Hotel pools splash our past and present in Miami. Summer is calling — jump in, the water feels fine
If you’ve lived in Miami long enough, chances are some of your most memorable moments involve a hotel pool. Maybe it’s ending an epic night on South Beach, shoes kicked off, splashing around at the wrought-iron table and chairs famously submerged on the pool steps of the Delano Hotel. A rowdy Sunday spent with friends at a Champagne-streaming, music-thumping, hands-in-the-air, pool party at a buzzy hotel like the SLS; or a relaxing weekend ritual at The Standard’s bayside infinity pool, mixing with locals and tourists to gossip, bake in the sun, and let those fountain jets pound away sore muscles (if you know, you know). Or even stealing a kiss around the Fontainebleau’s maze of pools, as the biggest of the act of the moment, from Lady Gaga to the Jonas Brothers, serenades the crowd and dramatically counts down the seconds to a new year.
Why do we love pools so much? The easy answer: we’re easily seduced by the sparkling waters, promising cool relief from South Florida’s endless summer. A more thorough answer: they’re part of our social DNA. To understand what pools mean to Miami—and our reputation as a jet-set vacation destination—you need to dive into our glittering history.
Splashed in Time
Miami’s history with pools runs deep, and ironically, hotel pool culture gained popularity during a very depressed time in American history. “The pool at the Biltmore Hotel, thought to be the largest in the world at the time, was really the first to glamorize what a pool can do for a venue,” says Dr. Paul George, resident historian at HistoryMiami, of the mammoth Venetian-style pool in Coral Gables that opened in January 1926. “During the Great Depression, thousands of people would gather around the pool on Sundays to watch elaborate aquatic performances. They would see synchronized swimmers, alligator wrestlers, and little Jackie Ott, known as the ‘Aqua Tot’ performing flips off the high dive.”
Attention soon shifted to our beaches, where the members-only Surf Club opened in Surfside on New Year’s Eve 1930. The exclusive club—now the reimagined Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club — attracted a constant parade of celebrities such as Liz Taylor, the Rat Pack and even Winston Churchill, who famously painted seascapes in the club’s legendary “Cabana Row”. Along with extravagant poolside fashion shows orchestrated by Elizabeth Arden, guests treated the expansive pool as their playground. “With cabana culture in its heyday, the pool became the nucleus of the historic Surf Club. As the original pool was so large, the most popular activity was to kayak in the pool itself,” recalls Cornelia Samara, general manager of Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club. “Today, in this new era of sophistication, we have several pools to accommodate adults only or families, and they still remain the heartbeat of the property. Guests are often seen enjoying board games inside of the pool.”
Hope Floats
When prosperity returned to America at the end of 1939, lavish hotels featuring pools with plush amenities began springing up along Collins Avenue. “The pools showcased a whole new way of life. Waiters coming out with exotic drinks, pool boys bringing guests towels, and the rich and beautiful sunning themselves becomes a real part of Miami Beach,” explains George, rattling off hotel openings like The Saxony (now the Faena Miami Beach Hotel) famous for its Olympic-sized swimming pool; or The National Hotel, which opened on South Beach in the 1930s boasting a 205-foot-long infinity pool, still the longest pool in a full-service hotel in South Florida. “I think in the minds of people all over the country, Miami Beach becomes the glamour spot in terms of vacation spots in America.”
Hollywood’s bathing beauty Esther Williams also catapulted pools into the spotlight, when she began filming scenes of aqua-musicals like “Million Dollar Mermaid,” at The Raleigh’s curvy pool during the 1940s and 50s. With its swirling black-ribbon tiles and waterfall diving board, the Art Deco gem’s pool garnered just as much attention as Williams’ elegant synchronized kicks and flutters — Life Magazine even proclaimed it “The Most Beautiful Pool in America” in 1947. While the iconic pool is under renovation today, through the years it has played roles in numerous movies, music videos and fashion shows. One of my personal favorite memories was in 2008, when Karl Lagerfeld unveiled his resort collection there. Chanel models sashayed down a glass runway over the pool; a fashion spectacle that ended with the U.S. synchronized swimming team spelling out Chanel as they dove one-by-one into the sparkling waters.
The Shape of Water
A new era of luxury emerged on Miami Beach when the tony Fontainebleau Hotel impressively opened in 1954, revealing one of the most uniquely designed pools of our past. Its original cat-shaped pool with cartoon-like, raised eyes meant for lounging — inspired by the Art Deco Kit-Cat Klock — captured the attention of acclaimed photographer Slim Aarons, known for shooting the lifestyles of the rich and fabulous. As the hotel’s seaside poolscape continued to evolve, it snagged prominent cameos in 1960’s films like “Goldfinger” and “Lady in Cement” with Frank Sinatra, and later the crime drama “Scarface.” Since then, the Fontainebleau’s pools have been the glittering backdrop for performances by some of the biggest names in entertainment.
“The Fontainebleau poolscape is as important to our history, and the history of Miami, as the curvature of the Chateau building and the bow ties on the floor,” says Phil Goldfarb, president and COO of Fontainebleau Miami Beach.
These days, 11 interconnected pools cater to whatever vibe a guest desires from the always-hopping, main bow-tie pool to the serenity of the circular Oasis pool to the family pool with fountains and waterslide, and many smaller pools and hot tubs in between. “Everywhere you look there is a unique experience,” explains Goldfarb. “DJ’s, floats and bottle shows at Arkadia Day Club. Dancing to live saxophone players at our poolside, Mediterranean-style restaurant La Côte. Concerts and pool parties on the Ocean Lawn. Plus, you never know what famous person you may bump into.”
Culture of Pop
Celebrities also helped solidify Miami’s play-all-day reputation around the world, and sometimes they took the plunge and created their own unforgettable moments in the water. It doesn’t get cooler in the pool than the Beatles. The Fab Four were photographed by Life magazine on their first trip to America to appear on the “Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964, a notable evening in music that took place at the Deauville Hotel on Collins Avenue. An iconic black-and-white image shows the pale group, blissfully neck-deep in a pool at a private residence on Miami Beach that still stands today.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the 54-foot long pool at the former Gianni Versace mansion on Ocean Drive, where the Italian fashion designer hosted excessive parties with houseguests from Madonna to Elton John in the early 90s. Even after Versace’s death, the pool has served as the backdrop to raucous, invitation-only parties and celebrity soirees. If those 24-karat gold mosaic tiles could talk … well, we probably couldn’t print all the steamy secrets. The mansion is now The Villa Casa Casuarina, a boutique hotel where guests can stay the night and make their own memories in the lavish pool.
Of The Moment Pools
Hotels continue to reinvent their pools with epic experiences meant to entice guests. JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa in Aventura recently revealed a monstrous five-acre waterpark, Tidal Cove, where kids and adults can barrel down adrenaline-pumping slides, surf the waves of the triple FlowRider, or float down the winding lazy river. In Broward County, the new Guitar Hotel at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, is home to a massive 13.5-acre pool where guests can engage in activities that they’d normally do in the ocean, like standup paddle boarding. Visitors can roll like a VIP, spending an afternoon at DAER Dayclub, splashing around in dipping pools while enjoying live entertainment from A-list performers; or relish in the Bora Bora-style lagoon featuring overwater villas fitted with personal plunge pools and butler service.
At the eco-chic 1 Hotel South Beach, guests can hop between four different pools, each with a different vibe. Though, it’s hard to beat the sky-high views of the turquoise ocean from their 18th-story rooftop pool where every whim is attended to. The Confidante Miami Beach boasts a playful spirit with two pools—designated for a family-friendly stay or adults only—and a floatie menu featuring an array of Instagram-worthy floats for purchase.
Head north to The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach where the historic, pink-hued hotel’s pool was notably built in the shape of Florida. The same pool where Lily Pulitzer held fashion shows in the 1960’s, is now flanked by fringed umbrellas and the inviting blue water is sprinkled with guests floating in inflatable pink flamingos. At the Forbes Five-Star Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, two sparkling oceanfront pools await guests, including the adults-only Tranquility Pool, where guests are often surprised by a “Champagne Butler” who jumps into the pool with a surfboard specially designed to accommodate flutes of champagne for an afternoon toast.
We’re ready to dive right in.
