The Hotel Pool Dispatch
A recent stay at The Ritz-Carlton Turtle Bay, discussing a great hotel pool experience, and dreaming of the swim spots that we’d like to unwind by next.
We’re just back from Hawaii after five nights at The Ritz-Carlton Turtle Bay on Oahu’s north shore. The newly reflagged property, formerly ‘Turtle Bay Resort’, might read like another luxury logo drop at first—but trust us, this place immediately cooked that kind of lazy assumption.
The property sits on 1,300 oceanfront acres (yes, you read that right!). We’re talking horseback rides along the coast, on-site farm stands, and thoughtful programming that actually honors the land and its people. You won’t find any gimmicks like archery school here; only the real stuff that reminds you why Hawaii is Hawaii. To put it succinctly: the stay here didn’t put us above the island—it made us feel part of it.
We’ve long admired The Ritz-Carlton’s classic motto: “Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.” And it absolutely held true. Though on the north shore, the saying comes with Hawaiian shirts and Mai Tais rather than classic Martinis. We were just fine with that.
We could spend hours unpacking the whole stay—but today we have a little something else on the mind. We’re zeroing in on the art of a great hotel pool. And, man, do we wish we were writing this one poolside…
Before we go any further: do you have a favorite hotel pool?
THE ART OF A GREAT HOTEL POOL
You know a hotel pool is really quite good when it nearly stops you from venturing off-property to take in the surroundings—whether those surroundings are a romantic, old-world city or the tropical shores of Oahu. And the truly great hotel pools can even make you feel a bit guilty for sticking around too long!
If you think about it from the hospitality side, committing to upgrading the hotel pool experience is just good business. It’s healthy for the bottom line to have guests laying poolside for the day and ordering chicken tenders and margaritas (always plural for the both of those!).
So why aren’t we seeing more ingenuity and unique offerings poolside?
All of this calls to mind a recent pool experience that really did fit the bill. One that honestly allowed us to relax and unwind—which is saying a lot for those of us who have a bit of an issue sitting still for more than 4 minutes [sorry Adam!].
The experience in question balanced seamless service with what can only be described as an ambush of essentials:
Cool towels to battle the heat? Yep.
Frozen grapes? Don’t mind if we do.
Popsicles? I feel like a kid again!
It was all really quite wonderful. Can anyone out there guess the property?
Alas, may this be our challenge to our readers at the helm of hospitality brands that we know and love: keep leveling-up the hotel pool! Keep us on our toes! There are few better arenas in hospitality to surprise and delight your guests!
In the meantime, we’ll keep dreaming about a few other top-class swim spots that we’ve visited and loved. Or those that we hope to take a dip in very soon. So scroll down for just a few of our dream pool picks—past and future. Time will tell how they all stack up.
SOME OF OUR FAVORITES…FOR NOW
That’s all for today. If you made it this far—we sincerely thank you for your support. Drop us a note in the comments and say hello (we read every one!). And if you’re into this kind of thing, give it a heart so others know it’s worth a read.
As always, smooth skies to the lot of you!
Another great hotel pool: Villa d'Este in Lake Como. *Chef's Kiss*
I’ll always treasure lazy weekends lolling around pool at St. Regis Monarch Bay. No idea who owns or operates this property now but I hope it hasn’t lost its luster.