My five favorite hotel pools

None outside Asia? Looks like the rest of the world has some catching up to do...

For the record... those aren't "bros" at the Andaz West Hollywood, those are just gays trying to get laid. Trust me.

I booked a night at the IC Hong Kong next month just so I can experience the pool.

My favorite hotel pool I've been to so far is the rooftop pool of the Westin New Orleans Canal Place. It's definitely not the nicest hotel pool, but it gives great 360 degree views of my hometown. So for me, it's the nostalgia associated with it.

Wow, spectacular pools. I've only been to the PH Tokyo, which was one of my top 5 for sure. Of other ones I have been in I'd add just about any pool in Oia (Santorini) and also the infinity pool at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc to your list. I am adding the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong and Marina Bay Sands Singapore to my bucket list after this post!

I was at the IC Hong Kong last month. There is very loud construction going on next door so if you want to relax at the pool you may have to wait until after 5pm or so when construction ends. Totally worth staying there for the pool.

While those are all nice, the #1 pool in the world is at the Yacht and Beach Club at Disney World in good ole Florida. Nothing quite like getting a foot massage while swimming in a pool with sand at the bottom. 🙂 perfection

My favorite pool so far:

The Mercure Samui Buri Resort on Koh Samui, Thailand, has an incredible infinity pool that overlooks the beach, with views of Koh Pha Ngan across the sound. The pool is enormous and has a swim-up bar. Many rooms also have their own personal plunge pools. (The beach here is not that great, but the architecture, spacious rooms, amazing views and of course the pool are delightful.)

http://www.samuiburi.com/gallery.php

The former Marriott, Capri Tiberio Palace has my favorite hotel pool in the world:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37870968@N07/5736448197/

intercontinental warsaw has a stunning 40ish floor swimming pool overlooking the city. AMAZING!

W Hong Kong. Amazing!

After winning a recent photo ID contest, I'm the kind of guy who thinks he's got instant credibility, and I'm a long-time hotel pool connoisseur besides. So here goes:

My all-time favorite was the Sinclair Hilton pool in Houston, sadly demolished in the mid-1980s. They filmed Giant there. It was a 50-meter competition pool, and they used to have long-course swim meets there in the Summer.

My current favorite is the Frankfurt Hilton pool. The lanes are bit narrow, but it's a real 25 meter short-course pool with a pace clock.

Another favorite is the pool at the old Intercontinental in Chicago. It's a 25 yard pool with really impressive 1930s art deco detailing. It started its life in the 1920s a private club, and they say Johnny Weissmuller used to work out there before he became famous as the first great Tarzan.

The Houstonian in Houston. It's an outdoor short-course competition pool (I think yards rather than meters), and a favorite for local lap swimmers. The surrounding vegitation is spectacularly lush -- if you're into that kind of thing.

More generally, some of the old Westin hotels have pretty serious-looking lap pools. The ones in New Orleans and Houston are outdoors on the rooftop, and the one in Philadelphia (though indoors) is part of a full-sized industrial strength gym.

I'd be interested in other readers' takes on pools in Manhattan, too. I need a favorite there, but haven't found one yet -- not counting the private clubs.

I think ben loves everything asian, from hotels, service, pools to girls. Lol

Outdoor pool + high floor + earthquake = very long drop when you get sloshed right out! (Sorry, but we Californians think about these things...)

I agree with San Greg... W Hong Kong pool should definitely be listed!!!

In terms of the Andaz West Hollywood being annoying, you should go to the SLS pool, which is even worse! Maybe it's an "LA thing..."

@ MDAccount -- And you singlehandedly ruined pools for me forever... thanks! 😀

Just got back from Tokyo. Grand Hyatt Tokyo has a nice 20m pool with three lanes for lap swimming, but it's indoors with no windows, so it's a little dark and (for me) depressing. Park Hyatt pool looks cheerier.

My favorite pool in Hong Kong is the Four Seasons Hong Kong with its outdoor pool overlooking Hong Kong Harbor (and it even has underwater music pumped in).

My favorite pool in Las Vegas is at the Signature MGM -- if you stay at the Signature, you get to use their nice quiet pools (complete with poolside drink service) *and* use the giant crowded mega-pools at the MGM itself.

Never been in the Marina Bay Sands pool, but I've been up there, and I don't see how it could get any better.

The Four Seasons Hong Kong has a spectacular pool as well. Hong Kong generally seems to be quite well represented on this list!

The Grand Hyatt Beijing - awesome indoor pool

http://perfyi.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/grand-hyatt-beijing-5-star-hotel-with-6-star-service-and-an-amazing-pool/&docid=-a6-lw_H9wK-_M&imgurl=http://perfyi.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/pool1.jp g" target="_blank">http://perfyi.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/grand-hyatt-beijing-5-star-hotel-with-6-star-service-and-an-amazing-pool/&docid=-a6-lw_H9wK-_M&imgurl=http://perfyi.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/pool1.jp g"/> &w=480&h=360&ei=82LfT8OMCdH46QGRhJj-Cg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=332&sig=116165614545380942027&page=1&tbnh=135&tbnw=180&start=0&ndsp=41&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:78&tx=134&ty=46

We have a winner: http://damontucker.com/2009/06/03/the-pools-of-the-hilton-waikoloa-village/

Raleigh Hotel in Miami

The Library Koh Samui

Banyan Tree Seychelles

JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa

Singita Grumeti Reserves Sasakwa Lodge, Tanzania

Villa D'Este, Lake Como, Italy

I thought that the pool in the Athens Hilton was cool.

Ike

I can't believe no one mentioned The Joule in Dallas! A rooftop pool that cantilevers off the edge of the building?!?

My favorite pool is... not. When I think about where I want to go to enjoy the water and some views nothing beats the North Shore of Oahu. Give me a good shortboard, some good waves, and the "scenery" of the surfergirls of Hawai'i. Y'all can keep your pools. 😉

The pool mentioned by Chip above in comment 19, the Grand Hyatt in Beijing, is my favorite pool also.

Wow, those are some really cool pools. Definitely staying at the Grand Hyatt next time I'm in Beijing.

I'm in NYC for work quite a bit and usually stay at the Mandarin in Columbus Circle. The pool there, while not incredibly large, is rarely (if ever used) and has nice views from the 36th (maybe 37th) floor.

Nice facility too. Certainly not the place to sunbathe...it's really for swimming laps. On a business trip in December, it's fantastic to have that option.

Once I stayed at the Westin Shanghai, and they provided antibiotic eye drops for use after swimming. I changed my mind about swimming there, even though the pool was awesome - one side of it was lucite and you could see into it.

@MDAccount...as a fellow Californian, if you're in a pool in which the earthquake was strong enough to slosh you out, I think you'd have a pretty big problem no matter where you were...

The rooftop pool at the Unique in Sao Paolo is wild: http://davidbrianjohnsearl.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/hotel-unique-sao-paulo-brazil/

No one likes the San Alfonso Del Mar Resort Pool in CHILE ?

http://www.sanalfonso.cl/ingles/main.html

The most awesome hotel pool I've experienced is at Viceroy Miami. The 300 ft (!!) infinity pool sits on the 15th floor of the complex and is shared with residents of the Icon condominiums. Given that these people need days jobs to pay for their flats, not a very crowded swimming pool 🙂 http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/miami/

These are all nice pools, but I still am one for the pool-to-beach or pool-with-loads-of-hot-loose-women feel. And since I'm feeling a bit patriotic, I'll just mention US-located hotels. 🙂

With that in mind... pool-to-beach:
Hilton Waikaloa Village, Big Island, HI
Grand Wailea, Maui, HI
Pool-with-lots-of-hot-loose-women:
Wet Republic, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV
Rehab, Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
Upscale desert:
Fairmont Princess, Scottsdale, AZ

Best Western in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.
It's in the shape of the state of Minnesota. It's indoor. Not crowded when I was there in winter of maybe '02 haha. Clean. All the rooms look out on the pool, which I really like bc it reminds me of fun times going to my dad's company Christmas parties when I was small.
The hotel has a lot of culture too.

Lucky, I cannot believe you did not mention InterContinental Berchtesgaden! That outdoor pool is the best!!!

The pool at the Grand Hyatt Kauai in Kauai, Hawaii is one of the best I've ever seen.

Johnny Mac- My (almost) homeboy! I'm from Detroit Lakes (a bit over an hour away) and have lots of meetings in their "convention center" because it's pretty close to halfway on I-94 between MSP and FAR, plus points north. This pool is one of my favorites. My favorite patio/outdoor area (not a pool, but...) is in the MSP Hyatt Regency fitness center. They have a balcony that's four/five stories above Nicollet Mall and it's absolutely amazing at 6am. Otherwise, IC Chicago, hands down.

I look for a proper lap pool whenever I travel; the pool is more important than the hotel. Many to mention but close to perfect is Lefay Resort overlooking Lake Garda. Also great: L'hotel du Palaise, Biarritz; Montage, Laguna; Hollywood Roosevelt (mornings only); Four Season, Hawaii; Galle Face Hotel, Colombo.