The Best Hotels With Pools in California, USA

Located on the roof of Standard Oil’s original HQ – a mid-century modern landmark – the Standard’s pool deck is an adult playground in the sky. The heated pool has a panoramic view of Downtown‘s skyscrapers – guests get to recline in sculptural white loungers or lipstick-red pods. The space also has a mod fireplace and topiary aplenty. By day, the Rooftop is a chic spot to catch some rays, while at night it’s all about bottle service and lo-fi house music.

From the Terra Pool at Casa del Mar, guests can clearly see Santa Monica Pier’s Ferris wheel, but it feels a world away from the coaster-and-cotton candy hubbub. A Mediterranean villa inspired this elegant beachside retreat, and the serene pool is more conducive to reading a good book than hard partying. There are still margaritas to sip and palm trees swaying in the breeze, mind you. For even deeper relaxation, the hotel’s Sea Wellness Spa has hot-stone massages and anti-aging facials.

At the Ojai Valley Inn, a century-old Spanish Colonial-style hotel surrounded by orange groves and avocado trees, guests can choose between three distinctly different pool experiences. At the adults-only Indigo Pool, oversized cabanas and daybeds are made for sunbathing. The whole family is welcome at the Pixie Pool, set among vine-covered pergolas and citrus trees. Finally, Spa Ojai’s 60-foot (18m) Tranquility and Energy Pool, with its two lanes and a hot tub, offers a place to relax and rejuvenate before or after a treatment.

The words “infinity edge” take on new meaning at the luxurious Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. The cliff-clinging Jade and Meditation spa tubs have infinity edges that blur the lines between water, ocean and sky. Guests looking to perfect their breaststroke are covered with a heated lap pool on a sunny knoll. Wellness seekers can take advantage of the spa’s massages, sound therapy, yoga, guided meditation and astrology sessions.

Palm Springs may very well be the world’s pool capital, and Miramonte’s offerings are among the city’s best. Sunbathing is a sport at the signature Miramonte Pool where cabanas come decked out with drink coolers and sun-care kits, and there’s a whirlpool with a lofty perch on a terrace overlooking the pool. The smaller, circuitous Hideaway Pool has a flagstone sun deck. Spa guests can dip into the cool water Well Pool or the watery oasis known as the River Bench – a 102-degree (38C) pool with waterfalls and private nooks.

Morocco provides the inspiration for historic Hotel Californian’s Tan-Tan pool, named after the Berber town of Tan-Tan where sun worshippers make the pilgrimage each year for a large festival referred to as Morocco’s Burning Man. The pool deck has deep-red day beds that echo the clay color of Morocco’s medinas, coupled with views of Santa Barbara’s red-tiled roofs, palm trees and golden sands. The hotel’s Goat Tree restaurant delivers items from its Mediterranean menu straight to the poolside, like a frittata with piquillo peppers and a wild arugula salad with mimosa vinaigrette.

Located in the heart of San Francisco near Union Square, guests are often stunned when they realize Hotel Nikko has a 10,000-square-foot (930sqm) health club with an indoor/outdoor deck, fire pits, strength training and cardio equipment – even a “pet terrace” with a dog run. The club’s most impressive feature, however, is a 50ft (15m) swimming pool and whirlpool spa. The glass-enclosed space lets in plenty of sun, while keeping out the chilly San Francisco winds. Guests staying in Imperial Floor rooms and suites have free access, while other guests may use the club for a small fee per stay.

This Napa Valley wellness retreat’s vanishing edge hilltop pool is surrounded by calming views of grapevines and rolling hills. The modern farmhouse hotel has a guest-only Spa at Carneros, too, with indoor and outdoor relaxation spaces, immune-boosting massages and hydrating facials. While the hilltop pool is adults-only, the livelier Otto’s pool is where kids are free to splash and swim, and grown-ups can swim laps.