From a bed-to-lagoon dip in the Maldives to in-the-pool cocktails on a Mozambican island, these watery destinations all offer maximum enjoyment but with minimum effort required.
You know how it is... You're so relaxed on holiday that sometimes walking anywhere is just too much exertion. You want/need to cool down but, quite frankly, it's all a bit onerous. Unless, of course, you're staying in a resort that puts the ease into easing up. Whether you're looking for a hotel where you can roll out of bed straight into your own private pool – or a five-star where just a few strokes will reward you with a cooling cocktail at the submerged bar, these are the best swim-up rooms and bars around the world. Just add water...
Hotels with the best swim-up rooms
Cheval Blanc Randheli, Maldives
You can't mention swim-up rooms and not include the Maldives. The archipelagic nation is the heartland of the overwater villa, where rooms perched on stilts above the Indian Ocean are the norm. Cheval Blanc Randheli, in the pristine Noonu Atoll, is no exception. At this elegant resort, elevated villas are dotted around the neon-turquoise shallows as if afloat. All come with their own infinity pool, but for the optimum roll-out-of-bed-and-into-the-water experience, you'll want to climb the wooden stairs from your private deck straight into the sea to explore a sub-aquatic kingdom of turtles, eagle rays and rainbow shoals of fish.
Chablé Yucatán, Chocholá
The reverence the Mayans had for nature is a pillar of this jungly sanctuary. Set deep amongst palm fronds and towering ceiba trees (though actually only a 30-minute drive from Merida airport), each of the 40 casitas and villas at this former haçienda champions indoor-outdoor living. Giant doors in the bedrooms glide open onto shady terraces, where the chirps of Yucatán jays, turquoise-browed motmots and hummingbirds are your morning wakeup call. Every private deck has sun loungers and hammocks, an outdoor shower and a heated pool, though do save a slice of swim-time for the hotel's very own cenote.
Raffles Sentosa Singapore
The Lion City is home to the grandest of dames, Raffles Singapore, which first welcomed guests in 1887. In contrast to the five-star's old-world glamour, its newer little sister – Raffles Sentosa – is smartly contemporary. The hotel, on the southern tip of Sentosa Island, is the vision of design studio Yabu Pushelberg, who have put their stealth-luxury stamp on the spa, restaurants and 62 villas, where Rousseau-inspired murals set the tropical scene. Whether you're in a one- or a multi-bedroom sanctuary, full-height glass doors are the only thing separating the sleeping areas from your private pool. See it as your invitation to recalibrate.
Sublime Comporta, Grândola
It's not just the Maldives that lays claim to overwater rooms; Sublime Comporta can too. The family-run boutique hotel – in the Alentejo region of Portugal, on an estate surrounded by sand dunes, rice fields and wineries – taps into the wild landscape. Book any of the nine Bio-Pool Suites, their design inspired by the local fishing port, and you'll be overlooking one of Europe's largest natural swimming pools. Private terraces allow you to plunge straight into the cool, clear water that's treated through aquatic plants rather than chemicals. During spring and summer, you'll be taking your early morning dip to the symphonic sountrack of frog mating season.
W Costa Navarino, Messinia
For their sole property in Greece thus far, the W brand chose Messinia in the southwest Peloponnese (a region soon to get its name in lights as one of the filming locations of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey). The beachfront hotel is in Costa Navarino, a protected 1000-hectare area acquired by Greek entrepreneur Captain Vassilis C Constantakopoulos to revitalise his homeland through ecotourism. The golden beach is appealingly unspoilt but if it's all too much in the heat of the midday sun, you'll want to be in one of the infinity swim-up rooms with direct access to a shared pool or a suite with its own private pool.
Amanpuri, Thalang District
This was Aman's first ever resort and well over three decades on, it continues to resonate with serenity-seekers (Amanpuri is Sanskrit for 'place of peace'). Surrounded by coconut groves on its own peninsula in Phuket, this hushed haven is built into a hillside, with traditional Thai-style Villas and Pavilions (all chic teak, fresh orchids and open-plan living) gently cascading down to the beach. Perhaps you'd like to splash in the inky-blue swimming pool or snorkel in the sea. Or if you're looking for 'me' time, retire to your personal outdoor lounging sala and swimming pool overlooking the scented gardens or the Andaman Sea. Either view is a win.
Hotels with the best swim-up bars
Crystal Cove, Barbados
The Cave Bar at Crystal Cove has long been a draw for those who like a little buzz with their watermelon mojito. At this one-of-a-kind swim-up bar, located in the hotel's tiered swimming pool, you have to make it through a waterfall before you can bag a submerged seat for a fruity cocktail or two. For those less in love with the idea of getting wet, there's a dry service – whichever, expect warm Bajan hospitality. There's plenty else to do besides channeling your inner troglodyte at this family-friendly resort – watersports, tennis courts, a pretty beach and open-air dining, where a Caribbean menu includes jerk chicken and grilled flying fish.
Como Laucala Island, Fiji
It's obvious why Como Laucala Island – one of the world's largest and most lavish private island resorts – is a no-brainer for the discerning. This 25-villa idyll (once owned by the co-founder of Red Bull) is no-expense-spared, from the glass encased pool and 18-hole golf course (yes, you can tee off in the middle of the South Pacific) to the Shambhala Spa. But Mother Nature refuses to be overshadowed – one day you might see the Orange Fruit Dove or the Fiji Parrotfinch, the next dolphins or the Monkey-Faced Flying Fox. Swap stories over exotic sundowners at the Pool Bar, a swim-up shell-like bure; or beneath banana trees at the Beach Bar.
Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
Everywhere in Dubai exceeds expectations, from the tallest buildings ever constructed to supersized shopping malls. Plus, it's home to the glitziest resort in the world – Atlantis The Royal. Does this ultra-ultra-luxury beachfront hotel have a swim-up bar? With no less than 90 pools, you'd expect nothing less. It's Cloud 22 where you want to be – a sky-high beach club, infinity pool and wet bar, recently given a maximalist Dolce & Gabbana x Ounass makeover. This is where the stylish pose and party. Bag one of the striped floating sun beds, order something chilled and watch the sun sink into the Arabian Gulf as a DJ spins the tunes.
Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi
The UAE's capital city is a thrill, with world-class architecture and art, restaurants and hotels. The majestic Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi, which sits next to the Royal Palace overlooking the Persian Gulf, delivers sumptuousness, with room after room adorned with crystal, marble and gilt, while glittering fountains and manicured lawns lead down to a private stretch of beach. But this is a place that knows how to have fun, too, with watersports, aqua slides and a lazy river. Afterwards, catch your breath with a mocktail beneath the swaying palms at the adults-only swim-up bar in the hotel's sprawling Las Brisas pool complex.
Hotel Monte Mulini, Rovinj
For a postcard-perfect swim-up bar in Europe, make it the Monte Mulini. The 112-room hotel commands prime position on verdant headland adjacent to pastel-hued Rovinj, making it an ideal spot for watching boats bobbing to and from the harbour. The Mediterranean gardens lead guests down to a pretty, pebbly beach and a sea that's typically Croatian in its clarity and vibrancy. If it's fresh water you're seeking, however, lay your towel by one of the four pools. When you're all lapped out, float over to the cool, white bar with its row of submerged stools, order a local beer and drink in the views across Lone Bay.
Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort, Bazaruto Island
Cast yourself away to Ilha de Bazaruto, the largest island in Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago, and you'll be met with an ultramarine sea, the softest sand beaches and a rich biodiversity that's increasingly hard to find these days (turtles, dolphin, manta rays, dugongs). Anantara's resort resides in harmony with this paradise, with thatch-roofed villas, restaurants and the spa nestling discreetly along the shore or on the tropical hillside. With a coastline like this, it's hard to imagine being anywhere else but the beach, though the swim-up bar in the blue-tiled swimming pool is pretty hard to beat at sunset.
Discover more fantastic bars, restaurants and hotels with 50 Best Discovery, and start planning your next adventure.
