Parasol Paradise: Eight Gloriously Retro Hotel Pools
From a 24-karat-gold-lined Versace splash pad in Miami to a lavender-scented English oasis, these are the eight retro hotel pools to dive into this summer.
29 June, 2022
- Words by
- Gilly Hopper and Lucy Kehoe
Planning
Planning
a summer getaway has our gaze veering poolside. But
forget vertiginous infinity affairs and tubular monstrosities (aka
waterslides). Rather, we’ve locked eyes on our favourite poolsides
of old, which come complete with ice-cream shades, colourful
stripes and scandalous backstories. From historic oases tucked into
the LA sprawl to contemporary copycats soaking up the Saint-Tropez
sun, these retro hotel pools are where we’re heading for a
splash-out summer. There’s only one question: who’s bringing the
lilo?
Our favourite retro swimming pools to sip a spritz by this
summer
hotel
Parker Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California, US
Deserts and ice-blue swimming spots make good company. At this
iconic mid-century-modern stay, palm trees fan the sky and huddle
over the pool’s perimeter. When the Californian sun gets too
intense, take shelter under the lemon- and white-striped umbrellas
and hit up the vintage-feels lemonade stand. Coordinating your
beverage to your bather feels so right here.
hotel
The Beverly Hills Hotel
Los Angeles, California, US
Fran Lebowitz said it best: “Los Angeles is a large city-like
area surrounding The Beverly Hills Hotel.” A beacon of Hollywood
glamour and the nucleus of A-list living, the gilded hotel has its
fair share of siren stories. Faye Dunaway enjoyed a post-Oscars
breakfast here in March 1977, dressed in silk and heels. Katharine
Hepburn once dived into the pool, fully clothed. It was even the
site of a notorious private pool party hosted by The Beatles. We’d
suggest switching the red-carpet dress for a Dos Swim one-piece
as you recline on a bubblegum-pink lounger. As for pool-party
antics? That’s up to you.
hotel
The Hollywood Roosevelt
Los Angeles, California, US
If there’s one thing David Hockney is known for, it’s his knack
for painting enticing scenes of LA’s swimming pools. In November
2018, the artist’s aquamarine-infused Portrait of an Artist (Pool
with Two Figures) became what, at the time, was the most expensive
work of art by a living artist to have been sold at auction. The
Roosevelt’s piscine isn’t the one depicted in the record-breaking
painting, but the hotel does have its own Hockney story. In 1988,
the bespectacled artist spent a morning covering the pool bottom
with a pattern of swooping half-moon marks, which remain intact
today.
hotel
Cliveden House
Berkshire, UK
Flanked by cream calico parasols and borders of fluttering lilac
lavender, Cliveden’s outdoor pool is a picture of English
pleasantness. But don’t be deceived. It’s also the home of a very
English scandal. It was while dipping into the gin-clear rectangle,
in 1961, that government minister John Profumo first cast his eyes
on the model Christine Keeler, marking the beginning of an affair
that would forever alter British politics. Last time we took in a
few laps, there were no Whitehall ministers hanging around the
350-year old estate, and scandal has since been replaced by spa
treatments, with the pool forming part of the historic hotel’s
wellness centre. But who doesn’t love a backstory?
hotel
The Villa Casa Casuarina
Miami, US
Mainlined Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace:
American Crime Story? Dip your toes into the late fashion
designer’s 16m, 24-karat-gold-lined “million mosaic pool” – a play
on his famous 1990s Marine Vanitas collection. It’s pretty gauche –
naturally – but if you’re partial to a bit of OTT design, the
gilded extravagance will entice.
hotel
Faena Hotel Miami Beach
Miami, Florida, US
A cross-shaped pool is always a punchy move and, frankly, we
wouldn’t expect anything less from this Miami Beach hangout. At
Faena, the colour code is maraschino-cherry red and Colgate white –
just look at those candy-striped parasols and loungers. For 1950s
maximalist glamour, North Beach is where it’s at.
thingstodo
Villa Lena
Tuscany, Italy
Italy. Summer. Striped parasols and wet footprints splashed
across warm terracotta tiles. The marbled shimmer of the water. The
sound of cicadas in the early afternoon. Oh wait, are we quoting
André Aciman? Our bad. Welcome to the sun-scorched swimming pool at
Tuscany’s Villa Lena – a paradigm of la dolce vita. This hybrid
hotel pairs farm living with creative retreats, but if we’re
honest, it’s the pool tucked beneath the coral 19th-century villa
we’re making a beeline for. Dangle your feet in, absorb the
saturated colours of this sun-kissed escape and daydream about your
cameo in the Luca Guadagnino film adaptation.
hotel
Hôtel Lou Pinet
St Tropez, France
Pack your headscarf for this swish St Tropez stay, which oozes 1960s style, right down to
its enticing sea-green-tiled pool. Surrounded by French
farmhouse-style suites and crisp white parasols, the cool oasis is
the pièce de résistance of this very French hotel, and the perfect
spot from which to enjoy a little people-watching, Provençal-style.
Grab a watermelon juice, hide behind big sunnies and watch fellow
guests waft by.
This article was updated on 29 June 2022. It contains
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