Just Add Water
Unwind and get cozy in a spill-over spa. Even the largest of spas offers a smaller, more personal environment. Let the warm water and massaging jets wash your troubles away to the soothing sound of a waterfall. With comfortable seating and optional privacy features you can spend hours relaxing with each other, no matter what time of year it is.
A spa-like atmosphere is achievable with placement of water falls. Sheer descent waterfalls produce a clear arc of water projecting into your swimming pool. The flow and range is customizable ranging from a small, silent sheet of water to dramatic arcs ranging up to 8 feet. The larger the descent, the louder the sound, so keep that in mind when designing your water feature.
If a spa doesn’t make sense for your pool arrangement, there are plenty of other water features you can use to set the mood. Natural rock waterfalls and grottos are luxurious options to enhance peace and tranquility. Add a bench in your peaceful hideaway so you can enjoy the view of water cascading in front of you. Remember, what happens in the grotto, stays in the grotto.
Rekindle Your Spark
Why not take an actual vacation in your backyard oasis? Find the happy medium between roughing it and “glamping” with an overnight poolside visit. Fire pits are a perfect addition to your outdoor space and create the perfect alternative to a romantic campfire for you to huddle around with your sweetie. Available in a variety of sizes and styles, you can even choose between wood burning and gas burning. Some fire pits even offer modifications that allow you to cook over the fire if you want to dine on something other than s’mores.
Close out your evening by cuddling on a hammock built for two while you gaze at the exquisite night sky above. Nothing is more romantic than an evening spent basking in the glorious beauty of nature—except knowing that indoor plumbing is just a few feet away.
Shaken, Not Stirred
Bring your beverages into the drink, so to speak. With a swim-up poolside bar, you need not leave the comfort of your own swimming pool to enjoy some refreshment. Bars can be flush with the side of the pool, or have a separate tabletop set some distance away from the edge. Built-in seating ledges provide a place to rest, or choose from a sizeable selection of underwater bar stools. Keep drinks cool and close at hand with a floating cooler.
And of course, you don’t want the danger of broken glass in your pool, so try shatterproof floating wine glasses. Even though they’re designed as wine glasses, they’d be great for either of these drink recipes as well:
Simple Mint Refresher – Fresh mint leaves crushed and mixed with your choice of lemonade, ginger ale, iced tea, or citrus soda and ice. Serve with straw. (Add vodka or rum for an adult version of this beverage.)
Red Wine Sangria – Mix I bottle of red wine with 2 cups grape juice. Add fruit of your choice- Blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, sliced lemon, oranges, or lime. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Add 1 small can cold ginger ale just before serving. (For an alcohol-free option, substitute pomegranate, cranberry, or berry juice for the red wine.)
Light it Up
Lights and music can set a mood like nothing else. You probably already established your lighting scheme for the patio, but it doesn’t have to end there. For a truly dramatic look, lighting can be installed in the pool using color wheels with multiple hues. If that doesn’t suit your budget or timeline, there are many inexpensive floating options from big-box retailers.
Once you’ve set your lighting, now it’s time to craft the perfect playlist. Choose from a pre-built Spotify playlist to match a mood, genre, and even decade or hit play on a Latham made list. If you’d rather create your own playlist, it’s easy to search for songs by artist or album and in no time you have a custom soundtrack to your evening. Make it your own by including songs that are special to you – a tune from the soundtrack of the first movie you saw together, an obscure track from a band you saw in concert, the Billboard #1 song from the year you got married. Just don’t forget Marvin Gaye. You can’t have a romantic playlist without Marvin Gaye.
Unless you’re channeling John Cusack in Say Anything, you’ll want something a bit more sophisticated than a boombox to play your perfect playlist. Rock speakers are a great option that blend in perfectly with the surrounding land.
So what are you waiting for? Put that swimming pool investment to great use and enjoy the romantic atmosphere it creates! Subscribe below to get more ideas on how to make the most of your backyard experience all throughout the year.
Editor’s note: Originally published 4/2017. Updated for relevance.
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