical water plants like water lilies, water grass and reeds are helping in the process. They do the main part of the cleaning. Rough dirt is collected from the surface by 5 skimmers, and the rest is fished out by a biological sand filter. So, everything is completely without chemicals!
Naturhotel Aufatmen
This is how the Naturhotel Aufatmen in Leutasch, Austria, handles it. Their bathing pond is filled with spring water from Leutasch. Furthermore, here they work completely without chemicals. The purification is done by a special layer system of clay and stones. Water is pumped through it by a small pump. Additionally, there are plants growing at the edges, which also clean the pond and also the pool is cleaned by the team of the hotel manually and with a pool robot. And if you’ve had enough swimming, you can take part in one of the hotel’s great yoga classes (insert link) or you can explore the beautiful hiking trails along the Leutasch or through the high valley.
LENI MOUNTAIN in Sölden
LENI MOUNTAIN in Sölden also features a chemical-free swimming pond, which is fed from its spring 300 meters away. The water is cleaned here by sand filters and cleaning robots, as well as employees. Before jumping into the cool water, we recommend a visit to Sölden—or explore one of the numerous hiking trails.
CERVO Mountain Resort
Even in the lofty heights of Zermatt you’ll find a chemical-free swimming pond, at CERVO Mountain Resort. And the best thing about it? During the winter it serves as an ice bath and therefore can be used all year round. The pond is filled with regular drinking water. And cleaned manually with brushes and a water vacuum cleaner with filter, which sucks out the algae, dirt particles, etc. and filtered. In winter, the team of CERVO is then daily at work with picks and shovels breaking the cover of ice to make the ice pool usable. Currently, water reeds and water mint are planted in the pond to help clean up the water. However, due to the icy temperatures in the Zermatt winter, these do not always survive. Then, when the ice has melted, and it gets warmer again, new ones have to be planted.
Biohotel Sturm, Rhön
At Biohotel Sturm, a special natural swimming pond experience in the middle of a giant garden awaits your jump into the cold water. The host family Schulze Dieckhoff soon realized that there was no other option for the hotel park of their organic hotel but a natural swimming pond. So, together with a landscaper, they built an ecological swimming pond in the garden and then filled it with pure, invigorating Grander water. The pond’s swimming and regeneration zones today provide a small ecosystem in the middle of the sprawling hotel grounds. In summer, the thick reeds and lush vegetation at the water’s edge will enchant you with lush greenery and bright colors, while during the cold season, the pond turns into a magical winter wonderland. So, you can enjoy the pond at any time of the year
Hopefully, this knowledge makes you well-prepared for the hot summer months. Would you rather swim in ponds or in a classic pool?
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