Best Hotel Pools for Your Family Vacation

Why deal with the sand when you can stay squeaky clean at a pool — and get great service, to boot? Here are a few hotels with stellar indoor and outdoor facilities worth planning a getaway for.

© Courtesy of AYANA Resort and Spa

A whopping 12 pools at AYANA in Bali quench all your thirst for wanderlust and varied views. One of the most favored is Ocean Beach Pool, with unforgettable views of the Indian Ocean and some of the best sunset vantage points. River Pool offers a tiered section amidst flowering trees with perches for pics, though the ultimate Instagram-worthy shots are in the private pools at the Villas at AYANA. Here, butlers will serve up three-course gourmet breakfasts on floating pool trays.

Ireland’s not exactly renowned for its sunny weather, but no matter at Ashford Castle, where a brand-new spa includes a pool housed within a bronze conservatory. Designed by French architect Philippe Bonino, the indoor resistance pool boasts views across the serene Lough Corrib, and is decorated with three seashell chandeliers. A “Tree of Life” mural stretches across an entire wall of the pool area, which draws its inspiration from Irish folklore; the Celts believed the oak tree was a storehouse of wisdom and acorns are considered good luck.

It’s doubtful the nuns who used to live here ever dreamed of lazing about in skimpy swimwear, but, thankfully, those days are over. At Monastero Santa Rosa on the Amalfi Coast, a 20-room luxury cliff-side resort, you feel like you’re at the ends of the earth with panoramic views of the Amalfi Coastline and Mediterranean Sea below.

Open since 1755, Copenhagen’s d’Angleterre includes a luxurious subterranean swimming pool, the only one in the city center. Back in the day, the heated indoor pool once served as a public bath, but the last of such facilities closed in 2010. Today, this swank indoor spa is open exclusively to hotel guests only at Scandinavia’s “White Lady” grande dame hotel.

The Silo Hotel Rooftop Pool © Courtesy of The Silo Hotel

The Silo’s breathtaking rooftop pool features glass walls with wrap-around views of the Cape Town skyline, Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and the ocean. The brand-new, 28-room luxury hotel occupies the top six floors of the historic grain silo building in Cape Town’s Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

It’s a lofty name to live up to, but the King David Hotel does it with aplomb in Jerusalem. Built in the 1920s, it has hosted dignitaries, celebrities and royals alike for views of the Western Wall, dome of the Rock and Second Temple. No matter who the guest, everyone enjoys the new oversized swimming pool, set in the hotel’s lush lawns and gardens.

Unwind after safari at The Waters Bush Spa, boasting a heated lap pool as well as hot and cold African baths, at Royal Malewane luxury lodge. Nestled on private land in South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park, royal suites here also have access to their own private pools overlooking the South African brush where elephants often come to drink.

The Loren at Pink Beach is Bermuda’s first new hotel in decades, and with just less than 50 rooms, this boutique design property has a delightfully modern but welcoming air. Check it out as the tide from the Atlantic Ocean rolls in when you avoid the sand by sticking close to the two seaside pools. Don’t miss out on the Sunday brunch, where you can rent a cabana that’s fully stocked with all the non-alcoholic beverages you’ll need for either four- or eight-hour rentals, and indulge in a three-course brunch with included mimosas.