Australia’s 6 best hotel pools

Australia is home to some pretty amazing swimming pools; from rooftop urban oases to infinity pools in the middle of the Outback, here are six so good you won’t want to leave the hotel.

The Chen, Melbourne

Built atop Box Hill in the suburbs of Melbourne, The Chen’s rooftop infinity pool boasts a truly sublime view of the cluster of skyscrapers that make up the city’s CBD. Yet it doesn’t feel like it’s in Melbourne, as much as a tropical hideaway in Fiji or Bali, perhaps. The space is enclosed with glass walls so as not to obscure any of the 360-degree vista. And the natural, grey slate, concrete and wood aesthetic, dotted with crisp white loungers, makes a sleek setting for an evening cocktail at the outdoor bar.

Crown Metropol, Melbourne

For a swim with a view, head to the Crown Metropol in Melbourne. The hotel has an incredibly striking indoor, infinity swimming pool, that looks out onto the Yarra River and the Dandenong Hills in the distance, with enormous floor-to-ceiling windows. The combination of white columns, linear patterns made by the light streaming in, and minimalist decor combine to make this one of the most serene spaces in Melbourne.

MONA Pavilions, Hobart

At the adjoining hotel to Hobart’s celebrated MONA gallery, you’ll find one of Australia’s most eye-catching swimming pools. MONA Pavilions overlooks the snaking, silver gum tree-lined Derwent River, and the infinity pool’s sloping floor-to-ceiling windows make you feel like you’re immersed in wild, Tasmanian forest.

Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast

With such a suggestively-glitzy name, it’s no surprise that the Gold Coast’s Palazzo Versace has a fittingly glamorous swimming pool for guests the likes of Snoop Dogg and Pamela Anderson. Australia’s first fashion-branded hotel, the Palazzo maintains the level of glamour that the eponymous fashion house has become known for; think private poolside cabanas, urns on plinths, fountains, towering palm trees, a sandy pool ‘beach’, and optional pampering treatments by the 63-metre pool.

Bamurru Plains, Kakadu National Park

The infinity swimming pool is the icing on the cake at this remote, boutique eco-glamping resort. Set just outside Kakadu National Park facing the Mary River floodplains, you’ll be able to see wildlife like dingoes as you take a dip to cool down from the powerful Outback sun. Rest on the pool’s edge while gazing out at the landscape as the sun sets, before relaxing and reading a book under the shade of the poolside pavilion.

The Old Clare Hotel, Sydney

This slim, sparkling, teal-coloured infinity pool contrasts with the warm hues of the wooden, Scandi-esque decking to make a beautiful little sun trap. You’ll find it on the rooftop of Sydney’s The Old Clare Hotel, alongside an al fresco bar and plenty of sun loungers for long, lazy sunny days. Open to the public on weekends, the pool area also hosts sunrise yoga sessions, film screenings and live music.