The lido queue is lengthy, the beach is packed, and none of us have air con – step forward the saviour of the UK summer heatwave: the hotel pool. Whether you favour some look-at-me lounging on a sceney city rooftop, some bucolic country dipping, or submerging yourself in a subterranean spa, our green and pleasant land is more pooled up than you’d realise.
These are the few we head for when the sun is high. No ducking, no bombing, no heavy petting etc…
SHOREDITCH HOUSE, LONDON
Easily the most Instagrammed splash spot in east London, Shoreditch House’s iconic rooftop pool is the jewel in its cooler-than-your-average crown.
And while you’re unlikely to find anyone actually swimming (rather, a whole lot of submerged schmoozing and sipping) what you will find are views of the City’s glass giants spiking the skyline, candy-striped daybeds and fringed parasols, plus a bar in-reach for those moreish poolside picantes.
THE RECTORY, THE COTSWOLDS
Is there anything more idyllic than sipping a cold beer under the heat of the afternoon sun while gazing over a charming country garden? Well, yes, actually. Because having a pool to cool off in between sipping improves that already dreamy scenario immeasurably.
If you’d like to put it to the test, set your sat nav for the ancient Cotswoldian village of Crudwell where the Rectory awaits – with its none-more-English take on poolside idling.
CLIVEDEN, BERKSHIRE
Probably the only pool in the world that’s played a part in bringing down a government. Yep, in 1961 Cliveden‘s walled-garden wonder was where young Christine Keeler was skinny-dipping when she caught the eye of then secretary of state for war, John Profumo.
What followed was a very British scandal of sex, national security, and stiff upper lips that spelled the end for Harold Macmillan’s administration – and provided a rather juicy backstory for future hotel guests (some swimfamy, if you will). These days the pool is heated but you’re unlikely to get into quite as much hot water.
THE NICI, BOURNEMOUTH
Fresh for SS23, Costa del Bournemouth has a new outdoor pool in town – at the Nici. Once the favoured destination of pensioners by the coach-load in its previous incarnation as the Savoy (not that one), it now sports such serious South Beach chic that you can easily convince your Instagram followers you’ve escaped to Miami.
If you prefer your swims salty, the beach is steps away, with a watersports shack en route dispensing paddle-boards and kayaks. Also opening in time for summer is a new spa for Oskia and OTO treatments pre- or post-refreshing dip, and there are some fire-pits to warm up beside if the situation is a little too Wim Hof for your liking.
WHITE CITY HOUSE, LONDON
Coming to you live from Television Centre: 10 before-breakfast lengths of chin-dipping breaststroke… Shepherd’s Bush may be an unlikely spot for a lido, but the rooftop pool at White City House, atop the former home of the BBC, is an attraction in its own right.
A Sixties-style feast of striped loungers and flouncy parasols set around a good-size heated pool, the novelty of its setting is its very superpower, adding a glamorous sheen to laps and lounging. (And if the sun’s not out, there’s always the indoor basement number at the gym.)
GRANTLEY HALL, YORKSHIRE
North Yorkshire may not feature high on the ranking for quality swimming spots, but Grantley Hall’s Poseidon-worthy pool may be just enough to change your mind.
Bordered by grand Grecian columns that blend with the rest of this historic hall’s decadent designs, the 18-metre heated pool starts in the spa and ends in a crescent of coiffed gardens – a well-considered move that makes escaping the risk of that pesky English rain a mere breaststroke, or two, away.
BEAVERBROOK, SURREY
Bucolic setting: check. Plush loungers: check. Cerulean-blue chequered pool: check. For Beaverbrook is (literally) a Lord-worthy lido, sitting pretty among the green swathes of Surrey. Not one for skimping, there’s also a plunge pool for kids and an indoor pool in the bath house, should the heavens open (as they are wont to do).
TEMPLE GUITING MANOR, THE COTSWOLDS
We’ve been won over by the rustic romance of the heated 12-metre-long pool at Temple Guiting, where its honey-hued masonry instantly announces your Cotswolds locale, modesty is preserved via a ‘changing shed’, and there’s a swinging teepee (for extra glamping points).
This country-estate stay is made up of distinct dwellings, and you’ll need to book the five-suite Barn to secure use of this outdoor pool (and the accompanying hot tub), which is open seasonally from April through October.
HECKFIELD PLACE, HAMPSHIRE
Heckfield Place’s wellness offering, the Bothy, has been years in the making. And it was definitely worth the wait. From the main house, you’ll have to walk through the grounds to reach it (not all 400 acres of them, though). The star attraction is the heated, indoor swimming pool – it’s crowned by an enormous skylight and fronted by retractable crittall doors that open up when the weather is behaving. As it’s strictly adults-only and reserved just for hotel guests, it promises perfect serenity at any time of day.
Braver souls may prefer to don some wellies, take one of the hotel’s waffle towels, and jump off the pontoon into the lower lake’s deep, clear and very unheated waters for a spot of wild swimming. It’ll be hard to believe you’re just an hour from central London…
LIME WOOD, HAMPSHIRE
The New Forest is a logical spot to find shade from the sun, but round here you can do better than cooling off under a tree. Lime Wood’s Herb House spa has a 16-metre indoor pool surrounded by huge glass doors that open onto a smaller plunge pool and decking area, all of it encircled by woodland canopy.
So, yes, you can escape the heat but you can also pause for a pedicure in the same afternoon. What’s not to love?
ROYAL CRESCENT, BATH
When in Bath, do as the Bath-ers do and, well, bathe. At the iconic Royal Crescent Hotel, a splash in the spa building’s (itself an ancient coach house) two indoor pools has a sense of almost heavenly peace thanks to the old-style brickwork, the lancet windows, and the lofty stone ceiling. Take your pick from the relaxation pool or the vitality pool – you’ll emerge refreshed enough to swear it’s holy water.
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Compiled by Hannah Dace, Martin Dickie, Stephanie Gavan, Emilie Hall, Caroline Lewis, Richard MacKichan, Ellie Nelson, and Kate Pettifer