We bought a home with an ancient pool and spa. A spa was never on my wish list but I must say we really enjoy it. It is tiny and heats up very quickly. When little kids come over, they think it is the kiddie pool and stay out of the big kid's games. For the mommies, it is nice that it can be warmer than the pool. It is great in the evening for a soak with friends. Our grown up kids liked it so much they got an above ground model for their backyard. For our space, a separate spa would never work. If you have the space, I think it may ultimately be more economical to have a separate spa. However, all these toys are expensive so think how you would use it and don't let a slight difference in price influence your decision.

We just had a pool with a spa installed in April here in FL and we love having the spa with the pool. We use the spa almost every evening and with the "cooler" temperatures at night, high 50's to low 60s, it heats up quickly. It's used more than the pool now.

For resale purposes and greater ROI a spa is needed. You may not personally use a spa but the next home-owner would, so it is worth the investment for future return.

We have a gunite pool with attached spa and we love it more than the pool. We are moving and said next time we may only get a large inground spa. We have kids and they and their friends generally only hang out in the spa.

Thank you all for your great advice we have decided to go forward with installing the spa!