The Best Hotels with Pools to Book in Vancouver, Canada

Luxurious and stylish, L’Hermitage is primely placed right in the heart of Vancouver’s downtown, ideal for shoppers and business travelers alike. One- and two-bedroom suites have a classically elegant feel with thoughtful touches – think roaring fireplaces, marble bathrooms and golden-hued throw cushions – and the L’Orangerie serves up a decadent high tea. But the highlight? That’ll be the 15m (49ft) outdoor heated saltwater lap pool, fed theatrically by fountains. Enjoy a dip here, or in the adjoining whirlpool tub, then hit the muscle-melting steam room.

The location already is tops for water lovers: you’re steps from Coal Harbour and an easy hop from beach-lined Stanley Park. But when it comes to actually taking the plunge, you’ll want to head for the hotel’s heated outdoor pool – open year-round. Dips are especially enticing first thing in the morning, after you’ve woken up to a view over Vancouver’s glittering harbour from your floor-to-ceiling bedroom windows. Travelers with pooches in tow will love that the hotel is pet-friendly, while everyone will love the crab cakes and chicken burgers in Prestons restaurant.

Steps from Vancouver Art Gallery, Sutton Place is a no-brainer for weekending culture vultures. All self-respecting sophisticated types will also appreciate the on-site oyster bar, Boulevard Kitchen, and the hotel wine merchant stocked with A-grade local bottles. But there’s no missing the spa either – complete with an indoor pool lined in windows spilling out to a greenery-fringed patio where you can read or nap post-dip. Once you’ve had your fill of splashing, book in for a spa treatment: Ayurvedic massage is a speciality.

This is a glassy hotel pool with a difference: it peers right over Vancouver Harbour in spectacular fashion, with big windows letting the British Columbian sun pour through. It’s just one of the feel-good amenities that comes with a stay at the Pinnacle, which also includes a gym, electric-assist bikes for rent and a bistro serving up healthy picks such as tuna poke salad (and not-so-healthy ones like truffle fries and roast prime rib sandwiches). Rooms? Like the pool, the best overlook the sparkling coastal waters.

The free weekly yoga classes are only one reason why guests book into this stay near Yaletown, Vancouver’s trendy old warehouse district. The pool, hot tub, sauna and gym are others – they simply max-up the general feel-good vibe that pervades throughout. You’re welcome to sip a glass of wine poolside in between dips, before carrying on to the Black Rice izakaya (Japanese-pub-style) restaurant for dinner, feasting on contemporary takes on sushi. Save room for breakfast, though: healthy porridges, smoothies and pastries set you up for a day’s exploring before you head back for an afternoon swim.

If you’re looking for a pool area where you can stretch out, the Rosedale on Robson is a solid pick – its indoor lap pool has not only lounge chairs, but tables and chairs where you can sit as a family to catch up between visits to the hot tub or sauna. With big floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to lush greenery, there’s an indoor-outdoor vibe that makes you forget you’re only steps from downtown Vancouver. Simple and comfy rooms provide a perfect base for exploring the city.

Moments from downtown, moments from the harbour – you have it all at Auberge Vancouver, including a mirror-like 25m (82ft) indoor pool, perfect for your morning front crawl sessions. Lounge chairs by the windows invite you to take in the view to the city beyond at your leisure, while a glass ceiling encourages sunlight to pour theatrically in. Are you an active type? You’ll appreciate the exercise area and the four squash courts. Beauty bunnies can use the sauna and steam room or book in for muscle-melting massages.

Set in a striking 1920s downtown building, Rosewood is the pinnacle of luxury in Vancouver. And its pool lives up to the same standards: a 15m (52ft) indoor saltwater beauty flecked in natural light, adjoining the hotel’s outdoor restaurant. Follow up your dip with lunch in the sun – beet and burrata salad, anyone? – then return for a pampering in the Sense spa, one of the city’s finest. You’ll never feel better than you have after a “deep relief” massage, targeting muscle stiffness and trigger points.