The Best New York Hotels with Pools

It's easy to take a beautiful swimming pool (or two, three or more) for granted if you're vacationing at a resort in the Caribbean or Hawaii. But what about in New York City? Which hotel do you book if you must get in your daily early morning swim laps, or (more likely) you just want to relax in the water and perhaps enjoy a cocktail poolside?

New York hotels with pools are rare, and you can't even trust the Amenity filter on some hotel booking sites. You'll get a list that includes hotels such as the Michelangelo, a great midtown European boutique hotel, but one that most assuredly does NOT have a pool, no matter what TripAdvisor says:

Ok, enough of which hotels don't have pools. There are a few New York hotels that have pools, and these are our picks for the best NYC hotels with pools for these reasons:

-Open all year round

-Situated in a great hotel

-Spectacular views, since they are located either on the hotel rooftop or on a high floor

1. The Peninsula New York

The Peninsula New York definitely epitomizes Old New York grandeur. Its indoor 45 feet swimming pool on the top floor is secluded, open only to hotel guests and to guests of the hotel's exclusive ESPA spa. If you want to be pampered like a celebrity, this is where you should be. Weather permitting, enjoy the sun deck and finish up with drinks at rooftop bar Ning.

2. Mandarin Oriental

The Mandarin Oriental offers the longest hotel pool in NYC, at 75 feet, which allows avid swimmers to get in a decent workout of lap swimming. It also has gorgeous views of the city and Hudson River through its floor to ceiling windows. And since it's the Mandarin Oriental, there's an incredible spa, one of the best in NYC.

3. Le Parker Meridien

We like this penthouse pool with its glass atrium that lets in plenty of natural light (while still protecting us from the elements in winter) and the views of Central Park and Manhattan skyline. We just wish the hotel itself was better quality, since it's not a true luxury hotel. While it can get a bit busier here because the pool is open to members of Gravity Fitness, it's a small price to pay for the overall aesthetics and also the great value for money, since room prices are usually $200-$300 less than at 5-star hotels with pools. Plus, Starwood members can redeem their points for a free stay.

Best of all, after working up a huge appetite, you can head down to Norma's, which serves one of the best brunches in New York.

4. Hotel Gansevoort

We're not exactly the demographic Hotel Gansevoort aims to attract–that would be Manhattan's pretty young things who are up to all hours at the latest hip clubs in the Meatpacking District–but we don't deny that this is one of, if not the only, heated outdoor rooftop pool in NYC that is open all year round. It also features underwater music, if you like that kind of thing. Naturally, superb city views come with the territory. Just don't tell us we didn't warn you–this hotel is for those who love their nightlife, and we make no promises about sleeping soundly if you're the type who turns in at 10pm…try more like 4am, or bring ear plugs.