Best hotels with swimming pools in the UK: Where to stay for romance, relaxation and sky-high views
The epitome of high-end travel is no doubt a luxurious swimming pool, and in this aspect, hotel accommodations across the UK do impress extraordinarily. Some of these architectural masterpieces shimmer majestically atop buildings, while others appear to elegantly cascade off infinity edges, offering panoramic ocean vistas. Quite a few are lovingly nestled within charming countryside landscapes.
Regardless of your preference for all things water- soaks, swimming, plunging or doing laps, the presence of an aesthetically pleasing pool can be the ultimate cherry on top to an amazing hotel retreat. There's an abundance of fabulous hotel swimming pools within the UK to pick from: from those filled with soothing thermal waters aiding in easing the knots and tightness of a full-on day of exploration, to stunning open-air designs that outstretch across high-contrast rural and coastal vistas.
Our specially curated selection encapsulates a health and wellness hotel in Bath complete with alluring pool facilities, a rooftop pool in the heart of London offering superior views, and an open-air coastal-themed pool location in Wales. These spots have made it to our coveted list of top hotels within the UK offering breath-taking swimming pools as an added feature to your chic sojourn. Hold your breath and keep scrolling to plan your unforgettable UK holiday experience now.
Prime UK hotels with fabulous swimming pools include:
Relaxation heaven: Encounter serenity at the Gainsborough Bath Spa, renowned for its tranquil spa and pool area.
Couples' refuge: Experience love in a whole new light at The Scarlet, a perfect retreat for romantic getaways with its secluded pool area.
Splendid views: Atop London, admire the capital’s skyline from the pool at Shangri-La The Shard.
Romantic getaway with a rural touch: The Tawny offers a perfect rural setting for lovers, complemented by a refreshing pool surrounded by nature.
Beachside bliss: Carbis Bay Hotel sits by the shores, offering an irresistible pool overlooking enchanting beach views.
Premium luxury option: The Corinthia boasts a plush pool for a delightful swim wrapped in opulence.
Family-friendly: Cliveden House warmly welcomes families with its spacious swimming area perfect for quality family time.
Variety at its best: Whether it's golf you fancy or a relaxing spa day, the Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort offers it all, including a fabulous swim experience.
Outdoor aficionado: For those who enjoy the allure of outdoors, the Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa offers outdoor swimming with stunning surroundings.
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Best for relaxation: The Gainsborough Bath Spa
The Roman and Georgian inspiration is visable in The Gainsborough Bath Spa
(The Gainsborough Bath Spa)
The Gainsborough Bath Spa: Bath, United Kingdom
Experience relaxation like never before at The Gainsborough Bath Spa in Bath, nestled in the heart of the city. The hotel's Spa Village houses a truly awe-inspiring swimming pool, resplendent in its rich cobalt blue, intricately tiled mosaic finish. The pool is a heated 35C and is filled with the city’s nourishing thermal waters, noted for their restorative benefits since antiquity, providing the ultimate soothing soak. The breathtaking spa is adorned with Romanesque columns and a modern, beautifully striking glass atrium overhead. This is not just a swimming pool; part of an one-hour self-guided tour, it is a full wellness experience complemented by two intimate heated plunge pools, a crisp ice alcove, steam rooms, saunas, and a serene relaxation terrace.
The historical hotel houses 99 stylish rooms that seamlessly blend modern comforts with elements of the property's Georgian past. For a truly immersive experience, special spa bedrooms go the extra mile, streaming the city's thermal waters directly into freestanding bathtubs. After your soak, you can unwind further with a rejuvenating treatment from the renowned ELEMIS spa range. No day at The Gainsborough could be complete without savoring a cup of hot chocolate made using a traditional Georgian recipe, the perfect comfort to warm up between dips. With its luxurious amenities and stunning architecture, this spa offers a pause from the everyday; a moment to breathe, relax and revitalise your senses in an extraordinary Bath setting.
Your Top Pick for Romantic Escapes: The Scarlet
Dive into a unique experience with The Scarlet's eco-friendly outdoor pool, surrounded by the tranquility of nature.
Distinguished by its commitment to environmental sustainability, The Scarlet leaves a minimal carbon footprint while providing a luxe experience. Its outdoor pool not only offers a refreshing swim but also marries the indulgence of a retreat with the calming influence of mother nature. Nothing says romance quite like the serene ambiance of this spot.
Refer: (The Scarlet)
Location: Newquay
For a back-to-nature swim, The Scarlet’s natural, reed-filtered outdoor pool, with views out to golden-hued Mawgan Porth beach on the Cornish coast, is hard to beat. Enjoy catching the Atlantic sea breeze as you soak, then hit the clifftop wooden sauna, steam room, and log-fired hot tubs to warm up in afterwards. Known for its eco credentials, this smart, adults-only boutique hotel also has a solar panel-heated indoor pool, 37 rooms with a beachcomber-chic vibe and excellent Ayurvedic spa treatments. Whether drifting in hanging cocoon pods after a massage, or enjoying leisurely fine dining while watching the ocean from the restaurant, a visit here is a guaranteed soul-soother. Doubles from £255, B&B.
Top Choice for Beautiful Scenery: Shangri-La The Shard
Experience the thrill of swimming amidst the clouds!
(Experience it at Shangri-La The Shard)
Located in one of London's most iconic buildings, this hotel offers a pool with a view that is second to none. The Shard's silhouette is one of the most instantly recognizable on the London skyline and from the pool, you can take in panoramic views of the city whilst enjoying a leisurely swim.
Location: London Bridge
At 182m above ground level, the Sky Pool at Shangri-La The Shard has to be seen to be believed. This 10m infinity pool on the 52nd floor of the Renzo Piano-designed Shard is the highest swimming pool in Western Europe, and offers phenomenal London skyline views as you swim. Prop yourself up at the pool’s edge for a bird’s eye view of the city, wonder at trains pootling along railway tracks which look so tiny they resemble toys. With a capacity of just 23 people, and hourly slots, it’s best to book your time ahead of check in, and while swimming hours run from 6am to 6pm, comfy poolside seating is the ideal spot for sundowners from adjoining GŎNG bar after hours. As well as all 202 bedrooms having sensational views and service here always being on-point, the hotel’s ideally located for jaunts to foodie haven Borough Market.
Unleash Your Pastoral Passions at The Tawny
Immerse yourself at The Tawny’s pool, where dimensions take a backseat to personality
Images courtesy: Andrew Billington Photography
Location: Staffordshire
Fringed by stone archways on one side and with sweeping views of the Consall Valley on the other, The Tawny’s outdoor pool might be small, but it’s hugely atmospheric. Heated year-round, it’s tucked on a terrace which spills down from the tropical-maximal Plumicorn restaurant, yet manages to feel hidden and intimate. On sunny days, watch flocks of birds swoop overhead from poolside loungers, while on chillier days warm up in steamy waters before calling a buggy to whisk you back to your room. A real countryside romp, there’s a 70-acre estate with follies and lakes to discover, and quirky accommodation includes luxed-up treehouses, Shepherd’s Huts and Boathouses. It’s worth trading the swim gear for glad rags for cocktails in the Feathers Bar under gilded plumage-look lampshades and suppers in The Plumicorn, and donning your walking boots to birdwatch at neighbouring RSPB Consall Woods. Wildwood Huts from £225, B&B.
Premier coastal hotspot: Carbis Bay Hotel
Immerse yourself in the endless aquatic wonder.
Experience the blissful blend of luxury and nature at Carbis Bay Hotel.
New fact: Aside from its stunning beachfront location, this extraordinary hotel offers an eco-friendly spa and a world-class restaurant that dishes out scrumptious local cuisine.
Additional detail: The hotel is also an ideal choice for water sports enthusiasts, providing easy access to various maritime activities along the pristine Cornish coast.
Location: St Ives, Cornwall
A combination of palm-filled subtropical gardens and vistas featuring the fine white sands of Carbis Bay, regularly voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, will have you thinking you’re in the Med rather than West Cornwall while paddling in the al-fresco infinity pool here. Be sure to keep eyes peeled for the seals and dolphins who sometimes make an appearance in the bay. As well as decked areas to maximise sun basking, a hydrotherapy pool and barrel sauna, there’s a peaceful private 25-acre Blue Flag Beach and direct access onto the South West Coast Path, with arty St Ives a 25-minute walk away. There’s a sports club for active types, VOYA seaweed wraps and lava shell massages in the spa, and accommodation options include 36 rooms in the grand, chandelier-filled main house and self-catering lodges for contemporary coastal cool. Head to Adam Handling’s zero-waste restaurant Ugly Butterfly, or Walters on the Beach for laid-back seafood dining.
Best luxury hotel: The Corinthia
The jacuzzi spa at Corinthia London
(Corinthia London)
Location: Whitehall, London
Black tiles, Italian marble and a steel lining give the sultry, 9m pool at The Corinthia’s subterranean ESPA Life spa plenty of James Bond allure, while a mirrored ceiling which reflects water movement adds an extra layer of tranquillity. Once you’re done swimming, the four-floor spa spans a whopping 3,300 square metres, and there’s plenty to keep you busy, from a glass amphitheatre sauna and steam room to 17 swish treatment rooms where everything from hydralift facials to theragun percussive therapies are on offer. Close to Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace, this ritzy hotel has a pomp all of its own – head to The Northall for best-of-British fare, or The Bassoon Bar for coconut old fashioneds and zinging live music.
Family Favourite: Cliveden House
Experience a blend of history and relaxation at Cliveden House while you enjoy a resplendent swimming session.
Established in 1666, Cliveden House boasts a rich tapestry of admirers from the heady days of British Empire.
Steeped in tradition, the house solidifies its position as the perfect family vacay spot in UK.
(Cliveden House)
Location: Berkshire
While Cliveden’s outdoor swimming pool might be best known as the scandalous setting which kick-started the Profumo affair – with John Profumo first catching a glimpse of Christine Keeler as she climbed out of the pool after an impromptu moonlit dip – this listed swimming pool inside a walled garden is as pretty as it is historic. Fringed by roses and lavender beds, enjoy views of a gilded 19th-century clock tower while you glide through the long-enough-for-laps 17.9m heated pool. Children are allowed to swim all day, plus an indoor pool has two sessions a day for little ones too. The spa also has an aroma steam room, outdoor hot tub and treatments by OSKIA and Sarah Chapman. There are 48 lavish bedrooms in an Italianate mansion with plenty of period features are named after guests of days-gone-by, and the Cliveden estate has 376 acres of National Trust gardens to wander in.
Best for variety: Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort
The Vitality pool at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort
(Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort)
Location: Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Surrounded by 132 acres of parkland in Ballymena, Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort has three brilliant pools. Rotate between a garden pool with hydrotherapy jets, a 20m indoor affair ideal for laps, which has a polished pebble border designed to give feet a mini-massage, and a more wild, al-fresco vitality pool at the edge of the rushing River Maine (look out for the resident heron rootling along the riverbank). As well as its award-winning Thermal Spa, which includes hot tubs with dramatic waterfall views, a Celtic Sauna, salt room and snow cabin, Galgorm has 125 rooms licked in river and woody hues, 17 Scandi-style cottages, log cabins and Shepherd’s Huts to bed down in. As for drinking and dining, there’s a 550-strong Gin Library housed in an art deco-inspired conservatory and traditional pizza on offer at Italian joint Fratelli’s.
A Top Choice for Outdoor Enthusiasts: Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa
Experience the thrill of an outdoor swim followed by a picturesque sunset at the Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa, one of the finest hotels in the UK with a swimming pool. Nestled amidst the breathtaking beauty of the Lake District, the hotel provides an awe-inspiring setting for outdoor pool lovers.
Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa is unique in its warm and welcoming atmosphere, paired with its awe-striking location that directly overlooks the gorgeous Lodore Falls. This inclusive package makes it an unparalleled choice for those who wish to incorporate nature, luxury, and relaxation into their vacation itinerary.
Location: Borrowdale, Lake District
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Capitalising on its picturesque Lake District setting, the 16m outdoor pool at Lodore Falls Hotel’s spa serves up astonishing views of Derwentwater Lake and the Catbells Mountains. Cleverly blending into an interconnecting infinity edge hot tub, the hydrotherapy pool is also layered with underwater bubble loungers and powerful hydromassage neck jets – ideal after days spent fell rambling. While it’ll set you back an extra £30/ £35 (weekday/end) per person to take a dip here – unless you’ve splashed out on a suite level room category or above – it’s well worth it, with a glass-fronted Finnish sauna, indoor thermal suites and pretty spa gardens to explore too.
Bedrooms are comfy and practical, and ideally placed for sightseeing as popular Keswick is around a 10-minute drive away.
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