Nothing is more quintessentially Las Vegas than walking up and down Las Vegas Boulevard – better known as the Strip – chasing photo ops and blackjack tables.
But one could argue that spending the day at one of Sin City’s many impressive pools is also a requisite part of any visit.
After all, Las Vegas is in the desert, and what better way to take a break from the slots and soak up the sun than with a dip in a pool? While some resorts reserve pool use exclusively for hotel guests, most allow others in for roughly the cost of a day pass.
To help you figure out where to rest your weary head or continue the party in the city of excess, we rounded up nine of the best pools in Las Vegas.
Caesars Palace Fortuna Pool
Some visitors will hit a Las Vegas pool to take a break from nights spent gambling, but others may prefer to keep their winning streak alive by hedging bets while catching some rays.
The Caesars Palace Fortuna Pool makes this possible with its swim-up blackjack tables.
Fortuna Pool is one of many located within the hotel’s Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis, which proffers an entire complex of swimming options that don’t involve gambling, in case you’re traveling with friends or family members who would prefer more traditional resort rest and relaxation.
For the R&R folks, there’s also the Qua Spa, which offers poolside massages and other soothing services.
Mandalay Bay Beach
Las Vegas may be hundreds of miles from the Pacific Ocean, but Mandalay Bay has brought the ocean breeze and splashing waves to the heart of the desert at its famous Mandalay Bay Beach. The 11-acre property lets guests book cabanas, beach bungalows and gazebos on the sandy shore, many of which even come equipped with flat-screen TVs.
One of the property’s top attractions includes the family-friendly wave pool, which simulates real ocean waves in 1.6 million gallons of water (though if you have small kids, they’ll need to be at least 48 inches (four feet) tall to ride the waves.
If a party is what you’re looking for, then head over to Mandalay Bay’s Daylight beach club. DJs including Rick Ross and Duke Dumont have performed at the poolside club. You can expect epic performers year-round, but in the summer, guests can take advantage of the hotel’s LIT Sundays series to keep the party alive all weekend.
Although cover charges vary depending on the events of the day, expect to pay around $30 for men and $20 for women.
Delano Beach Club, Delano
If privacy is what you’re seeking, the Delano offers a luxurious poolside club exclusive to its hotel guests (no day passes allowed).
A larger-than-life chess board submerged in the pool is one of the club’s centerpieces, along with high-end cabanas and hammocks spread throughout the property. Cabanas come complete with ceiling fans, TVs and your own music docking station to give you the most personalized experience possible.
The hotel is also conveniently located in close proximity to Mandalay Bay and the Luxor hotels, so if you do feel like joining a larger crowd and making friends after a while spent in peaceful exclusivity, you’ve got options.
The Pool District, Cosmopolitan
For years the Cosmopolitan’s Marquee Dayclub has been one of Vegas’ hottest clubs, and rightly so based on its incredible DJ lineup, three-story bungalows and butler services.
Though you can enjoy the Marquee’s high-energy all year long, the hotel also offers several other pools that make up an entire “district” of swimming options. Although each offers unique perks, they all share one thing in common: an incredible rooftop view of Las Vegas Boulevard.
The Boulevard Pool has a summer evening Dive in Movies series, a weekly event which screens classics including “Grease” and “Dirty Dancing” as well as contemporary favorites like “A Star is Born” and “Aquaman.”
Guests can rent cabanas or daybeds and order food and movie-inspired cocktails with names such as “Nobody Puts Baby In a Corner” and “Han Solo.” Admission is complimentary for Cosmopolitan guests and $7 for visitors.
But the resort’s pool, lined with chaise lounge chairs partially submerged in the water, is a splendid option any time of year.
The Tank, Golden Nugget
Attention adrenaline junkies: If you thought heading to the Carribean was the only way to experience the thrill of swimming with sharks, then you’d be mistaken. The Golden Nugget may be a few blocks off the Strip, but it offers the once-in-a-lifetime chance to immerse yourself in a tank full of sharks in the middle of Las Vegas.
Yes, you read that right. The hotel’s humane certified pool – appropriately named The Tank – surrounds a 200,000 gallon shark tank with a built-in waterslide running right through the middle of it. You can also take a tour led by a marine biologist of the sharks’ ecosystem, though remember to book in advance through their website.
If you need a little liquid courage to get through it, sip a cocktail at the H20 poolside bar or over at the Hideout, a private infinity pool for 21+ guests located just above The Tank.
The Scene Pool Deck - Home of the FlowRider, Planet Hollywood
Whether you’re an amateur or a pro surfer, there’s room for your skill level at the Strip’s only FlowRider, a wave simulator for surf enthusiasts who find themselves far from the shore.
This Wave-in-a-Box double is designed to minimize the impact of falling off a surfboard, which, if you’ve ever experienced it firsthand, can be pretty painful. At Planet Hollywood’s Scene pool you’ll be able to safely build up your surf skills and capture the standing-on-a-surfboard picture you’ve always dreamed of for your Instagram feed.
If surfing isn’t your thing, you can enjoy an activity that’s less physically straining by challenging your friends to a cornhole tournament using the boards found throughout the deck.
All of this, meanwhile, is happening with a view of the Las Vegas Strip.
Lazy River at the Grand Pool Complex, MGM Grand
For some folks, a hotel getaway means ditching all responsibilities and not moving a muscle more than required to get from their king-sized bed to the pool. If that sounds like a dream vacation, then the MGM’s Lazy River might be the perfect place to meet your sunbathing needs.
The 6.5-acre pool complex includes a massive lazy river that pretty much does the swimming for you. Grab one of the hotel tubes and float down the family-friendly Grand Pool complex, where you might cross paths with the occasional waterfall.
With five bars to choose from across the Complex, there’s no shortage of drinks and entertainment to keep guests chillin’ all day long.
Encore Beach Club, Encore
It wouldn’t be Vegas without a party and a few celebrity sightings, which is why the Encore Beach Club has a year-round lineup of some of the best nightlife on the Strip.
All season long the pool club will host the world’s top DJs and live music acts, including The Chainsmokers, RL Grime and Dillon Francis.
Although you can go for a dip anytime during the daylight hours, the special Night Swim series is essentially an evening pool party where guests can let loose in a submerged club setting.
Bright lights and smoke machines definitely set the mood at this underwater party, but if you don’t fancy swimming and clubbing at the same time, reserve a pool-side table to take in the scene and listen to the music.
JEMMA, NoMad Las Vegas
New to the Vegas hotel scene is the NoMad Las Vegas, occupying several floors of the massive Park MGM property, and also new to the scene is Jemma, a Friday, Saturday and Sunday-only daytime pool party, created seemingly for the city’s most gorgeous specimens.
Complete with DJs spinning music and performance artists dancing poolside in exotic, flowing attire with props, the party welcomes a combination of hotel guests, non-hotel guests and locals.
Pool-goers can opt for private cabanas or chaise longue tables feet from the pristine pool, which includes plenty of rafts for in-water lounging. Scantily-clad attentive servers strut from guest to guest, offering bottles of chilled rose, Aperol spritzes and snacks including chips and guacamole. It’s a scene alright – tailor-made for those whose ultimate Vegas wish is to be surrounded by seductive energy and pulsating beats.
Caesars Palace: 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109, +1 866 227 5938
Mandalay Bay: 3950 S Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89119, +1 877 632 7700
The Cosmopolitan: 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109, +1 702 698 7000
Golden Nugget: 129 Freemont Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101, +1 702 385 7111
Delano Beach Club: 3940 S Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89119, +1 877 632 5400
Planet Hollywood: 3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109, +1 866 919 7472
MGM Grand: 3799 S Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89109, +1 877 880 0880
Encore Beach Club: 3131 S Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89109, +1 702 770 7300
The NoMad: 3772 S Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89109, +1 833-706-6623
Stacey Lastoe contributed additional reporting to this story.
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