There’s something delightfully unserious about the phrase “mermaid pool.” It sounds less like a wellness trend and more like something dreamed up during a saltwater daydream. And yet, on a windswept tidal island off the coast of South Devon, England, the concept feels oddly perfect.
By Phoebe Jenkins
At Burgh Island Hotel, a restored Art Deco retreat marooned by the tides, wellness doesn’t arrive wrapped in a strict morning itinerary. It arrives in the form of sea air, cold water, dramatic weather, and a seawater pool carved directly into the island’s rocky edge.
Known simply as the Mermaid Pool, it’s less “luxury amenity” and more elemental ritual. You climb down toward the Atlantic, the wind whipping around you, the water impossibly blue-grey below, and suddenly the idea of wellness as optimization begins to feel a little silly. Here, wellness is goosebumps, laughter, and the strange thrill of plunging into cold seawater while waves crash somewhere beyond the rocks.
Which is perhaps why places like this are resonating so deeply right now.
Cold-water swimming has evolved far beyond niche wellness circles and hardy Scandinavian stereotypes. What was once framed as endurance is increasingly becoming something softer and more experiential.
Travellers are no longer simply chasing recovery or biohacking benefits. They are looking for immersion. Atmosphere. Stories. The feeling of stepping into a landscape rather than merely observing it. That desire appears to be intensifying.
Across the wellness travel world, a new wave of “return to the elements” experiences is taking shape. Coastal dips, wild swimming, thermal rivers, tidal pools, lakeside saunas, and sea-fed bathing rituals are replacing overly-engineered spa environments with something more sensory and grounded.
Luxury, increasingly, is beginning to look less polished and more alive. At Burgh Island, that philosophy feels wonderfully literal.
The hotel itself sits on its own tidal island just off Bigbury-on-Sea in Devon, accessible by foot at low tide and by the property’s iconic sea tractor when the tide rolls in. Yes, a sea tractor. Even arriving here feels cinematic.
Originally opened in the 1920s, the hotel became a glamorous hideaway for writers, socialites and Hollywood stars during the Art Deco era. Agatha Christie famously stayed here, using the island as inspiration for two of her novels. The hotel has carefully preserved much of that old-world atmosphere: jazz-age interiors, velvet lounges, sea-view suites and black-tie dinners that feel charmingly committed to another era.
But despite the glamour, the Atlantic remains the main character here, and the Mermaid Pool offers the most immersive way to experience it.
Unlike a conventional hotel pool, this one is fed naturally by seawater and shaped by its rugged coastal setting. There are no tropical loungers or curated playlists. Swimmers descend into brisk seawater surrounded by ancient rock formations and expansive ocean views, and depending on the weather, it can feel invigorating, peaceful, or mildly chaotic in the best possible way.
There is something deeply freeing about cold-water swimming when it isn’t framed as performance. You don’t need to stay in for seven minutes or track your dopamine response afterward. You simply slip into the water, gasp dramatically for a moment, and emerge feeling startlingly awake.
At Burgh Island, the ritual becomes even more transportive because of the setting itself. The island feels suspended from ordinary life. Weather dictates your plans. Even crossing to the island depends on the tide schedule, which makes arrival feel intentional.
That sense of separation is increasingly valuable in luxury travel.
According to the hotel’s wellness philosophy, the focus is not on highly programmed transformation but on reconnection: to movement, to nature, to slower rhythms. Guests can book wellness-focused stays that combine coastal walks, yoga, sea swimming, and restorative treatments, though the island itself arguably does most of the work naturally.
Because beyond the Mermaid Pool, Burgh Island offers an atmosphere that quietly encourages people to recalibrate without announcing it too loudly.
Mornings begin with sweeping ocean views and long breakfasts overlooking the sea. Afternoons might involve hiking the South West Coast Path, reading in one of the hotel’s lounges, or slipping into the island’s spa facilities after a windy swim. Evenings lean into the Art Deco fantasy, with formal dinners, cocktails, and live music adding a touch of theatrical glamour to the rugged landscape outside.
The amenities reflect that balance between nostalgia and modern comfort. Alongside the famous Mermaid Pool, the property features sea-view rooms and suites, wellness treatments, fine dining restaurants, coastal walking access, lounges, bars, and curated wellness escapes that lean into the island’s dramatic natural setting.
And while the word “wellness” can sometimes feel overly serious, Burgh Island manages to make it feel playful again.
Perhaps that’s why the Mermaid Pool lingers so vividly in people’s imaginations. Not because it promises transformation, but because it delivers something rarer: delight.
The delight of swimming in cold seawater while perched on a tidal island. The delight of embracing the weather instead of escaping it. The delight of feeling slightly windswept, slightly glamorous and entirely removed from everyday routines.
As wellness travel continues evolving, experiences like this may increasingly define what travellers are searching for. Not sterile perfection, but memorable immersion. Rituals rooted in place. Luxury that feels tactile, elemental and alive.
And maybe, occasionally, a chance to feel like a mermaid for an afternoon 🧜♀️