Some hotel pools are the trip. The shots taken at them define the destination.
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Infinity pools
Marina Bay Sands Singapore
The 57th-floor infinity pool with the Singapore skyline. The most photographed hotel pool in the world.
Belmond Hotel Caruso Ravello
The Belvedere pool, Amalfi Coast below. Possibly the most romantic pool shot.
Le Sirenuse Positano
The pool deck with Positano descending below.
Capri Palace
Rooftop pool with panoramic Capri view.
Hotel Cipriani Venice
Olympic-length pool with garden views.
Overwater pools
Soneva Jani Maldives
The Crusoe Residence pool, overwater, infinity edge.
Cheval Blanc Maldives Randheli
Over-water villas with private plunge pools.
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
The Muraka underwater suite, pool above, ocean below.
Velaa Maldives
Sunrise/sunset over-water pool villas.
Rooftop urban pools
Standard High Line NYC, Le Bain
The Hudson and the Empire State at sunset.
Soho House Berlin, Soho Beach
Berlin rooftop pool with city view.
Address Beach Resort, Dubai
The Guinness-certified highest infinity pool in a building, 293.906 meters up on the 77th floor, verified in March 2021. The glass edge against the Ain Dubai wheel is the shot; our Dubai rooftop pool ranking has the access rules.
Gansevoort Meatpacking, New York
A 45-foot heated rooftop pool that runs year-round, the only one of its kind in Manhattan; steam rising off the water against a winter skyline is the photograph nobody else can copy. Details in our NYC rooftop pool guide.
Resort signature pools
Sandy Lane Barbados
Two-tier pool with palm framing.
Amankora Paro Bhutan
Mountain valley framed pool.
Singita Lebombo
Bush-facing infinity pool.
Royal Mansour Marrakech
Riad-style courtyard pools (multiple).
How to photograph hotel pools
Shoot at sunrise, empty, golden light. Sunset works but is busier.
Position camera at pool edge for infinity-pool framing. Wide lens (24mm equivalent or wider) captures the depth.
For overwater pools, drone shots have become standard. Confirm hotel drone policy.
Five rules
- Sunrise pool sessions, empty and golden
- Wide lens for infinity pools
- Drone policy varies by hotel, confirm
- Don't post during the trip
- Tip pool staff for early access
What changed in the June 2026 review
Two former rooftop entries are out: one Manhattan pool we could not verify exists at that property, and Bulgari Tokyo, whose pool is an indoor 45th-floor lap pool rather than an open rooftop. In their place are two pools whose superlatives are independently certified: the Guinness-verified Address Beach Resort in Dubai and Manhattan's only year-round heated rooftop pool at the Gansevoort. The full verified rankings live in our world pools guide and the city cuts for Singapore and Bangkok.
For more, see the photography pillar.
