At TravelMail we sometimes feel like we've seen every type of swimming pool going. Plunge pools, infinity pools, even an infinity pool on the roof, as premiered by the chic new Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore.

One thing we hadn't come across was the gold-plated variety. But of course it was only a matter of time until spas got the bling factor as the world's fanciest hotels seek ever gaudier ways of outdoing each other.

Step up the newly-opened St. Regis Lhasa Resort in Tibet. Not content with views of the Himalayas and Tibet's first ever fine-dining restaurant, the hotel decided luxury wasn't luxury until its spa looked like something P Diddy would love to hang around his neck. And so the swimming pool was lined with thousands of golden tiles.

That said, we can't think of anything more soothing than floating in a shimmering pool of liquid gold. It will be open from April 1 for anyone who has a taste for the luxurious...

Visit www.stregis.com/lhasa