Welcome to Part 2 of my favorite pools on earth — The World’s Best Hotel Pools. At least the best pools I’ve found so far.

As I hope you’ll see, just because this is my Part 2 of the best hotel pools, they are no less magnificent. (If you missed my Part 1 post, click here.)

As on my previous World’s Best Hotel Pools Post, my favorite pool picks are not just about the pool, but where the pools are. Whether exotic location or urban rooftops or a hidden oasis in the middle of a bustling city.

As always, there are a lot of photos so all my posts are better when viewed on your computer vs. phone.

This was such a hard post to create because there were so many great pools I had to cut out. But hopefully you’ll dig some of these. Do you have a favorite hotel pool? Let me know in the Comments below. Or let me know which one of these pools are your favorite.

Tierra Atacama–Atacama Desert, Chile

There’s something crazy about cooling off by a cool pool in the middle of the driest place on earth — the Atacama Desert. Dipping your toes into the cooling water while the sun sets over a marching row of giant volcanoes in the distance.

Tierra Atacama is the most amazing experience. You’re not here to just sit by the pool, it’s an adventure hotel where each day you work with their Experience Manager to choose your own adventure all across this vast empty desert. Trained guides — many experts in geology, history, anthropology or sports — take you out to explore this crazy region high up on a Chilean altiplano. Everything’s included, the guides, the roving fans to take you, your room, all your food and booze. It’s the best deal there is.

Read all about it on a big post I made about it.

The hotel sits at 8,000 feet above sea level and the nearby mountains roar up to 22,000 ft. The desert air is as dry as a bone, so it’s crystal clear which is why this is the astronomy capital of the world, with giant telescopes scattered all through the dark mountains and high plains. Scientists come from all over the world to look at the sky, right here.

The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. You sit in this magical hotel right in the middle of thousands of square miles of high altitude, barren desert, with volcanoes on all sides along Chile’s right shoulder of The Ring of Fire.

It’s so dry here — there are some parts of the desert where there hasn’t been any recorded rainfall in four hundred years — that NASA and other space organizations often come here to test their moon gear, jumping around amidst the dunes like it was the surface of the Moon or Mars, just with more gravity.

Sitting by this pool at a breathy 8,000ft elevation, you can see over a dozen volcanoes from your chair. You can oogle at the 22,000ft Lincancabur volcano while sipping on your Negroni.

When you combine the thin air at this high altitude with near zero humidity, the views are so distortion-free that distances are deceiving. You think something is nearby, but soon realize it is much farther than you anticipated. Which is why people often get lost (or in trouble) when they go off on their own, the expert hotel guides really help.

Dar Ahlam–Skoura, Morocco

Dar Ahlam is one of my favorite experiences, ever. It’s more than a hotel, it is magical and spectacular, almost like being in your own romantic movie. Started by a former French theater designer, your entire stay is designed to roll from one magical scene to the next. Your entire stay is built around you, not you adjusting around the hotel.

When you check in, the delightful French host says:

“Welcome to Dar Ahlam. Here we are all about experiences. There is no Reception. There are no keys to your room. There is no restaurant, nor menu. There are no hours. When you are hungry, come to me and I’ll take you to dine in a different place every day.”

That could be by the pool. On the kasbah roof overlooking the lush oasis. In a palm grove or a remote canyon all to yourself.” It’s just incredible.

You can read more about it in my giant post here.

Dar Ahlam is a dreamy oasis inside a palm-filled desert oasis in southern Morocco. You pinch yourself, chilling by the pool next to a thousand year old kasbah, the High Atlas Mountains to the north and the endless Sahara desert to the south.

Morocco is mind-blowing by day, but nighttime is when Dar Ahlam really brings the magic out. At dusk a sweet candlelighter moves from lantern to lantern, glowing under the purple blue dusk sky, your private table set in a different spot every night.

Hotel A Piattatella — Corsica, France

A Piattatella’s pool is a perfect example of my theorem that it’s not the size of the pool, but what you see from the pool.

This a feisty little pool that punches above its weight. A tight little infinity pool perched on the edge of a mountain ridge, overlooking a stunning valley below. On a mountain-filled island that rises from the middle of the Mediterranean.

Check out my post about this amazing little boutique hotel and Northern Corsica here.

This a feisty little pool that punches above its weight. A tight infinity pool perched on the edge of a mountain ridge, overlooking a stunning valley below.

A Piattatella is a delightful family-run hotel on the northern coast of wonderful Corsica. With a great restaurant that shares the same incredible views. Rooms, too. Highly recommend this gem. I can’t wait to come back.

Villa des Orangers–Marrakesh, Morocco

On your first arrival to Marrakesh Medina, you are instantly overwhelmed with the cacophony of sounds, senses and intense visuals. It’s jarring at first, there’s a busy gas station and bus stop across the street, donkeys pulling carts, cars zooming by. You wonder “Is this really it?”

Then you duck under the ancient entrance into Villa des Orangers and enter another world.

I stayed here once and came back for dinner on my second visit to Marrakesh during a Christmas break. Even on a cool December evening, this is a magical place to cure the winter doldrums. You can click here to read more about this cool oasis on another post I made.

Faena Hotel– Buenos Aires

This gorgeous pool falls under the Perfect City Hotel Pools category.

The Faena Hotel was so ahead of its time when it opened and brought worldwide design press for its killer modern designs by Philippe Starck. This hotel was why I came to Buenos Aires. Just to sit by the luxurious pool set alongside a restored giant brick warehouse looming over the reflecting pool.

I was here about a year after it opened and caught the eyes of the worldwide hotel and design press. I was certainly the un-coolest person staying here. Check out my post on this very hip hotel and other cool things to do in Buenos Aires.

The impresario visionary Alan Faena — a vision himself, always dressed in all-white suits, top hat and cape — created this realm inside a long-abandoned Victorian brick warehouse, complete with multiple restaurants, an tango cafe, exhibition spaces and experiences.

He has since opened up an even more elaborate design district in the exploding Miami scene, bringing a bit of Argentinian flavor to The States and creating its own center of gravity in the city’s crazy arts scene.

The fabulous over-the-top Faena Hotel was designed by Philippe Starck, taking over abandoned old Victorian brick 1800s warehouse and mixing it with a sleek modern look. The contrasts are glorious.

What makes this pool and hotel so cool is its architecture and location. The whole Puerto Madero docklands area was transformed over the last couple of decades in a giant entertainment, office and residential district.

A mix of modern high rises interspersed between remnants of the old dockyards, giant cargo cranes, now dormant, but lit up like works of art. The soaring brick interiors transformed into opulent spaces, with two-story tall drapes slung like a theater set.

Chedi Muscat — Muscat, Oman

Another glorious and luxurious urban hotel pool is the aptly-named The Long Pool at the Chedi hotel in bustling Muscat, the capital of under-the-radar Oman.

I remember seeing pics in design magazines of this exact view when the hotel first opened. It was one of the first grand design-led resorts to open — not just a run-of-the-mill resort. I cut the article out and filed it away, knowing that one day I needed to come here.

Oman is the opposite of Vegas-like Dubai. The former Sultan Qaboos transferred this whole country from a dusty backwater into a modern city. But he purposefully decided to not be another Dubai, there are no giant skyscrapers or hi-rises, the whole country has height restrictions and buildings need to incorporate traditional Omani architecture, mostly all white.

So when you come here, you feel a sense of place vs. generic hi-rises and over the top displays of wealth.

The whole resort is built around pools, reflections and flowing water. By day and (even better) at night. A supreme luxury in an arid country where water costs more than gasoline.

It’s a Poolapalooza.

The whole resort is a Design Class, every square meter thoroughly thought out, incorporating the Arabic design philosophy of reflecting pools, connecting rivulets and fountains. You turn any corner across this sprawling complex and are blown away with one pool after another. Check out my big post on this great hotel.

Six Senses Zighy Bay– Musandam Peninsula, Oman

And now for something completely different, but also in amazing Oman. The giant pool surrounded by soaring mountains at Six Senses Zighy Bay, in the isolated arid Musandam Peninsula. It’s a world away from the world.

Oman has everything: great expanses of deserts, pristine beaches, soaring mountains, wadis and Listerine-colored crystal clear swimming rivers. But the Musandam Peninsula is totally unique. Think hundreds of miles of coastline in arid fjords surrounded by turquoise waters. Think Norway, but without the green.

This gem is another perfect example of “it’s not just the pool, but where it’s at”. Here, isolated in the middle of a barren peninsula; crystal clear turquoise sea to one side, soaring mountains behind you. It makes your brain explode.

Six Senses Zighy Bay sits all by itself, in a completely isolated bay, surrounded by mountains on one side, the glorious sea in front of you. Getting here is half the fun. Your SUV climbs the steep mountains to a ridge overlooking the bay and can either take a windy round down, or can paraglide down to Reception.

You can guess which method I chose. This is an adventure hotel and there are so many cool things to do beside just sit by the pool. You can read all about it in a giant post I made about it here.

This is a multiple-nomination because there are so many drool-worthy pools across this resort. Here, in the middle of nowhere.

Honorable Mention goes to the private dipping pools in each villa. Each a little different. Just as much pool as you need. I spent so much time neck-deep, with a New Yorker propped on a towel at the edge of the pool. Grinning.

São Lourenço do Barrocal–Alentejo, Portugal

In midst of thousands of acres of golden fields and deep green ancient olive and cork trees sits this gloriously restored 19th century farmstead. It originally grew to be a giant labyrinth of farm buildings and stucco covered barns. It was almost a commune, supporting fifty families, living and working under one roof.

It sat dormant for decades until a forward-thinking family descendant, José António Uva, decided to take on this massive restoration. And now it is the toast of hoteliers and design aficionados around the world. You can read about his incredible story here on my friends Jo&So’s wonderful website.

And here is a giant post I made about it.

Castell d’Empordà — Costa Brava, Spain

A cool pool with its own castle tower. I like that.

This gorgeous hotel was such a great accidental find. Working my way back from France to Barcelona, I was looking for a cool hotel for a quick stop near the Costa Brava in the northeastern corner of Spain, booking just a day in advance. Scouring all my boutique hotel sites, I found this glorious castle on a hilltop. Castell d’Empordà.

Sitting high up on a hill overlooking the great fertile plains of Baix Empordà, it’s just where you want a castle to be. And with everything you expect a castle to have: towers, dungeons, thick walls, everything but a moat.

You can explore the nearby Costa Brava beaches all day, then come back to watch the sun set around this gorgeous pool, with views for miles.

This castle was built in the 14th century, prospered for centuries but by the late 90s was a complete abandoned dump. In ruins. Bats in the belfry. Then in 1999 along came a crazy Dutchman and his wife who fell in love with the place and bought it. They started renovating it top to bottom, with love. And style. And the right amount of onst-onst-onst.

You can read more about the cool castle and the Costa Brava in my other post here.

An Honorable Mention goes to this fabulous looking lovely natural pool on the nearby Empordà coast. It’s a private apartment pool, so I didn’t get a chance to take a dip. But hats off to whoever created this work of art.

Palazzo Avino — Ravello, Italy

Ravello is one of the prettiest towns in Italy, sitting a couple thousand feet above Positano and the heavily-touristed Amalfi Coast below. But up here, it’s all quiet, just jaw-dropping views.

Palazzo Avino is one of the best hotels up top, with a killer restaurant terrace on the side of the cliff and killer views from every suite. Check out the post I made about Palazzo Avino.

It’s amazing that I only have a single photo of this amazing hillside pool. But when I visited here, it was my first digital camera and I was still taking selective photos like it was on film. Doh!

But this appreciation post is more about the views from the pool than the actual pool. Here’s my post with a lot more pictures on this cool hotel.

Hotel Ohla–Barcelona

The Ohla Hotel is a groovy little sleeping platz In Barcelona, right on the edge of the Gothic Quarter. Sleek rooms, a good restaurant and an awesome pool bar on the roof, the absolute perfect Gin-Tonic Spot before going out grazing tapas around town.

It’s such a great pool to come back to after a sweaty day trouncing around Barcelona. And one of my top City Hotel Pools.

The pool on the roof is a go-to, even if you’re not staying here, come for a cocktail. Amazing views to watch the sunset every night. The location is perfect and sometimes you can really snag a great steal of a room rate. Here’s a post I made about this hotel and three other cool boutique hotels to stay in Barcelona.

There’s something cool about a pool in the sky. I like it. These views can’t be beat.

Even if you don’t stay here, or swim here, this is a great place to stop in for a sunset pop. The views are fizzy.

Come here for a sunset drink overlooking Barcelona and let the ebullient, friendly bartenders show you the right way to make a proper Spanish-style Gin-Tonic. I didn’t even like gin & tonics, I do now.

Amanjena–Marrakesh, Morocco

Yes, yet another Moroccan pool, because Morocco is one of my favorite countries, with so many mind-blowing hotels. And hotel pools.

There are many fine hotels in Marrakesh — one killer hotel I’ve detailed in posts here — and certainly others even more over-the-top, but this one adds the Aman Touch to the already impeccable Berber hospitably of all of Morocco.  

Set outside of the Medina in the Palmeraie and situated around vast catch basins from long ago, the Aman is its own ecosystem. You almost don’t want to leave. 

Muted pink and green are the dominant colors, in fact almost the only colors in the palette of the hotel except the hand-honed wood touches. That and the pale green shimmer of the endless reflecting pools, a shock in this desert dominant country.

Click here to read more about Amanjena on another big post I made.

Esperanza–Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

I debated whether or not to include this pool because it is the most typical giant luxury resort, but still, it’s a cool pool. And many people like going to Mexico.

The pool sits like a grandstand right above the crashing surf. Nice patio furniture to cradle you as waiters bring you endless margaritas, chips and guacamole.

As many of you know (as if the above pools I posted above don’t indicate it) I don’t mind plunking down a stack of bills to stay in an incredible place, but I walked away pissed after staying here. Esperanza seemed like it was more of a machine designed to take your money rather than a relaxing experience.

These were above top U.S. resort prices… and you know that money difference wasn’t going into the pockets of their friendly local staff. Not to mention the constant nickel-and-dime charging for every little thing. I was spoiled by the relaxing generosity Europe, Morocco and Oman hospitality.

But the thing that really pissed me off was how under lounge-chaired the resort was. There are more guests than loungers. It took me a couple of days to figure out The Lounge Chair Wars™️ of people rushing down to reserve prime seats aheads of others… otherwise you get stuck in some alcove, or like us on our first day, the only place left was laying on our towels on the hot concrete. I didn’t pay $1500/night to fight for a damn chair.

But still, it is an amazing resort to duck away to for a couple of days. Here’s a post I made about it. You decide.

So, if you come here, my suggestion is your treat it just like Disney World. You know you’re going to pay more than you’ve ever paid anything for, get charged for every little thing and fight the crowds, but it will be great in the end once you cool down.