If a staycation sounds a bit anticlimactic, you've never seen backyards like these. We scoured the country and found the most amazing outdoor spaces, whether through ingenious landscaping, indescribable views, spectacular swimming pools, or a breathtaking combination of all three. So if you're in the mood to dream—or in need of a little inspiration for your own at-home retreat—take a look at nine spaces that turn the backyard into a five star destination…
Shimmering Stretch (above)
Set in idyllic and magnificent Marin County, California, this 75-foot-long lap pool, designed by landscape architect Bernard Trainor is stunning against the native grassland. A concrete and stone walkway leads down to the gleaming expanse, accented with coyote bush, needle grass, and rosemary, to enhance the land's natural beauty. (Photographer: Jason Liske)
Spanish Oasis
Landscape designer Anthony Exter created a charming garden to compliment a Spanish-style home in Hollywood Hills. Incorporating simple concrete and stucco to create the walls of the pool and the stepping stones, and lush Mediterranean plants, this well-manicured oasis sends us straight to Europe. (Photographer: Steve Gunther)
Art Escape
A cube-shaped grotto rises majestically out of a gleaming pool in Napa Valley. The ceiling of the grotto is equipped with programmable LED light strips to further the artlike effect. Designed by Tom Leader Studio, this pool features "wet edges," making it look like a surreal, edgeless expanse. (Photographer: Florian Holzherr)
Bay Beauty
Pristinely set up on a seven-acre site on Lynnhaven Bay, a part of a tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, this lovely landscape designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz appears as if the patio is a floating island. A fresh water pond surrounds the raised paths to the lap pool and adjacent family pool. The effect is that of a true getaway. Architect: William McDonough + Partners (Photographer: Prakash Patel)
Bring on the Bubbly
Landscape designer Anthony Exter designed this spectacular pool space in Pasadena, California, with a light installation and waterfall to mimic a bubbling bottle of champagne. That motif, plus the accompanying allee with enough space to seat 100 plus people, makes this contemporary backyard a posh party space. (Photographer: Steve Gunther)
Rustic Ranch
Talk about an inviting common area. In this Texas home, the great room, kitchen, and master bedroom all open up to this luxe 30-foot-diameter reflecting pool built to resemble a watering trough. The alluring pool reflects the limestone walls of the house above. (Credit: Courtesy of Rizzoli, from Ranches of the American West)
Poolside Grove
In this lush and relaxing setting, landscape architect Andrea Cochran placed the pool terrace between a charming olive grove and a lush, grassy Sonoma Valley meadow. Beautiful and serene, the raised lap pool reflects the white clouds of the sky. (Photographer: Emily Rylander)
Pristine Pond
Though this serene setting from Mark Word Design in west Texas features a swimming pool, we're most captivated by the gorgeous lily pad pond. At 9' x 9' and just 2.5' deep, this water feature might not have much function, but the lilies provide pops of color and a pleasant contrast to the desert locale.
Pastoral Views
The illustrious setting of this rustic home in Wyoming wows. Though it looks as if the water must have been here for ages, the artificial pond was actually designed by Verdone Landscape Architects to connect the home to natural springs and rivers. The guest cabin seen here sits directly on this spectacular pond, offering awe-inspiring views of the idyllic landscape. (Credit: Courtesy of ASLA.org; Photographer: David Swift)
