THE BEST POOLS IN AMERICA
3/28/2007 4:31:25 PM by Kaya Baez
We dove into the most impressive hotel and resort pools from Maui to Miami to showcase the best America has to offer. We polled our readers, asked our friends and family and rummaged through old scrapbooks to narrow the search, taking into account location, design details, popularity, celebrity sightings and the ever-essential fun factor.
Mandarin Oriental, New York
60th Street, 80 Columbus Circle, New York, NY
MandarinOriental.com
The hottest five-star hotel in Upper Midtown West is home to the hottest pool in the city, a 75-foot, three-lane lap pool on the 35th Floor. Perfect for a stress-relieving workout, the indoor pool features floor-to-ceiling views of Manhattan and enough internal and external lighting to keep you swimming well through the night so you’re in shape to tackle the city’s intense vibe and travel-by-foot way of life, even if you have to leave the pool for a few hours to do it.
The Hotel at Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV
MandalayBay.com
The pool at MGM Mirage’s Mandalay Bay is more like a beach than a pool…an 11-acre tropical sand beach, to be exact. Whether you decide to frolic amid some artificial tides at the wave pool, swim in one of the resort’s four exotic pools or float down the lazy river, everyone will agree this pool-beach is Sin City’s sexiest. For a less crowded ambiance, and some privacy to do whatever Vegas may throw your way, make sure to reserve the European-style Moorea Beach Club. It’s a great way to ensure that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
The National Hotel, Miami Beach
1677 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL
NationalHotel.com
The most recognized infinity pool on Earth is The National Hotel’s 205-foot, palm-lined Art Deco marvel built in 1997. Designed by architect Gail Bryon Baldwin, this glamorous pool is a favorite subject and background for the production industry, showing up in everything from movies and commercials to magazine photo shoots. Among the most notable celebrity sighting at the pool was Mariah Carey’s on-site live performance for MTV’s VMA Awards in 2005. According to hotel staff, the playful splash at the end of her performance made pool lovers the world over take note of the pool. From the looks of the crowds there since, Mariah’s magic touch seems to have worked.
The Standard, Los Angeles
550 South Flower Street, Los Angeles, CA
StandardHotel.com
From the moment one enters the retro-futuristic, disco-style lobby, the minimalist feel yields a major impression. It’s not until one ascends to the rooftop pool that the real reaction starts to sink in. The pool has life-sized movie projections on the neighboring building (in honor of the all the celebs that frequent this spot), private waterbed cabanas and a poolside lounge and bar with panoramic views of downtown L.A. The social scene at this pool is as cool as the chilled drinks by the bar, so prepare to mingle with some unwinding professionals and friendly aficionados of everything cool.
Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa
3850 Alanui Drive, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
GrandWailea.com
This Waldorf-Astoria Collection hotel has a pool that rivals even nature’s most fascinating creations off the Pacific Rim. Winner of AAA’s Four-Diamond Award for the past four years and a Gold List recipient of Conde Nast Travelers’s Reader’s Choice Award since 1999, this resort hosts one of the most spectacular pools on the planet. From the air, the sheer scope of this pool and its majestic palms, perfectly manicured lawn and high-spewing fountain leads one to believe Zeus himself created it. Whatever you do, don’t let the pool’s lure keep you from frolicking on the adjacent beach, no matter how badly you want to come back for a lap or two.