As the mercury keeps climbing and New York City continues to feel more and more like a giant sauna, your only options are to blast the air conditioning or plunge into cold water. If you opt for the latter, head to a hotel to find some of the city’s top outdoor pools. And of course, it’s not just about the pool itself: you’ll want a good pool bar, comfortable loungers with plenty of umbrellas for shade, and the right vibe. So, here are six of our tried-and-tested favourites. 

Vale Pool at The William Vale, Williamsburg 

NYC’s longest outdoor pool is also one of its most stylish; you’ll often see Williamsburg’s fashionable crowd gathering here to sip frozen piña coladas. And as well as sweeping skyline views, it also has some of the best food and drinks, thanks to a menu by acclaimed chef Andrew Carmellini (try the mezcal julep and refreshing tomato watermelon salad). Limited day passes are available for non-guests, whilst hotel guests get complimentary terrace lounge chairs, and check out the new cabana package if you can – it includes a basket loaded with treats from sunscreen brand Vacation.  

Rooftop Pool at Gansevoort Meatpacking 

You’ll find this posh pool with its iconic neon ‘No Diving’ mural atop the Meatpacking District’s best luxury hotel. With food and beverage service including lobster rolls and acai bowls, plus plenty of comfy striped loungers and lush plants, it’s easy to while away the day here. You must be a guest or a member of SEVEN24, the hotel’s private membership club, to use the pool, which is open year-round thanks to being heated. For premium seating, reserve a daybed or couch for a two-hour time slot, which includes a glass of bubbly, SPF suncare, poolside reads, cold water, and towels. 

The Pool Club at Virgin Hotels New York 

When this outdoor pool on the hotel’s fourth-floor terrace opened last year, it quickly made waves as one of the liveliest summer spots. All loungers, daybeds, and cabanas require reservations, and non-guests can book through Resort Pass. Cocktails like Purple Rain (vodka, ume plum liqueur, lime, and ginger beer) and Island Time (rum, cachaca, prickly pear, and lemon) are bright and refreshing and there are also frozen and low-alcohol options. When hunger strikes, order small plates like tuna poke and lobster rolls, or something off the Sweet Chick summer pop-up menu (hello, fried chicken bucket). 

Rooftop Pool at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge 

It’s all about the view at this L-shaped pool deck: you can see both the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and the Lower Manhattan skyline in the frame. The angular pool is perfect for a cool plunge – but be aware that lounge chairs are reserved for hotel guests only. However, it’s just added a new Sky Swim Lounge for this summer, which offers tables for guests and non-guests just below the pool deck. So, you and up to 11 people could chill here over cocktails and Asian-inspired bites. 

Outdoor Pool at Equinox Hotel New York 

There are actually two pools at Equinox: an indoor saltwater lap pool and an outdoor pool and sundeck overlooking the Hudson River and Thomas Heatherwick’s Hudson Yards twisting sculpture. The former is ideal if you want to get your heart rate up before collapsing in one of the many lounge chairs on the outdoor terrace, where you’ll also find a crop of cabanas, which can be booked for an entire day, and fast bites from healthy café Broken Coconut. Heads up: this tranquil pool is only open to hotel guests and Equinox members. 

Rooftop Pool at TWA Hotel 

One for anyone who likes to swim with a side of aeroplanes, this rooftop infinity pool at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s TWA Hotel doubles as an observation deck. As planes land and take off, hotel guests and non-guests can lounge all year long in the heated-in-winter pool with TWA’s stripes and logo on its bottom. As you relax, try cheekily named cocktails like Jet Fuel (cucumber mint vodka, Aperol, lemon, and muddled watermelon) and Flotation Device (rum, mint, lime, and club soda), as well as snacking on sandwiches, salads, and shareable plates like hummus platters, nachos, and flatbreads.