The Best Hotels With Pools in Los Angeles, California

Life at the classy Mondrian on Sunset Boulevard revolves around a rooftop terrace named Skybar. Underwater music plays in the pool itself, which is surrounded by loungers on which to recline and survey Los Angeles, stretched out beneath you like a jigsaw. Poolside, you can choose from a world-class selection of wines, champagnes and liquor and enjoy vibrant Californian cuisine, from fresh oysters to towering burgers. Within, futuristic rooms and suites may make you feel as if you’re in a space station, until you open the floor-to-ceiling windows to reveal limitless views of La La Land.

Pool or beach, or both? This is the toughest non-decision you’ll have to make at Shutters on the Beach, an oceanfront hotel in Santa Monica modeled on the cottages of Cape Cod. Light, stylish accommodations designed by Michael S Smith center on the pool and terrace, which is separated from the Pacific by a few yards. When you’re not swimming or lounging, eat at 1 Pico, where Michelin-star chef David Almany produces some of SoCal’s finest cuisine (don’t miss the naughty salted caramel popcorn sundaes), or enjoy sunset cocktails at chic oceanfront bar, the Living Room.

Housed in Downtown’s Commercial Exchange Building, the Freehand offers urban-chic accommodations designed by Roman and Williams, the firm that’s also behind the hotel’s LA-Israeli inspired restaurant. The building is crowned by a rectangular pool colorfully surrounded by pink loungers and red umbrellas, and flanked by award-winning cocktail joint Broken Shaker. Views on every side are of a forest of glinting skyscrapers. Accommodations are in shared dorms or private rooms or suites, all of which balance the building’s sturdy elegance with modern, light-touch designs.

Hollywood actress Beverly Garland discovered this seven-acre (2ha) site in North Hollywood in the 1970s, subsequently working with her husband and a Las Vegas hotelier to turn it into a characterful boutique. Now as then, the three-star property’s centerpiece is an open-air, heated pool and jacuzzi and surrounding terrace, which are seductively lit after dark. The Lobby Bar serves cocktails for poolside sipping, and the Front Yard restaurant showcases creative SoCal dishes by Larry Greenwood, one of LA’s leading chefs. All rooms and suites have private balconies.

Take full advantage of the Kimpton Everly’s rooftop terrace by booking the “Skyline Pool Package,” comprising an early check in time of 12pm, parking for one vehicle and a private poolside cabana overlooking Hollywood. Also on the roof is a cocktail lounge where chef demonstrations, screenings and live music events are frequently staged. Other perks of a stint at the Everly include pet-friendly accommodations, a hosted social hour every evening and easy access to the Jane Q Restaurant, where chickens are roasted and pizzas are fired to perfection in a rotating brick oven.

Rooftop pool and terrace WET Deck is one of the key draws at Marriott’s W Hollywood, a snazzy four-star operation at the junction of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. Accommodations with names such as Spectacular rooms and Extreme Wow suites have a lot to live up to, but manage it with dark hardwood floors, serpentine sofas and floor-to-ceiling windows. When you’re not at the pool or being wowed by your room, check out works by celebrity photographer Timothy White on the second floor or tackle a 12-ounce (340g) bone-in filet mignon at the Delphine restaurant.

Sixty Beverly Hills’ high-class rooftop pool offers dizzying views of Los Angeles, from the shining skyscrapers of Downtown to Hollywood’s verdant hills. Soak it all up while reclining on a white leather lounger inches from the water, or over wine and sides at rooftop bar Above Sixty. The same menu also features full-size entrées (centering on classics such as burgers and pizzas) and is served down on the ground floor in Caulfield’s Bar & Dining Room, where Art Deco meets industrial chic. The stylish rooms and suites all come with their own juliet balconies.

It may be coffin-shaped, but there’s nothing morbid about Hotel Figueroa’s pool. Surrounded by a manicured courtyard and serviced by resident cocktail wizards, it’s the only ground-level pool in Downtown Los Angeles. Figueroa itself is one of Downtown’s longest-serving hotels, having first opened its doors as a haven for female travelers in the 1920s. Its 268 rooms and suites are all individually decorated, blending contemporary designs with original features such as chunkily framed sash windows. Dine at Veranda, where chef Andy Garcia is producing some of LA’s most vibrant dishes.

Surrounded by cabanas and leather loungers, Hotel NoMad’s rooftop pool provides a five-star haven amongst the glass and steel behemoths of Downtown. Poolside snacks and cocktails are courtesy of the Rooftop café, but a more formal ambience characterizes the hotel’s eponymous flagship eatery. Under a gold-and-blue Italianate ceiling dating from the 1920s, acclaimed NoMad chef Abram Bissell offers cuisine inspired by both California and Italy, alongside a wine list featuring over 750 varieties of champagne and an award-winning cocktail operation.