USA TODAY 10Best
Four Seasons Resort Orlando Wins Best Hotel Pool
Best Hotel Pool (2016)
What's the coolest part of any vacation? The pool! We enlisted the help of a panel of hotel and luxury travel experts to select 20 nominees for Best Hotel Pool, then turned things over to you – our readers – to vote your favorites to the top. From Coast to coast, these pools are as diverse as the cities where they're found.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Hotel Pool are as follows:
Photo courtesy of Aman Resorts
No. 10: Amangani - Jackson Hole, Wyo.
The Jackson Hole area is already naturally stunning. Add a vantage point from the 115-foot heated pool at Amangani and it gets even better. Adorned with frost-colored quartzite tiles, this year-round pool offers stunning mountain views and links up with a 113-square-foot whirlpool. During the winters, the pool is kept at 80 degrees, perfect for an aprés-ski dip.
Photo courtesy of Grand Wailea Resort
No. 9: Grand Wailea Resort - Maui, Hawaii
A water slide, rapids, caves, a water elevator, rope swing, sand beach, swim-up bar ... there isn't much the pool complex at the Grand Wailea Resort in Maui doesn't have. Besides the 25,700-total-square-foot Activity Pool, the multi-tiered pool area also offers an adults-only Hibiscus Pool finished with 630,000 pieces of Mexican glass mosaic tile and plenty of loungers and cabanas.
Photo courtesy of Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
No. 8: Fairmont Scottsdale Princess - Scottsdale, Ariz.
Six separate pools create a giant outdoor playground in the Scottsdale desert for visitors of all ages. At the heart of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess pool complex, the 6,000-square-foot Sonoran Splash features two water slides, a zero entry pool deck and a sandbox play area, perfect for families with young children. New to the resort is the 7,000 square foot Sunset Beach pool with 9,000 square feet of sand.
Photo courtesy of Aman Resorts
No. 7: Amangiri - Canyon Point, Utah
Carved around the natural contours of a 80-foot stone bluff and set into a sunken courtyard, the pool at Amangiri in Canyon Point, Utah seems to blend into its surroundings. And because the modernist sandstone hideaway is so remote, nighttime swimmers can stare up at a sky full of stars. King size day beds, sun loungers, a fire pit and a adjacent hot tub make this a pool to enjoy year round.
Photo courtesy of Goldennugget.com
No. 6: Golden Nugget - Las Vegas
Las Vegas has its fair share of stellar hotel pools, but none are quite as singular as the one at the Golden Nugget. This pool in downtown Las Vegas features a 200,000 gallon shark tank, allowing guests to swim up-close to several species of sharks and tropical fish. A three-storey water slide shoots through the shark tank before splashing into the main deck pool.
Photo courtesy of Alex Viarnes / Sheraton Waikiki
No. 5: Sheraton Waikiki Hotel - Honolulu
The Sheraton Waikiki Hotel in Honolulu offers a family-friendly activity pool with all the bells and whistles: a waterslide, volleyball net, basketball hoop, two large whirlpools and an interactive fountain area. But the real star at this Hawaiian resort is the heated oceanfront infinity pool – one of the longest in North America – with its stunning views of Waikiki and Diamond Head.
Photo courtesy of Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge
No. 4: Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge - Glenwood Springs, Colo.
The year-round 90-degree pool at Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge in Glenwood Springs, Colo. is like one giant hot tub. The spring that feeds the world's largest hot springs pool is rich in minerals – 15 to be exact – famous for their soothing, restorative properties. Two waterslides appeal to younger swimmers.
Photo courtesy of Trevor Johnson / Berkeley City Club
No. 3: Berkeley City Club - Berkeley, Calif.
Designed by California legend Julia Morgan, Berkeley City Club has the same awe-inspiring designs as on of Morgan's other famous projects, Hearst Castle. The indoor swimming pool is magnificent, set beneath and arched ceiling with colonnaded windows and colorful tile work throughout.
Photo courtesy of Keswick Hall
No. 2: Keswick Hall - Keswick, Va.
Located just outside of Charlottesville, Keswick Hall offers its guests an assortment of three pools. The crown jewel is the adults-only heated saltwater Horizon Pool, which is outfitted with an underwater audio system and overlooks the rolling hills of the estate. The seasonal Pavilion Pool, the largest of the three, features a splash zone for kids.
Photo courtesy of Don Riddle / Four Seasons Resort Orlando
No. 1: Four Seasons Resort Orlando - Orlando
The Four Seasons Resort Orlando has enough pool action that some guests might find it difficult to pull themselves away. The beach-entry Family Pool features 7,590-square-feet overlooking the lake with its own underwater sound system. Kids love the interactive fountains of the Splash Zone, as well as the Lazy River and two 242-foot water slides. There's also an adults-only pool outfitted with underwater audio and a Jacuzzi.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Marla Cimini (USA TODAY), Christopher Parr (Pursuitist) and Yasmin Pullman (Luxury Travel Diary) were chosen based on their culinary travel experience.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Christopher Parr
Christopher Parr is the Founder and... Read More
Christopher Parr is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief for Pursuitist, the leading luxury travel and leisure website. An award-winning travel writer, Parr is also a luxury marketing veteran, a frequent speaker at luxury and interactive marketing conferences and a pioneer in web publishing. He launched Pursuitist in 2010 as a curated list of the good things in life, with guest contributors from Forbes, Mashable, TechCrunch, Glamour, Saveur and more sharing their favorite luxuries. Follow along on Twitter.
Christopher Parr
Christopher Parr is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief for Pursuitist, the leading luxury travel and leisure website. An award-winning travel writer, Parr is also a luxury marketing veteran, a frequent speaker at luxury and interactive marketing conferences and a pioneer in web publishing. He launched Pursuitist in 2010 as a curated list of the good things in life, with guest contributors from Forbes, Mashable, TechCrunch, Glamour, Saveur and more sharing their favorite luxuries. Follow along on Twitter.
Claire Endean-Cance
Claire Endean-Cance is the co-founder of Luxury... Read More
Claire Endean-Cance is the co-founder of Luxury Travel Diary– a blog about the best luxury accommodation and the most exclusive transport for your travels. Additional features hi-light essential style & fashion items required for luxury travel. The site also hosts their own online auctions, allowing users to bid on a dream holiday or luxury items.
Claire Endean-Cance
Claire Endean-Cance is the co-founder of Luxury Travel Diary– a blog about the best luxury accommodation and the most exclusive transport for your travels. Additional features hi-light essential style & fashion items required for luxury travel. The site also hosts their own online auctions, allowing users to bid on a dream holiday or luxury items.
Marla Cimini
Marla is a writer with a passion for travel, music... Read More
Marla is a writer with a passion for travel, music and culinary adventures (and combining those whenever possible)! As an avid globetrotter, she encourages respecting and learning about other cultures while traveling. She has visited Hawaii multiple times, and has explored destinations worldwide, including the Mediterranean region, South America, Asia and more. Marla is a contributor to Fodor’s Hawaii guidebooks (Oahu and Kauai 2020) and her articles have appeared in a number of international publications. She calls New Jersey (Philadelphia area) home. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter and read her travel tips and adventures on her website.
Marla Cimini
Marla is a writer with a passion for travel, music and culinary adventures (and combining those whenever possible)! As an avid globetrotter, she encourages respecting and learning about other cultures while traveling. She has visited Hawaii multiple times, and has explored destinations worldwide, including the Mediterranean region, South America, Asia and more. Marla is a contributor to Fodor’s Hawaii guidebooks (Oahu and Kauai 2020) and her articles have appeared in a number of international publications. She calls New Jersey (Philadelphia area) home. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter and read her travel tips and adventures on her website.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.