Nothing makes a vacation cooler more than a resort with a stunning pool. Whether you seek a refreshing reprieve from the intense summer sun, a tranquil place to lounge or a bass-thumping evening social scene, a beautiful hotel pool can do it all.
Admittedly, every resort worth its weight in chlorinating tablets offers its patrons a place for a quick dip. To separate themselves from the competition, some extraordinary luxury hotels and resorts around the world have taken their delightful deep ends to new heights—sometimes literally.
From Bali to Bermuda, these hotel pools are so breathtaking and enticing that they alone warrant a trip.
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
The world’s largest rooftop infinity pool stretches across the 57th floor of this futuristic-looking hotel, which was made even more famous in the final scene of Crazy Rich Asians. If you can take the dizzying height, the nearly 500-foot-long outdoor pool rewards you with breathtaking city views—especially at sunset.
The Joule, Dallas
This Adam Tihany-designed pool juts out eight feet beyond the façade of the Dallas boutique hotel. To make it feel even more death-defying, the cantilevered end has a glass wall so that you can teeter on the heated pool’s edge and peer 10 stories below.
Casa Chameleon at Las Catalinas, Costa Rica
Even though all 21 villas at this adults-only hilltop resort come with their own saltwater plunge pool, you won’t be able to resist the infinity-edge swimming hole at night. That’s when fire pits light up along the water’s surface in a fiery spectacle.
Ladera Resort Saint Lucia
Perched 1,000 feet above the Caribbean Sea, this Four-Star hotel puts you close to the famed Pitons. You’ll almost feel like you can touch them from the private pool, a standard amenity in every accommodation. Some pools even come outfitted with whimsical swings.
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
From the ledge of the Five-Star hotel’s 2,650-square-foot Serenity Pool, you’ll spend the day gazing at neighboring Lanai island and the West Maui Mountains. If you can pry your eyes from the picturesque scenery, dive below the surface to hear the underwater music system.
Montage Laguna Beach
The massive Mosaic Pool serves as the focal point of the Five-Star Southern California hotel. A cheery tile sun shines from the bottom, large palms anchor the corners and the Pacific lies just beyond.
The Mulia – Nusa Dua, Bali and Mulia Villas – Nusa Dua, Bali
The Oasis is the longest oceanfront infinity pool in Bali and one of the most distinctive: it’s flanked by beautifully crafted, towering statues depicting the way in which Balinese women carry goods or the daily offerings on their heads, a tradition that goes back thousands of years. The artful pool has inspired celebrities like Lupita Nyong’o and Shay Mitchell to pose there for Instagram shots.
Amangiri, Canyon Point, Utah
This Four-Star hotel’s pool appears like a mirage in the midst of the desert. The swimming hole is built around an enormous 165-million-year-old rock, which helps it blend into the stark but striking sculpted sandstone landscape.
The St. Regis Deer Valley
This 2,238-square-foot Park City spot is open year-round, but it dazzles in the winter. Soak in the Four-Star hotel’s heated split-level infinity swimming pool with the white-blanketed Wasatch Mountains in the backdrop.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake Como
Floating in Italy’s Lake Como, the 1910 family-owned hotel’s WOW (Water-On-The-Water) pool is a showstopper. Plunge into its azure waters to take in vistas of the lake and the scenic Grigne mountains.
Hotel Unique, São Paulo
The pool’s water looks crimson, but it’s an illusion from the red tessellation. Head to the eighth-floor venue during the day for a calm refuge reserved for hotel guests. But at night, it transforms into a pool party with a live DJ, drinks and food, plus it opens to the public (around 600 visit daily). Don’t be afraid to miss out on the festivities if you go for a swim—the bar music gets piped in under water.
The Shore Club Turks and Caicos
This Turks and Caicos hideaway is tucked away on a sleepy part of the island, so you won’t have to elbow your way for space at its Colonnade Pool. Sway in the cage bird swinging chairs over the water, gather around the fire pit in the center of the pool or lounge in one of the wood-lined cabanas.
Rosewood Bermuda
You will be torn between multiple options at this Four-Star Bermuda retreat. The tranquil infinity-edge Horizon Pool at The Bermuda Beach Club seems to drop into the ocean. Then there’s the Palm Court Pool, which is built around a fountain and overlooks Harrington Sound and an outdoor grotto with coffee trees.
Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour
Facing sister island Nevis, the infinity-edge, zero-entry pool looks like a natural body of water. Look closely in the evening, when the basin’s twinkling stars reflect the starry skies of St. Kitts. For a more historic soak, try the adults-only Rampart pool, which bears stone arches that mimic the design of the nearby Brimstone Hill fortress, along with cascading water.
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
While all seven of this Five-Star hotel’s pools look enticing, King’s Pond is one of a kind. Carved out of lava rock on the Big Island, the 1.8-million-gallon pool holds 4,000 tropical fish. Borrow the hotel’s snorkeling equipment and waterproof fish ID cards to embark on an underwater adventure.
The Athenee Hotel, Bangkok
Discover an oasis in buzzing Bangkok on the fourth floor of this hotel, built on the site of a former palace. The lagoon-style pool feels like a garden, shielded by indigenous trees and plants, and classic sculptures of frolicking Thai children divide the deep and shallow ends. But the surrounding skyscrapers remind you that this is an oasis in an urban center.
