Listopedia: Cool Hotel Pools

Whether you want to step straight from your suite or a safari into the water, check out our cool hotel pools.

PER AQUUM Huvafen Fushi, Maldives

There are plenty of places to swim on this tiny island in the North Male Atoll – the Indian Ocean, your plunge pool, the enormous infinity pool – but the one pool you will want to immediately jump into is PER AQUUM Huvafen Fushi’s Lonu Veyo. This salt-water floatation pool is perched out over the ocean at the end of a long jetty. Sit back and soak in the minerals or sit out on the edge and watch the sea life swim past through crystal clear water.

The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Swimming in the sky. That’s what it feels like when you’re doing laps in the pool at this five star property. Not just another skyscraper swimming pool, the entire ceiling of the Ritz Carlton pool area’s is covered in LED screens. Bright blue skies and dramatic sunsets play out across the ceiling while you swim, so it won’t matter one bit when the Hong Kong smog sets in.

Gansevoort Park Avenue, New York, USA

Any pool in New York City is hot property, especially during the sticky heat of summer, but the Gansevoort’s rooftop pool is the spot to see and be seen. Celebrities, supermodels and the young IT crowd like to lounge by the pool during the day and party at the bars and restaurants on the same floor during the night. Head to the 20th floor early to grab one of the bright yellow lounge chairs right by the pool.

Holiday Inn Old Sydney, The Rocks, Sydney

Location, location, location. This hotel pool might not be the biggest around town or have a swim-up bar, but in terms of the view, it’s jaw dropping. And it won’t cost you a fortune for the privilege to paddle at the Holiday Inn Old Sydney. Just one street back from Circular Quay, the hotel makes the most of its prime location, from the ground floor right up to the rooftop. Make a beeline for that rooftop. The pool is the prime real estate, with 180 degree views out over the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.

Matakauri Lodge, Queenstown, New Zealand

The jaw dropping Matakauri Lodge played host to Kate and Wills when they took a few days out from their Royal Tour. With uninterrupted views of Lake Wakatipu, it’s definitely fit for royalty. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge may not have spent any time in their private jacuzzi on the balcony, but that’s their loss. The infinity pool looking out over the lake is the spot to spend your afternoon.

The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India

Sprawling along the banks of Lake Pichola in the small yet beautiful city of Udaipur in India’s west, The Oberoi Udaivilas takes the meaning of prime position to a new level. The suites step straight out to private and semi-private pools that stretch along the riverside and the hotel’s gardens, where you can watch the resident peacocks saunter past.

Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai at Pudong, China

If you prefer a birds’ eye view, this is the pool for you. Perched right up against the floor to ceiling windows of the 41st floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai at Pudong, the pool looks straight out at Shanghai’s famous skyline. Just don’t look down.

Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Tanzania

You don’t necessarily travel to Africa to relax by a pool – you go to witness the amazing wildlife of Africa in their natural habitat. However, after an early morning Safari, if you can marvel at the plains of the Serengeti as a herd of elephants stroll by from the Four Seasons Safari Lodge’s pool while you enjoy a cold drink, you may as well! Some rooms even have their own plunge pool – pure, unforgettable indulgence.

Grand Wailea, Maui, USA

The Wailea Canyon Activity Pool at the Grand Wailea gets tops marks for fun. A mammoth nine pools on six different levels are connected by a river that you can float along. Add waterslides, an infant pool, the world’s first water elevator and a swim-up bar and it’s safe to say this is a very very cool pool.

The Gainsborough Bath Spa, England

Bath’s brand new five star hotel, The Gainsborough, is the only hotel in this quaint town to offer access its famous thermal waters. Head straight to the Spa Village Bath, a sprawling complex of mineral and thermal pools – the thermal pool room is housed under a dramatic glass roof and is not to be missed. If one dip in the famous thermal waters of Bath is not enough, consider staying in a Spa Room, which has direct access to the natural thermal waters.

Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake Como Italy

You can’t get more luxe than the historic five star Grand Hotel Tremezzo on the banks of Lake Como in Italy’s north. The pontoon pool is definitely the spot to be – sit back and enjoy the view across the lake. Appropriately named Water on Water, the pool is one of several on the property.

Ayana Resort and Spa, Bali

Home to Bali’s famous Rock Bar, the Anyana Resort and Spa is used to perching its facilities out over the cliff. The Ocean Beach Pool gives you the best of both worlds – a stunning infinity pool and a stellar view.