What is a balcony plunge pool?
A balcony plunge pool is a small, deep private pool built onto your own balcony or terrace, with the water meeting a low edge and a view beyond it. It is for floating and cooling off, not swimming lengths, and it is yours alone. A shared rooftop pool is not a balcony pool, however nice the photo.
The appeal is the edge: the sense that you could float straight out over the sea or the rooftops. It is a step up from a hot tub and entirely private, which is exactly why the term gets stretched in listings. The real thing is on your own outdoor space and used by no one else.
Balcony and terrace pools are most common where hotels stack up a cliff or hillside, so the Amalfi Coast, Santorini and the steeper Greek islands are the likeliest places to find one. We hold a strict definition and would rather tell you when something is a terrace plunge pool rather than a true balcony pool.