America’s hotels have been stepping up their pool game to ensure vacationers have the most epic travel experiences. For guests who are looking to spend a day lounging poolside – whether traveling as a family, as a couple, solo or with friend – there’s a special pool to meet every need. To help with your trip planning, we put together a guide to some of our favorite hotel pools in America. Go ahead and dive in!
Most Kid-Friendly
Grand Wailea Resort – Kihei, Hawaii
Although the Grand Wailea Resort is just steps away from one of the best-rated beaches in Maui (and the world), when it comes to a family vacation, it’s hard to pass up an aqua-adventure like this. The resort features nine different pools, a lazy river pool, four waterslides, six waterfalls, a “Tarzan-like” rope swing, a sand-bottom lagoon, caves and, beat this, the world’s first water elevator. Poolside, the resort also offers workshops for kids, including lessons in making lei and puka shell necklaces and Hawaiian wood creations.
Best Rooftop Pool
The James – New York
If you’re looking for the best views of the Big Apple, look no further than the 18-floor rooftop pool and lounge atop The James, located in Soho, New York City. Although it’s smaller than most pools, you’ll be too caught up in the 360-degree cityscape views to even notice. The chic wading pool provides waterproof e-readers, outdoor showers, massive chaise lounges and an eye-level view of the Empire State Building – perfect for a night of urban fireworks!
Can’t get enough of the rooftop vibe? Check out this list of kid-friendly rooftops around the world from The Rooftop Guide!
Best View from the Pool
Amangani – Jackson, Wyoming
Sitting at the base of the Teton Mountain Range of the Rocky Mountains, the Amangani scores this spot for its unbeatable scenery. The 115-foot pool is heated year-round, so you can immerse yourself amid the rolling green hills (sometimes topped with sheep and buffalo) in the summer months, and the snow covered peaks in the colder months.
Best Infinity Pool
Viceroy Miami – Miami
On the 15th floor of the Viceroy Miami is a strip of turquoise tranquility. Here you find three pool options: a wading pool, an 80-person hot tub (the world’s largest) and, best of all, a football field-sized infinity pool (Florida’s longest). The infinity pool and pool deck overlook the beautiful Biscayne Bay and vibrant downtown Miami in the nearby distance.
Best Lap Pool
InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile – Chicago
For the serious swimmers — the amateur Michael Phelps’ of the world — the InterContinental Chicago is the place to be. The IC Chicago features a junior Olympic-sized, 25-meter, heated indoor lap pool, the only original IC athletic club element to survive today. The ornate pool room shimmers with European flare. It’s decorated with a terra-cotta Grecian Neptune fountain, blue Spanish tiles and fish-scaled windows that cast a glittering light on the water.
Best for Entertainment
Wet Republic at the MGM Grand – Las Vegas
There’s no pool party like a Wet Republic pool party. From bikini competitions to world-renowned DJ events, Wet Republic is the place to cool off and party on. There’s over 6,000 square feet of saltwater pools, 2,500 square feet of open-air lounge areas, daybeds, bungalows and party cabanas. Be sure to check the entertainment calendar and pre-order tickets to special events.
Best Indoor Pool
Harrah’s Resort – Atlantic City, New Jersey
Enjoy the always sunny and 82-degree indoor pool at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City 365 days a year. The glass-domed pool area is filled with palm trees and other lush greenery, fooling your senses into believing you’re in the tropics no matter the time of year. Whether you’re looking for tranquility or trying to keep active, Harrah’s caters to all interests. Also, you do not need worry about putting on sunscreen, because the glass roof is UV-absorbent!
Most Romantic
The Omni Grove Park Inn – Asheville, North Carolina
Set in the majestic Smokey Mountains, in an underground grotto, are 10 mineral-based, chlorine-free pools caved in by rock walls, arches and tunnels. Unwind and enjoy thundering waterfalls, underwater music and 6,500 fiber-optic stars embedded to the ceiling above.
Most Soothing
Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge – Glenwood Springs, Colorado
The lodge boasts the world’s largest hot springs pool, where 3.5 million gallons of nearby spring water flows into therapy pools daily. The larger leisure pool is set at a soothing 93 degrees Fahrenheit, but if you’re really looking to blow off some steam, plunge into the smaller of the two pools, kept a bit warmer at 104 degrees.
Best Pool for Thrillseekers
Golden Nugget – Las Vegas
What happens in Vegas, only makes sense in Vegas. That includes the 200,000-gallon, shark-filled aquarium in the middle of the Golden Nugget pool. To get up close and personal with these sea creatures, head down the Shark Chute, a three-story waterslide that shoots you straight through the fish tank.
Most Historic
Hotel del Coronado – Coronado, California
Though the pool itself might not be anything out of the ordinary, it’s the land on which it sits that makes the pool at Hotel Del one of our favorite historic pools. The picturesque Victorian-style hotel built in 1888 was named a National Historic Landmark in 1977. Since its earliest days, the Del has accommodated U.S. royalty from President Benjamin Harrison to Gerald Ford, and celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe. Grab your family and dive into the history of this American treasure.
