Checking In: Best hotel pools

Nothing says summer like a good hotel pool party. Leave the logistics to the pros at any one of these rockin’ destinations.

You can’t talk summer hotel pool parties without mentioning Las Vegas. Mandalay Bay’s new Ibiza-style DAYLIGHT Beach Club is a 5,000-person venue with a central pool that’s surrounded by plush daybeds, cabanas and bungalows. Here, featured and resident DJs like Skrillex, Sebastian Ingrosso and Nicky Romero spin from a stage that’s decked out with vines, metal mesh and six LED screens. Prime cocktails and bikini-friendly cuisine — think sushi and sashimi — complement DAYLIGHT’s swanky ambiance. After sunset, DAYLIGHT turns into Eclipse, taking the party from dusk ‘till dawn.

Cain at The Cove Atlantis in The Bahamas is an adults-only beachside pool scene with DJ-curated parties that just so happens to be the getaway of choice for celebs like P. Diddy, Usher and Katy Perry. Jeffrey Beers, who’s worked on major projects like the redesign of Jay-Z’s 40/40 Nightclub in New York City, created the teak-wooded deck with two 9,000 square foot elevated infinity pools. There’s an outdoor gaming pavilion for blackjack and craps, private beach- and pool-view cabanas, and a concierge providing everything from poolside games to a Bloody Mary and granita cart.

Summer pool parties at Hotel Palomar are popular with San Diego 30-somethings who come for the DJ-spun music and handcrafted specialty cocktails. There’s poolside bottle service as well as a farm-fresh menu with light bites and juice-infused drinks. Besides the Sunday pool parties, check out SummerSalt at Hotel Palomar for its BBQ feasts every Saturday, which are topped off with a live music series. If you like the fun and energy of a night out without the pretense, you’ll like this spot.

Every Saturday during summer, Four Seasons Hotel Miami’s 2-acre pool terrace throws an outdoor fete complete with a cocktail bar in the hotel’s Palm Grove pool, Leblon caipirinhas cart, poolside mixology classes and, of course, music. Up the ante with one of two VIP pool cabana packages: the Simple Chill with fresh fruit and bottled Fiji or the Sparkling Experience, which is made slightly more exciting thanks to a bottle of Louis Roederer champagne. Prefer a more laidback poolside experience? Book one of the hotel’s new poolside spa treatments, which include either a reflexology or hand, neck and scalp massage.

Looking to take your summer soiree to the international scene? Hit the W Barcelona, where the WET Deck Summer Series Sundays are practically world famous. It’s the type of place where staff is referred to as “talent” and they hand out sweet treats like popsicles alongside other goods. Pool attendants handle every one of your whimsies, making sure you’re set for those hot Spanish days and nights with sunscreen and water sprays. On tap this season are Paul Nolan, Vitor Kurc, Carl Craig with Ryan Crosson and more.

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