Anyone Put in a New Pool and Pool Deck around Here Recently? (pros and cons)

[MaggieGreene]

After saving for years and years, I was finally able to get my husband to say yes to a pool. But trying to decide on a pool deck material has been pretty daunting - there are just so many options and pros and cons that I am paralyzed by indecision.

My landscape company has offered three options: normal pavers, Techobloc/Uniloc pavers (I think they are man-made materials), and finally Travertine. The first two options are dry-set only (polymeric sand) and the Travertine can be dry-set or wet-set.

I love the look of the Travertine the most, but it is only 1.5 inches thick, so I am concerned it might break easily. Also, where the pool deck/patio is going doesn't get much sun, so I am worried that it might get mildew often, especially since Travertine is porous. Lastly, I like the wet-set option (had bad experience with weeds and ants with dry-set patio at another house), but I am also thinking that wet-set would be expensive to repair (or replace broken Travertine tiles) later. I am told dry-set is relatively inexpensive and less hassle to replace.

Travertine seems to be very popular in warm places such as Florida and Arizona, but I am not sure how appropriate it is for Northern Virginia's climate.

If someone here has any experience in the matter, I'd appreciate some advice.