One through four
1. Mandalay Bay Beach — 11 acres, actual sand, a lazy river, and a wave pool that generates real 6-foot swells. Nothing else on the Strip comes close on scale. 2. Caesars Palace Garden of the Gods — seven pools including the Venus adults-only, Roman statuary that photographs well, and shade actually exists here. 3. Wynn's European Pool — adults-only, topless-optional, the quietest premium pool on the Strip. 4. Encore Beach Club at Night — the only Vegas pool that runs after dark, and worth the cover if you want to swim in July at midnight.
Five through seven
5. The Cosmopolitan's Boulevard Pool — third floor, direct Strip view, doubles as a concert venue. 6. Aria Liquid Pool — smaller than the marketing suggests but well-run and cabanas are cheaper than the west-Strip options. 7. Golden Nugget's Tank downtown — you’re in a pool with a shark tank running through it, and the price of admission is half the Strip. Skip pools that gate off half their acreage for cabana holders in April, which is most of them.
Good to know
Which pool is open year-round?+
Mandalay Bay's Moorea and Caesars' Neptune stay open all winter, both heated. Most Strip pools close mid-October to mid-March.
Can I use these pools without staying at the hotel?+
Only if you buy a cabana or day pass where offered. Cosmopolitan and Cabana Club at Caesars sell day passes; most Wynn and Bellagio pools are guests only.