When it comes to cool pools and spas, few American cities can approach San Diego for its inventory of innovative, dramatic, beautiful and entertaining water features. Vanishing edges? Glossy glass tile walls? Grottos? Waterfalls? You probably don’t even have to go beyond your own neighborhood to find pools with features like these.

Here are six exceptional pools in San Diego County that might get you dreaming about one for your own backyard.

Party Central

Lined with emerald-green mosaic glass tile and warmed by both a fire pit and fireplace, this Rancho Santa Fe pool/spa package casts an evening glow over the entertaining space behind a large estate in Rancho Santa Fe.
Numerous outdoor living spaces and lounge areas ring the pool, while pocket doors behind the entertainment pavilion open to a full kitchen, bar and dining room. (A lap pool is not visible in these images.)
Colorado architect Robert Trown & Associates designed the pool, which was installed by Aquatic Technologies of San Juan Capistrano.

That’s Entertainment

Bob and Mary Cunningham’s pool/spa in the Crosby golf community at Rancho Santa Fe has all the bells and whistles imaginable, and no wonder — they’re the owners of Mission Valley Pools & Spas.
Embedded into a steep slope, the rectangular pool’s highlights include glass tile, a stone water wall, reverse vanishing edge and a row of fire bowls overlooking the sparkling water.
Switches easily change the colors of the pool lights, activate jets that arc gracefully over the pool, adjust the intensity of the nearby fireplace and increase or decrease the resistance of the swim-in-place pump.
The Cunninghams love to entertain, and the pool/spa and outdoor living area are perfect for small, medium or large parties with a fireside lounge area, outdoor kitchen and counter space that can accommodate a dozen or more guests.

Sleepy Lagoon

Fringed by a small forest of towering Canary Island palm trees, this meandering pool with slides, crashing waterfalls and romantic grottos imbue this sprawling Rancho Santa Fe estate with a tropical ambience.
On cool nights, swimmers can warm up by the fireplace in an adjoining outdoor living space or climb steps that ascend to a luxurious and cozy covered patio.

Falling Water

From a hillside strewn with boulders and shaded by a stand of palm trees, a waterfall crashes over a ledge to fill this picturesque pool near Mount Helix.
The excess pool water then slides over a vanishing edge to feed the children’s pool below.
Homeowner Rob Ault, owner of Pacific Sun & Spa, created a full outdoor entertainment experience in his own backyard with an outdoor dining area and generous areas for lounging, chatting and sunbathing.

Splashdown

John Marckx, owner of Oceanside Glasstile, designed this dramatic wall fountain in the patio of his home in Leucadia.
Materials include glass tile made from silica sand, an abundant natural resource. Many of the company’s colors contain recycled bottle glass and/or glass recycled from its manufacturing process.
More than 2 million pounds of glass recycled from curbside bins also have been reused in the firm’s tiles.
Questar Pools & Spas installed the water feature.

Views to Dive For

You can see forever — well, at least to the Scripps Pier and beyond to La Jolla Cove — from this lofty pool and spa in the La Jolla Shores area. Spa is in the foreground and a swim-up counter bar (in background) lets guests enjoy the views with a beverage of their choice.
The water features were designed by Skip Phillips of Questar Pools & Spas, one of the leaders in pool technology.