A roundup of top resorts that make a real splash.
By: Sherri Eisenberg
There's something about a pool that is synonymous with the luxe life and getting away from it all. We went south of the border to assess the best swimming holes. Here, our list of the flashiest, the most remote and the best for romance. Dive into any one of our top 10 picks.
Coolest Natural Pool—Rosewood Mayakoba
Each suite at this Yucatan Peninsula hideaway has its own pool, and there are several shared pools throughout the resort, but the coolest one here is actually in the spa. There, you'll find a cenote—an underground waterway—that feeds a natural pool in the center of the spa. An extra bonus? This fantastic spot is adults-only. Among our favorite guest rooms is the Deluxe Spa Suite, which is located right near the cenote on the hotel's "spa island" and boasts a gorgeous garden terrace and private treatment area (room rates start at $400 a night; rosewoodhotels.com).
Clubbiest Scene—ME Cancun
Attention: couples who have no intention of slowing down just because they've recently gotten hitched. This massive 419-room resort, which just this winter transitioned into an all-inclusive program, has a Miami lounge feel throughout. Picture lots of white, from polished white floors to white couches and white curtains, and a scene by the pool that's a cocktail-fueled party. Lounge under the sun on a red Balinese day bed, then wade to the center of the adults-only infinity pool or the massive oceanfront main pool, where you'll be surrounded by fountains (room rates start at $195 per person, per night, and are all-inclusive; me-cancun.com).
Most Mexican Experience—Aqua, Cancun
This all-inclusive, adults-only resort is one of the few in Cancun that actually markets to locals, and they do a lot to drive the regional visitors here in droves. The music at the resort is authentic, as is the food and drink (there's a mezcal bar as well as a Michelle Bernstein-helmed restaurant). The gift shop is full of regional favorites, like handmade jewelry. Lie by the pool and you're more likely to meet a couple from Guadalajara than from back home—a refreshing experience, in our opinion. Best of all, you can borrow an iPod by the pool, or get a 10-minute foot massage. Guest rooms look onto the pool and beach or tropical gardens (room rates start at $199 a night and are all-inclusive; feel-aqua.com).
Best Service—One & Only Palmilla, Los Cabos
Palmilla's pool scene is a little more social than the ones at Cabo's other luxury resorts. Stretch out by the pool bar, and you may find couples sharing stories about their weddings, or where to go in LA for the best Korean food. Pool butlers flit around, bringing round after round of margaritas and offering to spritz sun worshippers with cold water and, later, to polish their sunglasses so they're as good as new. Want to make a dinner reservation or spa appointment without leaving your chair? Yeah, they can do that, too (room rates start at $575 a night; oneandonlyresorts.com).
Best for Star Sightings—Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Los Cabos
This tony resort best exemplifies why Cabo has a rep for being Hollywood's home-away-from-home. The stunning seaside infinity pool undulates in a sexy, curvy shape, and it's surrounded by comfy day beds covered in soft white terry and topped with, well, the film industry's hottest bodies. Is that Daisy Fuentes in a string bikini? Why yes, yes, it is. And even though the Olsen twins checked out on the day we checked in, it sometimes seems that all of Tinseltown has gathered here to sip top-shelf margaritas, cool off with tangy yogurt-flavored sorbet and watch the waves crash on the shore. When night falls, star sightings of the celestial kind are unbeatable from this same luxe perch (room rates start at $655 a night; lasventanas.com).
Best for Viewing Nature—El Tamarindo Beach & Golf Resort, Costa Careyes
This unplugged resort is set in the middle of a 2,040-acre oceanfront wildlife preservation. Sure, you can go on a tour of the estuary, but the pool's jungle setting makes it a great spot to watch for rare birds and tropical animals. Surrounded by palm trees and red umbrellas, you reach the pool by walking on the natural bridges that crisscross the jungly, beachfront property. At night, the intimate pool area is romantically lit by candles, lanterns and tiki torches (room rates start at $285 a night; mexicoboutiquehotels.com).
Best for Sunset Watching—Amuleto, Zihuatanejo
Surrounded by adobe walls, boulders, palapa-style thatched roofs and palm fronds, this six-room cliff-top boutique hotel has a luxurious, natural vibe. You can hike down to the beach to watch the sunset, or you can watch from the pool, your arms draped over the infinity edge, which seems to blend right into the sea. The view of the sun slipping into Zihuatanejo Bay is unforgettable (room rates start at $325 a night and include breakfast; amuleto.net).
Most Decadent—Esperanza, Los Cabos
Chic Esperanza has one of the most calming, dare we say indulgent, pool experiences you'll find south of the border. At the inky-dark rectangular pool, which is located on a cliff above the crashing Pacific, a waiter will help set you up in whatever pair of lounge chairs you choose. He'll cover the chairs with towels, then bring you an ice bucket filled with bottled water, cooling misting spray and chilled cloths, which are scented with the resort's signature lime fragrance. He'll take your drink and food order. (The jalapeño-laden tuna tartare is a refreshing treat on a hot day.) He'll also point you toward the magazine racks and small outdoor library of left-behind beach reads. And then comes the fun part: Every half hour, as if on a timer, fleets of waiters wander around serving the tastiest pool snacks we've ever had, from toasted pumpkin seeds to chili-spiced nuts, and café con leche-flavored popsicles. They're so good, you'll spend the day devising plans to make them at home (room rates start at $585 a night and include breakfast; esperanzaresort.com).
Artiest Pool—Casa Oaxaca, Oaxaca
A stay at this seven-room Spanish colonial hotel, one of central Oaxaca's charming candy-colored buildings, is as close as you can come to residing here. And since the hotel is filled with regional arts and crafts, like woodcarvings of animals with animated expressions, and candle holders made from local black earthenware, you'll feel as if you're staying in a private home. Enter the gorgeous courtyard, and you'll find a small, serene pool. This is the heart of the hotel, and several rooms have balconies that look onto it. In the mornings, guests take their huevos rancheros (fried eggs served with corn tortillas, tomato-chili sauce, beans and avocados) and cinnamon-laced Mexican coffee by the pool's edge; in the evenings they gather in the moonlight to sip margaritas and share stories of their day, highlights of which are most often from the on-site cooking classes (room rates start at about $225 a night; casaoaxaca.com.mx).
Best Urban Rooftop—Hotel Habita, Mexico City
This contemporary city hotel, located in the Polanco district of busy Mexico City, couldn't be more different from the other resorts we've mentioned. Picture a trendy lounge, full of beautiful people, wearing just enough to be decent. From the pool deck, climb the winding staircase to the moonlit bar area, where there are lounge chairs that are just private enough for, well, whatever a couple of honeymooners want to do (room rates start at $215 a night and include breakfast; hotelhabita.com).
Photos Courtesy of Hotels
