There’s no need to pay extra for a room with a view if your hotel’s pool already offers one. From cityscapes to lush jungles, ocean views and wildlife reserves, we’ve scoured the globe for the most epic and jaw-dropping vistas you can visit yourself. So, grab your swim gear and start exploring the 10 hotel pools with the best views in the world:
Hanging Gardens of Bali, Bali, Indonesia
Swim up to the edge of Hanging Gardens’ infinity pool and you’ll overlook the teeming, lush jungles of Bali. Designed to look as if it sits suspended over the dense rainforest, this pool gives swimmers the sensation of floating above the treetops. Listen close and you’ll hear the sound of birds chirping and giant leaves flapping in the humid breeze — monkeys have been known to make themselves (uninvited) guests of the pool, too.
Four Seasons Serengeti, Tanzania
It doesn’t get much more wild than the Four Seasons’ pool overlooking the Serengeti. Here, you can do your morning laps while elephants slowly stomp by, grazing on vegetation and drinking from the watering hole so close you can actually hear their grunts. While the property offers guided safaris of the national reserve, you arguably don’t have to go further than the pool to get up close to some of this country’s most awe-inspiring creatures.
The Silo, Cape Town, South Africa
There may not be a more sweeping view than that from the rooftop pool of Cape Town’s hottest hotel, The Silo. From here you directly overlook the bustling Victoria & Albert Waterfront, the ocean, Signal Hill, and the breathtaking Table Mountain. We suggest grabbing a drink and watching the sunset over the horizon as the city lights up and the stars begin to peek out.
Tierra Atacama Hotel and Spa, Chile
Fringed with tall, tanned grasses, you’ll feel totally one with nature floating in this oasis-like pool carved out by the Tierra Atacama Hotel into the northern desert of Chile. Here, you can splash around or sip a drink and reminisce over the day’s excursions as you overlook the formidable Licancabur Volcano in the distance. The sunset is remarkable here — turning the sandy surroundings shades of pink, orange, and red.
Canaves Oia Villa, Santorini, Greece
This Instagram-famous hotel isn’t revered for it’s crisp-white cave rooms or dreamy location on Greece’s most beloved island, but for it’s pools. While the private pools in the suites are equally beautiful and boasting similar views of the deep, Grecian-blue Adriatic Sea and the rocky cliff sides of Santorini, the long skinny pool in the private villa is clearly the pièce de résistance at Canaves Oil Villa.
King Street Townhouse, Manchester, UK
City pools are always special because they feel so wonderfully out of place and indulgent. The seventh floor infinity pool of King Street Townhouse, however, sets this bar even higher. With views overlooking the spires of Manchester’s Town Hall and clock tower, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a view that feels so staggering and private. Peeking out of the side of a 19th century Italian renaissance building, the modern pool is an unexpected thrill.
Hotel Hubertus, Tyrol, Italy
Not only does this pool at Hotel Hubertus boast some of the most incredible views of the imposing Dolomites and carpeted valley at its foot, but it’s an awe-inspiring view in itself. Positioned on wooden stilts that protrude from the Hotel Hubertus resort, you could spend hours just looking at its construction. We’re also giving this pool bonus points for the see-through cut out in the bottom that adds an extra jaw-dropping vista.
Ion Adventure Hotel, Iceland
Overlooking the Mars-like terrain that is Iceland, the Ion Adventure Hotel’s heated pool offers travelers something totally unique. One of just a handful of luxury hotels on this cold, northern island, few places like this actually exist outside of natural hot springs. Wake up early before the other guests and enjoy a cup of coffee here as you watch the sun rise — maybe you’ll even be able to catch a glimmer of the Northern Lights fading into the light of day.
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Those afraid of heights, beware! Towering 57-stories above the city, Marina Bay Sands’ epic Singapore infinity pool may give you a case of vertigo. It could be well worth overcoming your fears, though, just to experience these twinkling city lights from this unique vantage point at sunset. There’s plenty of room to spread out up there, too. Measuring 150m, it’s the longest elevated pool in the world.
Museum Hotel, Cappadocia, Turkey
What’s better than watching hot air balloons float over the pink, sunrise-lit valleys of Cappadocia? Watching it from a pool, of course. The stone-trimmed pool of the Museum Hotel was purposefully built to feel like the ancient ‘Bronze-Age’ homes built into the sandy cliff sides. From the edge of this pool you can witness the geologically-unique, cone-shaped rock formations transform in the morning light or float on your back and simply watch the balloons float overhead. It’s all magical if you ask us.