Las Vegas is a bucket-list destination for many travellers, and for good reason. Even if you’re not a gambling fan, there’s more top-flight shows, amazing food, crazy sights and even crazier hotels than you can poke a stick at.
That’s not to mention the relative ease with which you can visit Los Angeles, the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, California’s wine country and even San Fransciso if you’re starting your journey from or ending at the casino city.
But if you’ve done all the typical tourist sites, one of the fun ways to pass the time in Vegas is to check out one of the many amazing resort pools built around the hotels. Best of all, you’re not confined to your own hotel pool – there are plenty that have only a small entrance fee, so you can swim, sunbathe, drink, dine and listen to music up and down the boulevarde. You can even hire a cabana if you’re feeling flash, making you the envy of other Vegas party animals.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has helpfully pulled together a big list of the best of the city’s resort pools, along with the opening times and charges. But here are some of the best:
Worried you’re missing out on a beach vacation? Then have one, at the Mandalay Bay’s Daylight Beach Club, which features three big pools, a lazy river, wave poool, pool club and what vegas.com promises is 2,700 tonnes of gleaming white sand. Daylight Beach Club is open from 11am-6pm Thursdays to Saturdays and 12pm-6pm Sundays, with admission starting at US$20.
Swim right beside a 200,000-gallon shark tank at The Tank pool. There’s even a waterslide that goes right through the tank, giving you a close-up view of the inhabitants. But if you prefer a child-free pool experience, the Golden Nugget also has an adults-only poool called the Hideout that’s closed to under-16s. The Tank’s open from 9am-7pm and the Hideout from 10am-6pm, with entry starting at US$25.
This one’s for hardcore music fans and partying pros, with three pools, including two that are for over-21s only. Undrwater speakers ensure you don’t miss a beat even as you swim. Open and closing times vary so it’s best to check the hotel’s website to find out what parties and music acts are on, but admission starts at US$10 for non-residents of the hotel.
Lounge like a goddess (or god) beside one of Caesars Palace’s eight pools, collectively known as the Garden of the Gods because each are named and themed after a Roman deity. Entry to the pools is US$20 and they’re open between 9am-5pm. If you’ve got younger members of the family with you, however, check out Planet Hollywood, which is part of the Caesars empire, where the kids can have a go surfing the FlowRider wave simulator for US$25 between 10am-6pm
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