The best city hotels with swimming pools

Urban properties that make a splash

Have you ever booked a city break, only to end it feeling hot, tired and in need of another holiday to recover? Yeah, we have too, but thankfully we’ve found the solution – city hotels with swimming pools. These hotels put you in prime locations to explore the city, then provide pools you can plunge into after a day of pounding the streets. From shady gardens to dizzying rooftops, these are some of our favourites.

Gansevoort Meatpacking, New York

Empire State Building eat your heart out – some of the best views in NYC can be seen in a swimsuit. Gansevoort Meatpacking in Manhattan is home to a year-round heated pool with a retractable glass roof, meaning you can get a dip in come rain or shine. While you’re up there, you can get your hands on Mediterranean-inspired bites and cocktails, the perfect accompaniment to the stunning Manhattan skyline views.

The Madrid EDITION, Madrid

Located in a tranquil square surrounded by historic buildings near Puerta del Sol, The Madrid EDITION is a calm oasis in the beating heart of the Spanish capital. The hotel's fourth-floor rooftop features the city’s largest luxury infinity pool, as well as views of Madrid worth raising a glass to (you can get one of those up there, too). There’s no shortage of sunbeds and shady cabanas where you can stretch out and soak it all in.

Rome Cavalieri, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Rome

A favourite with celebrities since it opened in the sixties, the roomy Rome Cavalieri feels more like a resort than a city hotel. There are three fabulous heated outdoor pools to choose from, surrounded by 15 acres of tree-covered grounds. And if that’s not enough, the hotel is also home to an award-winning spa and fitness club with a glass-domed indoor pool and a hydro-massage pool.

The Old Clare Hotel, Sydney

In a city known for its fabulous weather, there’s a surprising lack of hotels with swimming pools. Enter The Old Clare, a city centre hotel with a fantastic rooftop pool and bar. Thanks to a glass canopy, you can enjoy cocktails and snacks by the pool all year round, and even if you’re not one for swimming, the views alone are worth the trip. It’s worth noting that the rooftop bar is open to the public, but the pool is for hotel guests only.

Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona

If you thought it couldn’t get better than admiring Barcelona’s architecture, try doing it poolside with a drink in hand. At the Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, head up to the 12-metre rooftop dipping pool for incredible views of the Passeig de Gràcia, the city’s rooftops and gothic spires, and the iconic Gaudí’s Casa Batlló. The rooftop restaurant Terrat serves Peruvian dishes and great cocktails, so you never need to leave.

137 Pillars Suites, Bangkok

There are rooftop pools, and then there’s 137 Pillars Suites, Bangkok. Occupying the top floors of a cloud-piercing skyscraper in the upscale Phrom Phong neighbourhood, the hotel is home to two dizzying infinity pools. There’s a spectacular infinity pool and jacuzzi on the 27th floor, then way up on the 38th floor there’s a glass-edged rooftop pool with some of the best views in Bangkok (but not for those afraid of heights).

Hotel Fasano, Rio de Janeiro

Tall and blue and long and lovely, this pool in Ipanema is pretty enough to write songs about. That’s thanks in part to the show-stopping views of Ipanema Beach, Arpoador, the Dois Irmãos Mountains and Corcovado. At the pool and beyond, the elegant design of Hotel Fasano is a sight to behold, but would we expect anything less from a hotel designed by the world-famous Philippe Starck?

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