Curia Palace Hotel’s Outdoor Pool & Spa in Coimbra

Curia Palace Hotel’s Outdoor Pool & Spa

Outdoor Pool & Spa Hotel in Coimbra

Our pool is one of the ultimate examples of the escape atmosphere the hotel provides during the summer season.
No one who has ever dived in, and who enjoys the touch and contact with water, will forget the pleasure of swimming in its immense and relaxing body of fresh water.

It is a huge vintage outdoor pool, initially called the "Paradise Pool-Beach," with a generous 600m2 of water surface, fed by water from the Curia groundwater table, and is entirely reserved for the exclusive use of Guests staying at the Curia and Bussaco Palaces.
It was envisioned with modernist architecture in the bold shape of a transatlantic ship, evocative of the then-modernity of steam maritime travel, based on a design by architect Raul Martins (1892-1934) and a project by engineer José Belard da Fonseca (1889-1969).

It was inaugurated in 1934, making it the second Olympic swimming pool built in Portugal, following that of the Sport Algés e Dafundo club, near Lisbon, which opened on July 13, 1930.
The pool measures 33 x 18 meters, the official Olympic dimensions at the time, and still features the original diving board tower with boards measuring 5 and 2.5 meters in height, with depths ranging from 9 cm to 3.5 meters, the latter located next to the aforementioned diving tower.

Interestingly, when it opened, the entire floor surrounding the pool was covered in sand, painstakingly brought from Praia de Mira. The sand was intended to give the pool the physical characteristics of a tranquil urban beach, similar to those found in those glamorous "Golden Twenties" on the Côte d'Azur. Because much of this sand ended up at the bottom of the pool, either due to the wind or involuntary transport by swimmers, within a few years the hotel was forced to abandon this initial romantic vision and replace the entire surrounding floor with ceramic tiles.

With its creation, the Palace Hotel da Curia pioneered the concept of a "hotel with a pool available to guests" in Portugal. It began offering swimming lessons to a population that until then had not had much access to swimming. It also hosted official swimming competitions, diving demonstrations, and water polo championships, providing the hotel with social and sports facilities previously only available in a few renowned hotels abroad.

Its expansive grounds feature sundecks, benches, and a bar serving refreshments and light meals, perfectly suited to summer tastes and flavors, providing its guests with an experience of pure rejuvenation and absolute relaxation.

Glorious and exclusive spa experience with:

● Glass-enclosed indoor heated pool
● Jacuzzis
● The Japanese bath
● Sauna
● Steam room
● Well appointed treatment rooms

• Av. Plátanos, 3780-541 Anadia, Portugal

• (+351) 231 510 300
• curia@almeidahotels.pt