The Best Mountain Views Are From These Slopeside Hotel Pools
The best views aren't always from the summit. Soak in the backdrop from these geographically blessed hotel pools.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Travel may not be fully back yet, but Covid hasn’t canceled daydreaming—or planning for next season. It seems as good a time as any to start picturing yourself in a pool with tendrils of steam rising off the surface, a stunning alpine landscape in the not-so-distant background. When it comes to coveted views from ski-hotel pools, these three float to the top.
The Cambrian, Adelboden, Switzerland
Today’s welcome break from reality is brought to you by The Cambrian, a resort hotel in the tiny Swiss village of Adelboden tucked deep into the Swiss Alps. (For places you can visit sooner, keep scrolling.) The stately building that’s now The Cambrian was once the Grand Hotel Regina, where visiting viscounts and duchesses bedded down in the late 19th century. In 2007, Design Hotels purchased the aging property and transformed it into a modern, functional, and tranquil retreat for skiers enjoying the slopes of Adelboden-Lenk, one of the biggest ski areas in the region. Pool-goers can thank Adelboden’s valley location for the great views, surrounded as it is on all sides by some of the most dramatic, knife-edged peaks in the Swiss Alps.
Amangani, Jackson, Wyo.
We might not be able to sink into The Cambrian’s pool at this moment, but we can float with a view at Amangani, outside of Jackson Hole, Wyo. The 35-meter, heated outdoor pool at the luxury resort also comes with copious mountain views, perhaps not quite as dramatic as the Swiss Alp but with the added bonus of spotting wildlife milling about in the Snake River Valley. That’s because Amangani’s is located above it all, literally sitting atop the East Gros Ventre Butte and affording guests expansive views out over the Grand Tetons and beyond.
Edgewood Tahoe, Stateline, Nev.
When both water and mountain views are what checks your boxes, the outdoor heated pool at the Edgewood Tahoe should be on your list. Inspired by the national park lodges of the American West, the grounds of the sprawling resort are destinations in and of themselves. The closest skiing is five minutes away at Heavenly Mountain Resort, plus the heated, lakefront outdoor pool offers poolside drink service. What more could you need?