5 of the World's Most Spectacular Hotel Pools for an Unforgettable Splash — And How to Take Their Magic Back Into Your Garden
Feel energized with our design-led edit of swim-worthy getaways, from Mexico and Miami to the Amalfi Coast
There is something simply hypnotizing about a beautifully designed pool coruscating under the brightest of summer suns. As an avid swimmer, I can't recall a single hot day of my childhood when I wouldn't have to be forcibly taken out of the water, so keen I was to make the most out of it that my fingers would go all wrinkly. Now I can confidently say that any of the hotel pools I am about to introduce you to would convince anyone to do just the same — and with no regrets whatsoever.
Much like our selection of hotels with pools in London, this edit of spectacular summer destinations gathers addresses where outdoor patios and the pools at their heart are as much protagonists in the design narratives of their stays as their interiors, at times even outshading the rest.
Whether embracing tiles to bring a swimming spot to life, making the magic of the good season accessible year-round by transporting it underground at one of Paris's most coveted new hotels, or reinterpreting the surrounding landscape's natural surfaces into a playful oasis for leisure, each of the spots listed below demonstrates that no great interior is ever complete without an equally inspiring moment outdoors. Could it be time to get back on the garden upgrade you've been putting off for so long? Some advice incoming.
1. Le Sirenuse. Positano, IT
A liveable artwork rather than just a pool, the outdoor area of Le Sirenuse was given the otherworldly treatment by swiss visual artist Nicolas Party.
Hundreds of thousands of individual tiles from Italian brand Bisazza clad the bed of this eye-catching hotspot filled with good vibes and sunshine.
Via Cristoforo Colombo, 30, 84017 Positano SA, Italy
Framed in trailing plants and reflecting the Amalfi Coast's clear blue skies, the pool of family-owned-and-run establishment La Sirenuse has always been a canvas, but its latest incarnation is its most ambitious yet. Back in 2024, Swiss artist Nicolas Party spent a week at the hotel soaking up the atmosphere before translating it into his viral sky-and-sea tiled basin, the most ambitious commission in the hotel's ongoing site-specific art programme — and his first foray into mosaics. Against a palette of abstract blue-green shapes, a golden disc marks the pool's deepest point so that "when you jump in, you're jumping into the sky." Mosaics have been a staple at the property, owned by the Marchesi Sersale family, since the villa was turned into a boutique hotel in 1951. Already in the early 1990s, co-owner Franco Sersale had commissioned a frieze modeled after a Greek-style tiled composition from the second century BC that had caught his eye at Berlin's Pergamon Museum. The tiles gathered by Party's masterpiece were fabricated by Bisazza near Vicenza and then laid by the Fabrizi brothers, Luciano and Marcello, two of Italy's last expert mosaicisti. If you love craft, this is one of the best hotels in the country.
Book your stay at Le Sirenuse.
The pool area of Le Sirenuse leans on timeless Italian charm, and these argilla planters are the first step to transform your garden into a thriving, Amalfi-style oasis.
It's not a pool patio if it isn't dotted in chic parasols. Whether or not you are lucky enough to have a pool in your garden, with temperatures going up, this buy is a must. It brings movement and structure to any outdoor table and bar.
Last but not least, a touch of color (yes, it had to be red). While it's hard if not impossible to recreate the cinematic atmosphere of Le Sirenuse, a few of these chic loungers can trick you into feeling like you too are at one of the world's most iconic seaside hotels.
2. Faena Miami Beach. Miami, FL, US
This is the American dream at its finest.
3201 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140, United States
Nestled in the former 1947 home of the historic Saxony Hotel, Faena Miami Beach stems from the synergetic collaboration between Argentine hotelier Alana Faena, financial partner Len Blavatnik and dream married duo Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin (of Hollywood British Pullman Celia Carriage fame). The site, known to have hosted the likes of Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe in its Saxony Hotel days, boasts a sprawling, geometrically cut pool that pays homage to the swinging 60s through striking striped deck chairs and seashell columns. Steps away from here, you'll find Damien Hirst's 24-karat gold woolly mammoth skeleton, housed in a glass case on the path to the beach. The whole eight-block Faena District development captures a vision of hospitality as living artwork, positioned to anchor the city's Art Basel ecosystem. More than the grand, dazzling interiors, though, it was the patchworky, red-drenched pool to catch our eye. Off to the Sunshine State? Check out our favorite hotels in Miami.
Book your stay at Faena Miami Beach.
Stripy furniture is leading the game when it comes to in-demand outdoor hangouts, and Faena Miami Beach knows it well (see our guide to beach club furniture style). Start with the right choice of parasol to have a very Florida summer, wherever you are.
Palm trees are possibly the most pervasive, vivid memory I carry from my first and only visit to Miami back in 2014. So, that's right, your garden can't be Faena-like without at least one of this miniature date palms! For height and looks, this one from Patch comes at a very reasonable price.
If there's a trait imbuing all of the Faena hotels, it's their daring, recklessly bold spirit. So why not have fun with your garden and pool furniture and swap classic loungers with... sculptural bean bags? They might not be as comfortable long-term, but they'll sure make a statement, and even save you up some space.
3. Agalia Luxury Suites. Ios, GR
Catching the golden hour from the rim of this pool is an in-demand job someone has got to do.
Winding pools, crafted in stone, ceramic, and wood, that you'll hardly forget.
The Agalia Luxury Suites complex is part of the LuxurIOS Island Experience, an ambitious family-run hospitality vision led by creative patriarch Angelos Michalopoulos, whose philosophy holds that "luxury is not what you have, it's about what you feel." The hotel's 178m² main pool, carved in winding stone, terracotta, and wood, sits on the slopes overlooking Ios's port and Chora, with views stretching to Koumbara Beach and the Aegean sunset on the opposite side — a duality that gives the pool its peculiar drama, suspended between two landscapes. The decoration throughout the property echoes the artistic legacy of the ancient civilizations that inhabited the Cyclades, with a soothing palette and exquisite marble-clad bathrooms, and several suites feature their own sculptural private pools. Agalia's sister property, Calilo, also part of the LuxurIOS family, exploded on social media for its heart-shaped stone pools and infinity pools overlooking a private bay, establishing the group as one of the most design-forward hospitality operations in the Greek islands.
Book your stay at Agalia Luxury Suites.
4. Le Grand Mazarin. Paris, FR
A subterranean escape, the spa pool at Le Grand Mazarin keeps guests talking.
The murals-filled vaulted ceiling and chunky columns make the space into a creative temple.
42 Rue Mazarine, 75006 Paris, France
Sited inside a grand, 14th-century building on Rue des Archives in the affluent Le Marais district, Le Grand Mazarin amazes guests and wannabe visitors alike with its private indoor swimming pool. Deep in the depths of the property in the hotel's wellness area, this eight-meter marvel comes complete with a separate Jacuzzi and hammam. Look up from its elegant deckchairs to take in the vibrancy of the ceiling fresco painted by artist Jacques Merle, inspired by Jean Cocteau's poetic imagination. The wider hotel, a tried-and-tested Livingetc favorite and one of the best stays in Paris, was designed by Swedish interior architect Martin Brudnizki. It is an ode to the atmosphere of the artistocratic literary salons of the Grand Siècle, and aims to be a space where figures from literature, art, and music could gather. That same intellectual spirit takes over the subterranean pool as an intimate, escapist counterpoint to Paris's bustle above. The building's location in Le Marais was central to the concept: Brudnizki wanted the hotel to feel as though it had always been part of the neighborhood's landscape. Judge for yourself, but for us, he succeeded.
Book your stay at Le Mazarine.
Just because Le Grand Mazarin's pool is tucked in its underground doesn't mean it doesn't hold additional garden and pool patio inspiration. I am particularly obsessed with its striped garden sets. And for four pieces, this Swyft alternative captures their quirky-playful vibe.
You might not have a tiled pool (or a pool at all), but it's no reason to renounce a quirky tile moment. This amusing outdoor table carries just the right amount of romanticism into your garden, and all while giving you a base to perch on while enjoying time outside with friends.
No brand does French summer quite like La Redoute, and so when it came to imitating Le Grand Mazarin's iconic aesthetic, I couldn't help but browse for some of its statement garden pieces. This woven stool beautifully echoes the artsy atmosphere of its hotel pool.
5. Hotel Panamera. Tulum, MX
A checkerboard fantasy, the pool at Hotel Panamera in Tulum has just climbed to the top of my holiday hot list.
Carr. Tulum-Boca Paila Km 8.5, Tulum Beach, 77760 Tulum, Q.R., Mexico
Hospitality entrepreneur Derek Klein's Hotel Panamera draws on the globetrotting adventures of the owner to craft environments where Moorish arches, Japanese fabric-draping influences, and vintage Caribbean warmth meet the craftiness of furniture made entirely by local artisans. Blame Tulum's tropical weather, but its centerpiece pool remains the most captivating design statement of the stay. Lined with white and red handmade checkered tiles, this geometrical composition is impossible to escape, and wrapped by striped loungers and vintage parasols creating shade for lingering relaxation. Against the backdrop of Tulum's increasingly maximalist hotel scene, the pool's bold graphic simplicity shows that artisanal and culturally rooted creativity still makes for the most authentic expression of design. If Avola's Braccialieri and Oaxaca's Hotel Humano, two of our favorite hotel openings of summer 2025, were ever to have a child, Hotel Panamera would be the one.
Book your stay at Hotel Panamera.
Seemingly, no Mexican interior fails to include some woven details. This handmade basket by H&M looks crafty enough to pass the artisanal check, is perfect for storing garden objects and accessories, and is even on sale right now.
Hotel Panamera's pool comes furnished in plush, stripy love seat-style sun loungers. But if you don't want to invest in pricey outdoor furniture, even smallest touches like this Habitat cushion can infuse fresh flair into your exterior scheme, adding color, texture, and comfort to your unwinding time.
Last but in no way any less important, you'll need some good planters. Especially in this heat, we are all realizing how important plants can be at the peak of summer. This textural terracotta ones by B&Q are fairly affordable for what they are and will keep your favorite tropical picks safe and hydrated throughout the hottest months (and beyond).
Revisit out travel trends 2026 report for all the latest hospitality sensations in one place, or read about the hotel gardens we've been dreaming of finding some shade at over the last few days.
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