Some resorts are built around a view. The best ones are built around a pool that makes the view impossible to look away from. From a cliffside infinity pool over the Mediterranean to a bi-level pool on an Anguilla bluff to a pool floating above a Balinese jungle ravine, this year’s standout properties treat the pool as the main event, not the amenity.

Here’s a closer look at three properties worth planning a trip around, plus what makes each one worth the extra flight.

Maybourne Riviera: An Infinity Pool Suspended Between Sea and Sky

Maybourne Riviera sits above Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, and its infinity pool is positioned so the deep blue water blends straight into the Mediterranean without a visible edge. The orange sunbeds lining the deck have become the pool’s signature, set against the water and the coastline below.

The pool isn’t a side attraction here. La Piscine, the hotel’s signature restaurant, sits right on the deck and serves land-and-sea dishes with the same view guests get from their lounger, while refined refreshments, artisanal ice creams, and Neapolitan pizzas keep people poolside from late morning through dinner. Round out a stay with a treatment at the Surrenne Riviera Spa, dinner at abc kitchens Riviera from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and a room where every single one comes with its own private terrace facing the sea.

Malliouhana: Anguilla’s Original Grande Dame

Malliouhana was Anguilla’s first luxury hotel, and it’s still credited with putting the island on the map as a Caribbean destination. Its bi-level infinity pool sits on a bluff with a straight sightline down to the beaches below, and advisors who’ve stayed here point to sunset at this pool as one of the best half hours in the Caribbean.

The location does a lot of the work. Malliouhana sits between two of Anguilla’s best beaches, which means beach access without giving up the privacy of a hillside setting. Ocean-view rooms, a spa, a fitness center, and dining built around local ingredients round out the property, with Celeste, the hotel’s restaurant overlooking Meads Bay, as the spot where most days end. A typical stay moves easily between the pool, the beach, and a relaxed lunch at Leon’s at Meads Bay, with paddleboarding, snorkeling, or a spa treatment filling the afternoon before everyone circles back to the pool for sunset.

Viceroy Bali: Floating Above the Valley of the Kings

Viceroy Bali’s main pool sits on a ridge above the Valley of the Kings, and the effect is closer to floating than swimming. Traditional alang-alang thatched roofs frame the space, and the open-air design keeps the jungle ravine in view from nearly every angle, making it the most photographed spot on the property.

Every one of the resort’s 40 villas comes with its own private heated pool and uninterrupted valley views, which is rare even by Ubud’s standards, and the family-owned resort leans into that scale with service that reads as personal rather than scripted. Dining includes Apéritif Restaurant, Pinstripe Bar, and Akoya Spa for treatments pulled from Balinese wellness traditions, while a private helipad handles arrivals for guests who’d rather skip the drive. A full day here starts with breakfast overlooking the ravine, moves through Morning Flow Yoga or a treatment at Akoya Spa, and winds down with the resort’s Guided Sunset Rice Field Walk before dinner, some evenings with live music or traditional Balinese dance.

Three Very Different Pools, One Common Thread

Whether it’s the Riviera’s sea-to-sky horizon, Anguilla’s bluff over the Caribbean, or Bali’s jungle ravine, the pattern holds: the best pools don’t just cool you off, they anchor the entire stay. Your Coastline Travel advisor can help you compare all three, check real-time availability, and start planning which one fits your trip.