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NYC Hotels Offering Rooftop Pool Day Passes

1. The Rockaway Hotel + Spa – Rockaway Beach, Queens

Located just one block from the beach, The Rockaway Hotel + Spa is a wonderful option for locals looking for an easy excursion, or visitors in search of a convenient overnight near JFK. There's a full-service spa, the outdoor pool—while not on the rooftop—is heated, and there's a rooftop restaurant with great views of the city skyline. A guest pass costs $100 per day with the possibility of a cabana upgrade. For the ultimate relaxing staycation, consider booking yourself a day pass and enrolling the kids in the on-site Little Rocks summer camp, which runs select weeks and incorporates arts, movement, and exploring the local community into its daily schedule.

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The pool at The William Vale is one of the largest in the city.

2. The William Vale ​– Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Boasting a 60-foot-long rooftop pool, The William Vale's rooftop oasis is one of the largest in the city. Guest passes grant you access to the pool deck, where you can nosh on light fare from the on-site restaurant. Day passes are available and start at $150 per person. While you're there, check out the other family-friendly amenities including the just-opened mini-golf pop-up.

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Reserve a table at The Pool Bar, and enjoy a meal with a side of swimming in the infinity-edge pool overlooking the runway. Photo by Mommy Poppins

3. TWA Pool Bar & Observation Deck – Howard Beach, Queens

If you can't afford to jet away to a far-flung destination this summer, this just might be the next best thing. Reserve a table at The Pool Bar, and you can enjoy your meal (kid-pleasers like fries, hummus plates, hot dogs, chicken tenders, and burgers are all options...along with 1950s-era cocktails for the grown-ups) while watching the comings and goings of jumbo jets on one of JFK's busiest runways. Afterward, take a swim in the infinity-edge pool that overlooks the scene. Much of the hotel, which was built around the space-age-looking TWA terminal, is open to the public, so check it out before you head back into the city or catch a flight on one of those planes. Pool day passes are $20 for children ages 5-12, $50 for adults, and children under 5 enter for FREE. A bonus: Come cooler temperatures, the pool is heated to "pool-cuzzi" temperatures, and the prices plummet, so it's an all-seasons escape. Also noteworthy, the Roll-A-Rama roller skating rink has returned for another season of retro-inspired skating.

Cool Rooftop Pools at NYC Hotels Requiring Overnight Stays

4. 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge – Brooklyn Bridge Park

The rooftop pool at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge gets points for creativity. This plunge pool's geometric shape skirts along the balcony where it's perched. While it's got great views, it doesn't lend itself to wild romping but will do the trick to cool down on a hot day.

The WIlliamsburg Hotel's rooftop pool welcomes little ones who are guests of the hotel. 

5. Pool & Rooftop at The Williamsburg Hotel – Williamsburg, Brooklyn

This rooftop oasis, speckled with greenery and preppy striped lounge chairs, offers a welcome respite from the bustling city below. One drawback: Day passes here are for adults only. Children of hotel guests are welcome to splash, though, so book a staycation during the next heat wave.

6. Royalton Park Avenue – Flatiron

A chic hotel rooftop pool with a stunning view of the Empire State Building? Sign us up! The Royalton Park Avenue's pool is situated on a 1,000-square-foot roof deck, with a 40-foot-pool that's open year-round. Mornings are reserved for hotel guests only. In the afternoon, day passes are available, but only to the 21+ crowd. Young hotel guests are always welcome to swim, though they must be supervised at all times.

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The pool at the Gansevoort Meatpacking hotel isn't just for swimming in the summer—it's open for your winter staycation too!

7. Gansevoort Meatpacking – Meatpacking District

This pool area looks like a tropical oasis. The brightly colored murals and contrasting geometric-tiled pool deck give it an ultra-cool vibe. No passes are available, but a stay nets you access to the pool, which is open year-round, should you crave the tropics come winter.

8. Margaritaville Hotel – Times Square

Though most New Yorkers do anything to avoid Times Square, a trip to the Margaritaville Hotel feels like an escape to the islands. The hotel goes all-in on the tropical, Jimmy Buffet theme, with a giant flip-flop in the lobby, a tiki bar, and all the margaritas you can drink. The heated rooftop pool, the only one in Times Square, is a little on the small side but makes up for that with plenty of lounge seating, umbrellas for shade, and a poolside Land Shark Bar and Grill, so kid-friendly snacks are within easy reach.

Unless noted, photos courtesy of the hotels