St. Regis Lhasa Resort Swimming Pool

On top of a hill with incredible views in Tibet and only minutes away from tourism-friendly UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the St. Regis Lhasa Resort is one of the world’s most decadent retreats. Surrounded by the towering Himalayas, the hotel, which is situated on eight acres of land, bills itself as “standing on the roof of the world.”

The resort’s 162 guest rooms, villas, and suites - each with either mountain views or a view of the Potala Palace, the museum that formerly housed the Dalai Lama until 1959 - feature high speed Internet access, 24-hour butler service, Bose sound systems, large marble bathrooms, 42-inch plasma televisions, and more.

But it’s the swimming pool that really puts this five-star hotel over the top. Described as “the world’s most blinging pool” by the Daily Mail, the pool at the St. Regis Lhasa Resort is plated in gold. “Not content with views of the Himalayas and Tibet’s first ever fine-dining restaurant, the hotel decided luxury wasn’t luxury until its spa looked like something P. Diddy would love to hang around his neck,” the Daily Mail wrote. “And so the swimming pool was lined with thousands of golden tiles.”