The popularity of Las Vegas as a summer tourist destination skyrocketed in the early 2000s with a dedicated push by the Strip’s powers-that-be to bring trillions of gallons of chlorinated water to the desert. Nowadays, with a high-quality refreshing pool on every resort’s list of entertainment offerings, it’s more difficult to identify which ones are worth your precious time to visit.
Sure, we understand: even though you’re in the mood to get wet, lounge about, and have a few drinks, the wildest dayclubs and pool parties in Vegas may not be what you are looking for. Fear not weary traveler, there are some magnificent Vegas pools that stand out above the rest: sparkling desert oases (or is it oasises?) that will provide you the ultra-relaxed lounge vibe you desire in the central location you want – right smack dab on The Strip. Here is our list of the Top 10 best chill pools (the non-party pools) in Vegas for you to chill out, get your tan on, and beat the heat.
1) Wynn / Encore – Wynn Pool – $$$$ – South Strip
With its ubiquitous gold-accented interior decor, the Wynn/ Encore resort has always been one of the most luxurious properties on the Vegas Strip. In recent years, they’ve traded in their elitist vibe – without sacrificing any of the luxury – for a more high-energy fashionista cool to target those aspirational Millennials of the aughts and teens who now have money to burn in 2020. While the big draw for the hipper, somewhat younger set remains this resort’s party venues – some of the best in the world for nearly a decade running – their non-party pools are equally world-class, exuding quiet glamour and peaceful serenity. Impossibly beautiful service staff waits on you while relax atop supple couches and loungers, pausing to dive into the refreshing waters and touch the vibrant painted butterflies that grace the pool floor. What are you waiting for – you deserve the best, right?
Closest pool party / dayclub to Wynn / Encore: Encore Beach Club (on resort property outdoors)
2) Caesars’ Palace – Garden of the Gods – $$$ – Center Strip
The casino resort that defined Las Vegas luxury for baby boomers was re-introduced to and lionized by the 40-and-under set via the 2009 smash-hit movie “The Hangover.” A decade later, Caesars’ Palace continues to be a must-visit resort on the Strip, and its Garden of the Gods pool oasis – one of the best-named things of any thing in Vegas – is a big reason why. The smaller pools that make up the complex – Apollo, Fortuna, Jupiter, Neptune, Temple, Venus – are named after Roman mythological gods, and each has its own clever primary purpose (e.g. Apollo is for sunbathing, Venus is an adults-only topless pool). With ornate fountains and statues strewn about the pool deck, The Garden of the Gods also provides one of the most Instagram-worthy water backgrounds in Sin City. Insider tip: if you think the Caesars’ pools look stunning during the day, swing by in the early evening as the sun sinks behind the mountains in the horizon. Your friends back home will suspiciously wonder why half the pics in your camera phone are of this scene.
Closest pool party / dayclub to Caesars’ Palace: Bare (@ Mirage next door)
3) Cosmopolitan – Boulevard Pool – $$$$ – Center Strip
A popular hotel choice and rendezvous point for the beautiful twentysomethings and thirtysomethings of the world since the day it opened, The Cosmopolitan continues to stand out from all other high-end resorts on the Strip by maintaining its modern style and sophistication while consistently adding new attractions. The choice of well-traveled and well-heeled young foreigners as well as in-the-know locals, Cosmo attracts the “cool kids” crowd with its buzzy pool/bar scenes, and The Boulevard Pool is right on brand. If its sister venue Marquee Dayclub is the sorority-girl wild child, then Boulevard Pool is the ultra lounge-loving sophisticated older sister who enjoys art, books, foreign languages, white wine, and dirty martinis. The pool consists of one continuous water body with multiple shallow ends (less than 1 foot deep) where you can sit, or even lie prone in the water, while sipping your cocktail. Out of the pool, you can feed your competitive streak with deck games like ping-pong and foosball or just enjoy the magnificent third-story view overlooking the bustling and sweltering Vegas Strip.
Closest dayclub to Cosmopolitan: Marquee Dayclub (in resort on second floor / offers Vegas bottle service)
4) Mandalay Bay – Mandalay Beach – $$ – North Strip
The giant Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is every bit as luxurious as the other resorts on this list, but it’s one of the oldest resorts on the Strip and thus no longer exudes that “exclusive” feel as do many of the others. It’s not for lack of effort though: the 11-acre playground has three large pools, a lazy river, 2,700 tons of white sand, a 1.6 million gallon wave pool, and even an elevated stage built atop the wave pool where live performances regale fans wading in thigh-deep water. The resort itself offers a plethora of family-friendly atmosphere and amenities, e.g. shark reef aquarium, interactive shows, kid-friendly eateries. As a result, a family-friendly booze-friendly backyard pool party – with quite a few tipsy aunts and uncles stumbling around – is the vibe you’ll get here, particularly in the summers when school is out. Add in the intermittent air traffic noise (it’s across from McCarran) and inconveniently long rides to any center or south Strip locations, and this venue can often take on the feel of Disneyland instead of Sin City. Which is fine if you’ve got kids in tow and don’t want to (or can’t) stray too far from your home base just to cool off.
Closest dayclub / pool party to Mandalay Bay: Moorea (on resort property outdoors) / Daylight (on resort property outdoors)
5) Aria – Aria Pool – $$$ – Center Strip
A glittering center-strip jewel rising from the desert floor, Aria – set against the backdrop of the shiny, new CityCenter complex – is one of the largest hotels on Planet Earth. The resort offers some much-needed respite from the desert heat in the form of its Aria Pool, one of the most sleek, spacious, and serene pool decks on The Strip. Refreshment and relaxation are easily had at any Aria’s three ellipse-shaped pools, with swaying palm trees and shrubbery yielding coveted shade spots to ward off the sunburn. Cabanas for rent offer further privacy and elevated service plus a quiet place to lounge, and poolside grub and drinks are available from Aria’s Breeze Café and Pool Bar. Even better: Aria houses arguably the best collection of upscale dining options – CATCH, Javier’s, Lemongrass, Carbone, Din Tai Fung, and Sage, to name a few – of any Strip resort, and you can have any of them on-demand for a sumptuous poolside feast.
Closest dayclub / pool party to Aria: Liquid (inside resort on second floor)
6) Venetian – Venetian Pool – $$ – South Strip
Now one of the oldest four-star-and-up properties on the Strip, Venetian has aged gracefully: it’s every bit as fetching, well-maintained, and fun-loving as a botox-blessed Italian cougar. Grandeur and opulence inspired by the charming canals of the great city of Venice (duh!) is the overriding aesthetic, from grand white marble columns to blue-hued painted cloud ceilings to its lively Italian veranda 4th-floor resort pool deck. Five acres of gorgeous, lush, elegant grounds reminiscent of a rambling European-style garden, Venetian Pool showcases a hot tub, 3 pools, 23 cabanas, 4 outdoor pavilion beds, outdoor showers, and a pool retail shop. If you get hungry, there’s the acclaimed RIVA by Wolfgang Puck for poolside eats, and if – no, when – you get thirsty, there’s a watering hole at almost every turn of the wandering path. Be on the lookout for the newly renovated Tao Beach, which will reopen in 2021 and cause a spike In spillover foot traffic of the twentysomething singles variety in the regular Venetian Pool areas.
Closest dayclub to Venetian: Tao Beach (in resort on fourth floor)
7) Resorts World Pool – $$$ – South Strip
Gen Z and Post-millennials, known for reshaping language with terms like “bae” as endearments or quirky slang, and redefining “literally” to mean everything from “actually” to “figuratively,” are now setting their sights on the Resorts World Pool in Las Vegas. This venue, in a delightful twist of irony, is neither a traditional resort pool nor a typical Las Vegas party spot. As the newest addition to the Las Vegas scene, Resorts World, launched with a focus on attracting a younger, vibrant crowd, brings a fresh and stylish ambiance to its pool area. It’s sleek, sophisticated, and still sparkles with that just-opened allure. The Resorts World Pool offers: A) luxurious poolside loungers and upscale cabanas for daily hire; B) a central DJ booth pumping out the latest hits to keep the vibe lively; C) a unique, elevated pool with transparent walls, ideal for those Instagram-worthy moments; D) a fashionably young crowd that embodies the carefree, spirited energy of youth. Although it resembles a dayclub, the management deliberately avoids this label, instead promoting it as an “experience.” It’s an enigma wrapped in a pool party – or is it the other way around? As we try to pinpoint what exactly makes it tick, the buzz at the Resorts World Pool continues, embodying all the traits – hot, cool, mystifying, ironic, captivating – that define the Gen Z and Post-millennial generations.
Closest day club / pool party by resorts world pool: AYU Dayclub (right here in the same hotel)
8) Bellagio – Bellagio Pool – $$$ – Center Strip
With its world-famous Bellagio fountains out front-and-center mesmerizing Las Vegas Strip visitors with dancing water light shows every 15 minutes, the Bellagio is the epitome of understated elegance. Visitors with refined tastes and a preference for decades-old wine over stiff cocktails will enjoy a stay here, and its resort pool exudes that same sophisticated aura. No less than five pools beckon from an elegant, peaceful garden landscape. Available amenities for visitors include private cabanas with misters, WiFi, pool rafts, chilled towels, cocktails made with fresh juices, freshly made lunch options, and poolside massages. It’s common locals knowledge that Bellagio has the double fortune of having one of the best sportsbooks AND one of the best poker rooms in Vegas; so, their resort pool is the perfect wet break to clear your mind when your bets start to run dry.
Closest dayclub to Bellagio: Marquee Dayclub (@ Cosmopolitan next door)
9) Mandalay Bay – Delano Beach Club – $$$$ – South Strip
Situated at the Delano Hotel tower – which itself is part of the massive Mandalay Bay resort – the Delano Beach Club is a calm, cool, and collected alternative to the Strip’s clanging, flickering, ADD-inducing madness. The Delano brand epitomized level-headed white-hued South Beach style and splendor for nearly a decade before making its way to Las Vegas. This trademark look has been uprooted from beach to desert and painstakingly replicated in its all its magnificent details. The pool deck decor is reminiscent of its internationally renowned Miami predecessor in that cool white persists as the dominant furniture color; white accents the handful of hammocks spread throughout, as well as the cabanas (which come with standard luxe amenities like pool toys, waiter service, and TVs) and the oversized in-water chess set sculpture. DBC Las Vegas is the anti-club and ideal post-party: an idyllic, mellow scene to wind down and dry out for the day. The “see and be seen” vibe definitely made it from Delano East over to Delano West… but we certainly don’t blame you if you wanted to hunker down at this hideaway all weekend and do neither of the two.
Closest dayclub / pool party to Mandalay Bay: Moorea (on resort property outdoors) / Daylight (on resort property outdoors)
10) MGM Grand – Grand Pool Complex – $$$ – North Strip
Another come-one-come-all destination, MGM’s Grand Pool Complex throws out 6.5 acres of (mostly) family fun featuring four refreshing swimming pools, three whirlpools, cascading waterfalls and top-notch amenities. Kids of all ages can grab a tube and float down perhaps the most well-traversed lazy river in Nevada, stretch out on a comfy daybed, enjoy a variety of food and drink options, or find relaxing bliss with a poolside massage. Feeling more like a grown-up today? One of the complex pools is dedicated to an ultra-chill adults-only vibe, and you’ll find the crowd there – mostly 30s and 40s couples and their single “third wheels” drenched in sun and alcohol – to be much more friendly conversational than party confrontational. But rest assured whatever you enjoy doing by the water you’ll be able to find your poolside vibe here… and you’ll find pleasurable views and activities to do at every turn.
Closest dayclub / pool party to MGM Grand: Wet Republic (on resort property outdoors)
Also Read: Las Vegas Pool Party Guest List
OK, now you’ve gotten in some soothing sun and wrapped up your “chill” day – or beaten back that hangover? – and you’re ready to get turnt up for the rest of your Vegas weekend. What’s the next step??? Line up your evening or next day party plans in advance and set aside the appropriate budgets (or sign up for Vegas guest lists) using our Discotech app. Available in both the App Store and Google Play and featured on BBC Travel and highly reviewed on Yelp!, Discotech will make sure the party portion of your time in Vegas goes, ummm…. rather swimmingly!
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