Haute 5 Pools: Take a Dip In LA

The weather in LA is one thing that makes wary transplants quit their whining.  Around this time of year when friends and family back east complain about how numb they are, how ineffective their radiators are, and how far away summer seems to be, denizens of Los Angeles (both natives and imports) take to the great and still somewhat warm outdoors.  Where exactly do they go? To the pool, of course, and what a great set of pools to choose from… Here, LA’s 5 most haute pools to make your cold, cold friends that much more jealous.

The Standard Downtown

There is arguably no pool more quintessentially LA than the pool on the roof at the Standard Hotel Downtown.  They host parties nearly every day during the summer and keep it nice and heated during LA’s version of winter.  A place to truly see-and-be-seen, The Roof features a dance floor, outdoor bar and fireplace, vibrating waterbed pods, and unparalleled views of the Public Library and the skyscrapers that make up Downtown LA’s landscape.  This is not the pool to pull out the goggles and swim laps, this is where you squeeze into your new Missoni bikini and show off what your mama gave you.

The Standard Downtown is located at 550 S. Flower Street in Downtown LA.  (213) 892-8080

Avalon Hotel

The Avalon Hotel has long enjoyed its status as a chic, semi-hidden boutique hotel in Beverly Hills.  Their pool has a reputation that precedes it, though, and is often the reason visitors end up here for an extended stay.  The 70s retro feel to the lobby and pool area brings an atmosphere unlike any in LA.  If you find yourself in a poolside cabana, for example, you’ll look out to see other beautiful, in-the-know locals and visitors, blue/green textiles, white curtains, and the menu from their newly renovated restaurant, Oliviero.  It’s an urban oasis, as they say – a perfect place to get away from the hustle of Beverly Hills.

Avalon Hotel is located a 9400 W. Olympic Blvd. in Beverly Hills. (310) 277-5221

SLS Hotel

A year in, the SLS Hotel on La Cienega has carved out a special place for itself in LA’s social scene.  Once you move past the Bazaar and that luxe spa, heading to their gorgeous rooftop pool is the obvious next step.  Leaving out no accommodation or comfort, their pool deck features two reflecting plunge pools, private cabanas, and lounge chairs that will encourage you to stay a while.  A full bar and light menu by Jose Andres tops off the experience – it’s filling the need for a pool that strikes a balance between the Standard’s 24-hour party atmosphere and that of a calm resort in, say, the Bahamas.

The SLS Hotel is located at 465 S. La Cienega Blvd. in West Hollywood. (310) 247-0400

The Beverly Hills Hotel

The pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel is the most classic hotel pool in Los Angeles – surrounded by their standard pink walls and green palm trees and adjacent to their adorable Cabana Club Café, it has been able to sit comfortably between a tres haute hang out for celebrities and a laid back lunch spot for locals.  With a host of green and white striped cabanas and lounge chairs it will be hard to find an excuse to actually get in the pool – the underwater music should help, though.  To enter the pool area, you’ll have to pass by the hotel’s La Prairie Spa – a tough move to be sure.

The Beverly Hills Hotel is located at 9641 Sunset Blvd. in Beverly Hills. (310) 276-2251

The Sunset Tower Hotel

Stepping off the Sunset Strip and into the Sunset Tower Hotel is like entering a world that only exists in your Frank-Sinatra-crooning dreams.  Harkening back to the golden days of Hollywood, the Sunset Tower Hotel’s pool is a place of refuge for the city’s chicest visitors and locals – flanked by its indoor/outdoor bar and decorated in the hotel’s signature brown and white accents.  The hotel itself is an art deco fantasy and the covetable view from the pool only accentuates the experience.  You can lounge, dip your feet in the water, have a drink, and say things like “charmed I’m sure.”

The Sunset Tower Hotel is located at 8358 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood. (323) 654-7100