10 of the best hotels with pools: from family holidays to spa escapes

For many of the travellers that we speak to, the presence of a swimming pool at a hotel is the signifier between a destination and a place to simply rest one’s head. It is a sign of luxury, leisure and a sumptuous part of downtime.

Sometimes it is part of a spa experience. At other times it is somewhere to share laughter and games with children – the simple luxury of time together spent away from computer screens and in joyful, active bliss.

At these hotels, pools come in all shapes, sizes and offering all manner of experiences. This page lists hotels with indoor pools, but you can also see our recommendations for the best hotels with outdoor pools. Or maybe you’d prefer our hotels with hot tubs.

At Hartwell House, one of the most magnificent country house hotels in the UK, it is part of a romantic escape, flanked by the promise of a spa bath, steam room, sauna and spa treatments. Equally, at Chewton Glen, the pool is part of a wider thermal suite that attracts guests from the around the world to experience its award-winning excellence.

At Soar Mill Cove, just outside Salcombe, the salt water pool in this hotel, which occupies a dip in a wild landscape, seems to reflect the sea – viewed from almost all rooms in the hotel. It is a balm to aching limbs at the end of a day roaming the clifftops, and a soothing, peaceful part of an equally tranquil hotel experience.

For those who stay at Fingals in Dittisham however, the atmosphere is entirely different. This magical destination seems to harp back to a bygone era. One fancies oneself part of the Famous Five whilst here, and the pool is an extension of that eccentric experience beloved by families. The hotel has a sense of aristocratic elegance to it, and it’s a bit like staying with family as children run semi wild in the gardens, playing quoits, croquet, uninhibited and completely joyous.