Words by Becca Hensley with Deanne Kaczerski, Brandon Perlman, Ann Abel, Jake Emen, and Kathryn Romeyn. Each hotel is being equally honored in no particular order.
Pools matter. Science tells us that being around water calms us, reduces stress, activates reward receptors, and provides an opportunity (splash fights, lap swimming, floating) to burn off energy. On a trip, a gorgeous pool can be the prize for a long day, a grand finale — or it can serve as the day’s sole activity. A perfect pool can be tonic before the sun rises, a place to entertain your kids, or the backdrop for your album cover-worthy photo. Who hasn’t canceled off-property plans after catching a glimpse of the hotel’s remarkable pool? That’s when ditching the conference or forgoing the VIP museum tour for a little lounge chair sunbath seems like the best idea. What makes a perfect pool? Location, of course. An infinity pool that melds into the landscape bonds you to the terrain. A glamorous round-shaped pool has heyday jet-setter vibes. A pool boasting a “goes-on-forever” length compels you to work out. A jaunty pool supported by extroverted staff, a raucous DJ, loud music, and strong drinks delivers the party. And, a hidden pool — well that’s a gift. Following, we bring you the 2026 very best list of not-to-be-missed watery havens.
Splendido, a Belmond Hotel, Portofino, Italy
The monks who once lived at Splendido, when the estate served as their monastery, could only have dreamed of the eye-popping pool that today suspends dramatically atop a hill above the cachet-ridden town of Portofino. With panoramic views of the water and the marina’s sprinkling of yachts, the pool boasts the ghosts of bygone celebrity swimmers including Humphrey Bogart, David Niven, and Elizabeth Taylor. Join their spirits in watery motion at the recently redesigned version of this oasis. Redone (just a tad) by Martin Brudnizki, the cliffside, saltwater haven features viridian tiles that mirror the sea and coral-colored umbrellas, ideal to provide shade as you sip a Bellini.
COMO Laucala Island, Fiji
You’d think an intimate private island resort ensconced among mangroves and a rainforest with just 25 unique villas would be enough to wow guests. But COMO Laucala Island takes things up a notch with its lagoon pool expanse by the ocean, where the piece-de-resistance is a glass-sheathed lap pool. Pose for mermaid selfies at its peekaboo end piece or simply lounge with chilled libations to the sound of palm fronds ruffling in the wind.
Cliveden House, Berkshire, England
History buffs like nothing more than making waves in a legendary pool, awash with stories. At Cliveden House, a National Trust and Relais & Châteaux country house hideaway, swimmers can take their laps in the hotel’s Profumo pool, the first and only listed outdoor pool in Britain. While capturing rays in summertime — Southeastern England is the nation’s sunniest area— you’ll be enveloped in the wafting fragrance from lavender bushes. Make your own scandal here or gossip about this pool, hidden within a walled garden, the setting for the notorious Profumo Affair in 1961.
Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, Bali
Like a liminal space, as elusive as a dream, Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape softly occupies a sacred bit of richly viridescent Balinese jungle near Ubud. It seems to float over flora and rice fields, its structures opening to nature’s healing gifts. Literally lofty, high above the jungle floor, the retreat’s mesmerizing infinity pool crowns an elevated platform edged by red umbrellas fringed in gold. Meditate here amongst the clouds or join a Moon Yoga session, practiced alongside the pool’s rim.
Rosewood Miyakojima, Miyako Island, Japan
At the supremely elegant oceanfront Rosewood Miyakojima, the reigning approach to feet-in-the-sand exploits emphasize beach over club. Perfectly minimal (as it should be in Japan), the island resort leaves its sugary beach strewn with exquisite little seashells in its natural form — there are zero structures, umbrellas, or even loungers marring it. Instead, the experience cascades from behind, where a long, flawless infinity-edge swimming pool, complete with seemingly floating daybeds, bleeds into the searing Miyako blue water beyond. Breezy tunes, a deep menu of beautifully crafted spritzes, and sunny nibbles spread out in front of that shimmering backdrop make it exactly what guests need without anything superfluous.
The Lana, Dorchester Collection, Dubai, UAE
An apt moniker, High Society refers to The Lana’s sky-scraping rooftop expanse, a buzzy forum strung 30 stories above the glittery cityscape. A festive pool scene by day, it transforms to a sought-after lounge by night, fueled by the largest selection of Champagnes in the UAE. An infinity pool like no other, sporting 180-degree vistas, the rooftop seems as airy as a cloud and as infinite as Dubai’s desert. Chi chi cabanas and atmospheric greenery charges the mood.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake Como, Italy
With its signature floating pool on the lake, its garden-ensconced pool behind the main building, and its inimitable spa’s infinity pool, Grand Hotel Tremezzo reigns as a paragon of watery lakeside delight. The overall scene smacks of beach club trendiness and exclusivity, though the hotel’s well-heeled grandeur ensures poshness prevails at every turn. With its marina outfitted with vintage speedboats and its sandy T Beach for the lido life, the hotel achieves see-and-be-seen sanctum status. Equally, it can be as private as you desire with rooftop suites anchored by personal jacuzzi pools. Only time for one pool? Linger as long as possible around the lake’s water-on-water pool, as buoyant as a boat.
AREV St Tropez, France
Channel your inner Brigitte Bardot (we all have one, don’t we) in St. Tropez, France’s one-time tranquil fishing village turned jet-setter’s yachting retreat. Paying homage to France’s Nouvelle Vague film era of the 1950s and 60s, AREV St Tropez brings vintage glamour, style, and personality back into the mix. The flagship property of a new lifestyle brand (Arev), the hotel turns heads with its myriad offerings — especially its nearly 10-foot-deep pool, which sexily displays the words “a reve in the sun” (a dream in the sun) on the pool’s bottom. Dreamers can swill at the poolside bar (order a cucumber gimlet), or laugh together beneath signature navy and white-striped umbrellas. Book the stunning Poolside Suite, complete with private garden terrace and direct access to the pool deck.
Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice, Italy
It’s almost impossible to be hyperbolic about the sublime Olympic-sized pool at Hotel Cipriani, Venice’s landmark hotel on Giudecca Island, a swift vintage boat ride from St. Mark’s Square. The epitome of glam and grandeur, the oasis-style pool, the only one in Venice, rolls out in a center garden, perhaps once romped through by Casanova himself. Filled with saltwater and heated seasonally, it mirrors the lagoon that surrounds the hotel. To lunch beside this mecca, dressed to the nines, counts as an unforgettable Venetian moment. You’ll be rooted in bygone silver screen mystique, a historical world of Bellinis aloft, Hemingway-era romance, and be-flowered swim caps that fasten beneath your chin.
Lido Villeggiatura – Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea, Taormina, Sicily, Italy
Set on the sun-drenched shores of the Bay of Mazzarò, Lido Villeggiatura is the ultimate expression of Sicilian seaside leisure. The beach club pairs mid-century design with Belmond’s effortless glamour: white-and-blue loungers, lava-stone details, and cabanas with private butler service all framed by Isola Bella’s crystalline waters. It’s truly summer as the Italians imagine it: stylish, slow, and seductive.
Sublime Comporta, Portugal
Nearly 10 years ago, the pioneering Sublime Comporta was the first luxury hotel in this buzzy stretch of coastline 90 minutes south of Lisbon, and a major player in putting this “Hamptons of Portugal” on the international cool-hunters’ map. Its Sublime Comporta Beach Club came later, and even though it wasn’t the first — nor the latest — it’s still the area’s best, thanks to its breezy design, well-executed menu of fresh-caught fish and traditional Portuguese seafood dishes, and see-and-be-seen atmosphere. Back at the main hotel, an extra-long biological pool (alive with plants and animals and like a lake but suitable for swimming) is shared by the Bio-Pool Suites and is a stunner in its own right.
Faena Miami Beach, Florida, US
At Faena Miami Beach, the pool and beach club embody the hotel’s signature theatricality. Beneath Damien Hirst’s gilded mammoth, attendants glide between crimson-and-white cabanas serving handcrafted cocktails and chilled fruit platters. Beyond the spectacle, the experience is a genuinely transporting combination of sun, art, and pleasure in perfect alignment. Embodying Miami’s most iconic stage for the art of leisure with a little hedonism sprinkled in.
Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica
The newest member of the Ritz-Carlton Reserve portfolio, Nekajui opened in early 2025 in Costa Rica’s Peninsula Papagayo. Its main pool area is the heart of the property and perhaps its star attraction, incorporating a two-tiered deck and lounge. On top is a family-friendly infinity pool flanked by cabanas and day beds that drops off below via a large white stone waterfall wall leading to the quieter and more private adults-only area. As a special touch, the pools are also fed by the region’s renowned thermal waters. But if that pool isn’t enough, stop into the Nimbu Spa for a secluded dip in an expansive, multi-station hydrotherapy pool. From each of the above, you’ll enjoy a vista of the bay, with the jutting islets set within it feeling more like Southeast Asia than Central America.
Rosewood São Paulo, Brazil
A spectacular city hotel with an immersive art collection that’s integral to its concept, the Rosewood São Paulo‘s Emerald Garden pool is not to be missed. Tucked away in the hotel’s back courtyard, the pool is found within a whimsical garden setting. It features undulating curves and little private nooks hidden by the lush plantings surrounding it, and is designed with Gaudi-like bright mosaic tiles inspired by Brazil’s rivers and natural ecosystems. Dip your toes while dining at one of the tables positioned in the waters of its shallow end, find a secluded lounge chair, or nab one of its stone cabanas. A smaller, secondary pool is located on the hotel’s rooftop if you feel like shaking up the vibe and your vantage.
The St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya
The St. Regis Kanai Resort in Riviera Maya has an unhurried, effortless rhythm that pulls you in right away. The Beach Club, however, is where the whole place hits its stride. The adults-only pool area is where most days begin — stretched along soft white sand with just the right balance of relaxing and place-to-be scene. The pools each have their own personality, from family-friendly to more serene vibes where you can drift off with a book. But the real flex is the handful of private Beach Club cabanas: shaded, low-key, glamorous little hideaways with front-row views of the entire experience, complete with butler and private plunge pool. The Beach Club keeps the vibe perfectly balanced with mellow music, plenty of provided sunscreen and aloe, morning mimosas, spiked coffees, or any other drink for that matter, afternoon popsicles, a roaming seafood truck, and a full all-day menu when you want something more substantial.
Feature image courtesy of COMO Laucala Island
