Fat Guy's East Coast Pool Bar Golf Trail

Boston - NYC - Atlantic City - Wildwood - Philly - Farmington PA - OCMD - Myrtle - Kiawah - Orlando - Palm Coast - Vero Beach - Miami - Pensacola Beach - Biloxi - Galveston

Can you think of a better escape from the summer heat of the East Coast's hustle & bustle than jumping in the car with a few buddies and meandering down I-95, stopping at every cool pool bar along the way for a gooey blender drink, and playing great courses near each one?  I can't.

Boston, MA

You wouldn't think a pool bar golf trail would start in a New England city where old school pubs, sports, and restaurants form the heart of the social scene, but Boston's The Colonnade gets good marks for daring to break the mold. Not only is it the only hotel in town to boast a rooftop pool, it’s also the only one to offer spectacular city views from its deck loungers.

Play Granite Links GC @ Quarry Hills.  Crafted from the fill from Boston's massive highway tunneling project, The Big Dig, Granite Links features dense bluegrass, fescue and heather rough bordering bent-grass fairways and large, bone-white bunkers that look like the footprints of prehistoric beasts fleeing the nearby metropolis. (Although Boston's skyline comes into view from many spots, a hundred acres of adjoining conservation land lend the feel of a rural track.) Boston has long needed a nearby, first-rate public course. Now it has one—on its very own soil.

New York City, NY

Just goes to show you can find everything under the sun in the Big Apple, including a swim-up bar.  Duck out of the frenzy of Times Square and into the modernist Room Mate Grace Hotel, a little-known boutique hotel where the lobby is home to an indoor pool with a swim-up bar. It’s the perfect end to a perfect New York day.

Or, the hotel pool-bar scene finally has a toehold in New York, at the Meatpacking District’s brand-spanking-new Gansevoort Hotel.

Between the boutique digs and a relaxing pool bar, it'll definitely buy you enough points with your golf widow to disappear for most of a day to complete your half of the perfect New York weekend by playing Bethpage Black (check out my Bethpage page for the best ways to get a tee time). Ranked #6 on Golf Digest's 2007 "50 Toughest Golf Courses in America" listing.  "At one time, the Black was what public golf courses were like when we were kids, with hardpan fairways, crabgrass greens and pockmarked tees. After being revamped by Rees Jones for the 2002 U.S. Open, it's in much better shape, but still big and brawny--a 6 1/2-mile hike over hill and dale where no carts are allowed--with massive bunkers and tiny greens, several of them hidden from view, even from the center of some fairways. The Black's magic is that it makes us all feel like kids again, inadequate to the task. It's New York tough."

Atlantic City, NJ

A.C. had a hip-factor renaissance at the turn of the New Millenium (although parts of A.C. are still very much the ghetto as they have been for decades).  But the recent legalization of gambling in Pennysylvania and Delaware, combined with the economic downturn, means there are some good value deals to be had in A.C. these days.  And the surprisingly flush South Jersey golf portfolio resembles something akin to Pinehurst-meets-Royal-County-Down.

You can still enjoy A.C.'s best pool bar during the fringes of the Northeastern golf season, since the new Harrah's built a $40 million indoor jungle pool complex (www.harrahsresort.com/casinos/harrahs-atlantic-city/casino-misc/indoor-pool-detail.html).  Hit the 50-seat bar, or grab drinks from one of the servers clad in matching bikini-and-sarong outfits. Harrah's poolside cabanas (cream and teal daybeds, dark wicker lounge chairs, tables, iPod docking stations, bottle service, flat screen TVs and sweeping semi-opaque curtains) made Forbes Traveler's list of 10 Splashiest Pool Cabanas.  The pool complex also converts to one of A.C.'s hottest clubs on Wed/Fri/Sat nights at 10, as up to 3,000 partiers bounce to NYC DJ's.

After you recover from a full day and night of partying at the jungle pool, play a round at Twisted Dune GC (Egg Harbor Township, www.twisteddune.com, Bergstol & Struthers). Twisted Dune is a lot like Baywatch-era Pamela Anderson: gorgeous, tough, artificially stacked (and I don't really care how she got that way), twisted, and more than a little nasty on the outside; but at her core she's just a sweetheart girl-next-door. The hype starts with the pix of wicked scary bunkers on Twisted's website, then carries into to your opening view of the emerald fairway at the dune-and-water-lined 9th as you round the clubhouse porch from the parking lot, and finally the stunning course prints of foreboding, stacked-sod, frog-haired sand traps for sale in the pro shop. But a few holes in, you begin to realize that some of the nastiest of the gulp-inducing bunkers are all but out of play. This minimalist Irish-style links features heaving terrain with huge dunes leftover from digging sunken fairways out of a sandy flatland, along with some cavernous stacked-sod bunkers. Prevailing winds and open-front greens invite bump and run approaches. Four holes carved through an old sand quarry fit seamlessly into the rough-and-tumble routing. She's no walk in the park, but a peek under the scraggly wolf's clothing reveals a very playable core. She's 18 links holes of Must Play eye-candy that will reconnect you with the fun of the game.

Wildwood, NJ

Wildwood is the quintessential old school Jersey Shore boardwalk beach town, and they've finally embraced their Mid-century roots with efforts towards preserving what they've termed "Doo Wop architecture".  Kitschy fake palm trees surround most of the pools at the post-WWII vintage motels.  It's a great spot for an entertaining family vacation with the kids.

There are 3 pool bars worth a mention in Wildwood.  My buddy Bob (a Wildwood lifer) digs the no-frills poolside party going on at the Barefoot Bar & Grille at the oceanfront Pier 6600 Motel (www.pier6600motel.com). Hey, it's the Jersey shore, who cares what you're wearing and if you're pasty white?

If your kids are 'tweens or teens and strong swimmers, here's a great option that's fun for everyone, including Mom & Dad.  Let the kids off the leash at the newly-remodeled Ocean Oasis Waterpark & Beach Club on Morey's Pier--a novel marketing idea where parental amenities meet kiddie water fun (www.moreyspiers.com) and featuring cabanas and huts for rent, massages, upgraded food and waitress service, hammocks, life-sized chess boards, WiFi, camp fires with S'mores, concierge service, and an isolated swim-up bar for the grown-ups.

If your kids are smaller and you want to keep them within eyesight, you can still let them burn off all that energy while you belly up to the tiki bar at the indoor waterpark of the beachfront Montego Bay Resort (guests only, www.montegobayresortnj.com).

Play at Shoregate (Ocean View, www.shoregategolfclub.com). The West Coast design team of Fream & Yale gouged a precision firebreather from a thickly wooded, sandblasted site. It's already ranked as one of New Jersey's best courses.

A Must Do is hopping a Doo Wop architecture trolley tour (Mon-Thurs 7:45 PM leaving from the Doo Wop Museum @ 3306 Pacific, www.doowopusa.org) for a full tour of Wildwood's heritage.

Philly, PA

Along with Boston and NYC, this might be among the last locales you'd expect to find a cool pool bar.  But put enough upwardly mobile singles in one neighborhood, and someone will find a way to make money off the steamy summer heat in the city.  Hit Philly's Northern Liberties hang, Arrow Swim Club.  Adults only, a modernist bar, cabanas, pricey membership fees, and a party atmosphere make this a perfect spot for Philly's hardbodies when they don't have time to run down the shore for a summer weekend.  Unaccompanied guests can hang on Sundays for a $40 fee (or just pretend you're considering a membership).

Play Glen Mills GC, about 30 minutes south of the city near the airport.  Carved out of the hilly, forested grounds of a school for troubled boys, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the level of service provided by the students who serve as cart and bag boys.  Named to many Best New Course lists after its debut in 2001, the professional staff and pro shop are top notch.  Designer Bobby Weed believes that the Achilles' heel of modern, earth-moving course design results in the shaping of every mound and edge, leaving most new courses with an almost-subconscious manufactured feel.  Weed prefers to leave the rough edges of the natural landscape.  This subtlety sets Glen Mills apart, and makes it visually intimidating as well.  Weed left plenty of tee carries and other natural hazards, including boulders, wetlands, meandering streams, drop-offs, natural bunkers, rock outcroppings, and fescue.  The routing features elevation changes, pinched fairways cut into the base of surrounding hills, and a few blind shots.  Narrow and targety in spots, Glen Mills offers up some tricky little torture chamber holes (numbers 4 and 11 leap to mind).  The layout forces forethought off the tee and accurate shot making, but also leaves you the occasional bail out area.  Perhaps the best features include the tee times, which are set 15 minutes apart, and there's nary a Toll Brothers monstrosity in sight.  All of which makes for a very relaxing round.  However, if you love more traditional layouts, this rugged course may not be up your alley.

Farmington, PA

About 70 miles SE of Pittsburgh near the WV border is one of the best upscale outdoorsy resorts on the East Coast, Nemacolin Woodlands. A Northeastern playground for Old Money, New Money, lottery winners, and upper-middle class pretenders, Nemacolin Resort (named for the Delaware Indian chief who blazed a westward trail in 1740 that passes right by the entrance) is a study in elegantly crafted stimulations of the senses. Think Grizzly Adams meets L.L. Bean. The massive neo-classical French chateau was inspired by owner Joe Hardy's trip to the Ritz Paris. The Chateau is complimented by world class spa treatments, Hummer off-roading classes, an additional 5-diamond-rated boutique hotel inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's nearby Fallingwater, a shooting academy, skiing, 14 restaurants and lounges, a multi-million dollar art cache, Hardy's rare car collection, an exotic wildlife habitat, cooking classes, wine tasting, and fly fishing. Nemacolin's outdoor Paradise Pool takes advantage of hot Northeastern summers with some Caribbean features like fake palms trees and an under-canopy swim-up bar.

The resort's Mystic Rock and Links courses are 36 great holes of golf.  Mystic Rock is a Pete Dye course carved into the Western Pennsylvania hills featuring plenty of water and rocks, and good enough to host the PGA Tour. The on-site David Leadbetter Golf Academy has a 3,000-square-foot facility and four hitting bays.

Ocean City, MD

Like Wildwood, OCMD is a beach & boardwalk town geared a little more towards the blue collars than white.  Perfect for a buddies weekend, or a family vacation with a little golf thrown in for Dad. OCMD had exactly one swim-up bar and a couple decent pool bars as of about five years ago, but the local marketing folks finally woke up, and now the place is lousy with them.

The best pool bar in town is at the Big Kahuna / Paddock Partyblock complex (17th & Coastal Hwy, www.partyblock.com/rush). Billing itself as a South Beach-style club, the post-college party crowd flocks here for the new pool bar, complete with private cabanas and puffy lounge areas surrounding a pristine pool next to a giant martini glass, and the indoor dance floor shakes after sundown.

For other OCMD pool bar options, try Blue Fin Pool Bar & Grill @ Tidelands Carribean Hotel (opens for breakfast and Bloodys at 8 AM), Carribean Pool Bar @ Plim Plaza Hotel (below), Lenny's Beach Bar & Grill @ Fountainbleau Hotel, The Manana Mode Pool Bar & Grill @ Hilton Suites Oceanfront (swim-up bar, kid's pirate ship slide, guests only), Rio Grande Tiki Bar @ Econo Lodge Oceanblock (the local's hangout), or Rum Runners @ Commander Hotel.

 Caribbean Pool Bar & staff, Plim Plaza

  Hilton Suites Manana Mode Pool, perfect for families

The best value golf in OCMD can be found at Eagle's Landing GC.  An entertaining marshy target links by Dr. Michael Hurzdan, and $20-$90 cheaper than the top tier of Ocean City's bayside links.  A tight routing, cart bridges galore, a par-3 over an "abandoned" boat, and Cesna's making low runway approaches to the nearby airport make this round an adventure.

Or, go upscale with Ruark Golf's 3-fer packages at 3 of OCMD's best courses:  Play The Links at Lighthouse Sound (Arthur Hills bayside links, waterfront holes, skyline views, great conditions, the world's longest cart bridge), Rum Point (Pete & P.B. Dye bayside links, waterfront holes, peninsula tees, ducks back into the woods on the back), and Glen Riddle GC's War Admiral (built on the former horse farm where Seabisquit and Man O' War were trained, the former stable houses the clubhouse and a Ruth's Chis Steakhouse with a great bar) and pay just $199 for all three (small surcharges may apply).  A great deal, available at any of the course's websites.

Myrtle Beach, SC

You can't have an East Coast pool bar golf trail without hitting buddy trip mecca Myrtle Beach. Here's 4 cool pools on the ocean of the Grand Strand:

Go upscale at one of Myrtle's newest resorts, North Beach Plantation. The hotel tower bears a striking resemblance to Atlantis in the Bahamas, with varied room options perfect for families or golfers, plus it's oceanfront and boasts a 2 ½-acre, 15-pool water park that includes a lazy river and a swim-up pool bar.

Work up a thirst at nearby Tidewater GC (www.myrtlebeachgolftrips.com) featuring ocean views, the Intercoastal Waterway, marshes, and named #41 Golf Digest Top 100 Best Publics 2007.

Family guys on a budget vacation with the kids can grab a good value beachfront room and still have a frothy blender drink from the simple poolside bar of North Myrtle's Best Western Ocean Sands Resort (www.oceansands.com).

For you hipster partiers, go for the beachside swim-up stools at Hotel Blue (www.hotelbluemb.com) in Myrtle Proper.  Be sure to catch their Saturday afternoon Therapy Pool Party with live tunes.

Near Hotel Blue, play Whipering Pines GC (www.wpinesgolf.com), an Audubon sanctuary course featuring pines and lakes. No housing on the course, near the airport, and named 2003 Local's Favorite.

Also in Myrtle proper, my buddy Dave and his cronies do their annual Myrtle buddy trip out of Island Vista Resort.  New hotel, oceanfront, two cool pools inlcuding a poolside tiki bar, shaded lazy rivers, and a massive grotto hottub for soaking those sore post-hibernation golf muscles after 36 holes.

Across the street from Island Vista, play the Granddaddy of Myrtle Beach golf, Pine Lakes International.  "Coming off a 2009 renovation, it's a throwback design that conjures up classic strategic shot values thanks to enhanced contouring and thoughtful hazard placement." [Golf Magazine's Travelin' Joe]

Kiawah Island, SC

Oceanfront golf doesn't get any better than Kiawah Island GR's Pete Dye Ocean Course, the very definition of East Coast beach links. Best played barefoot and taken as a walk on the beach, briefly interrupted by some tough golf shots. Score takes a backseat to the gorgeous 360-degree Low Country and ocean vistas. The elevated fairways (suggested by architect Pete Dye's wife, to give players views of the ocean over the dunes) are closely flanked by waste areas, dunes, and marsh, largely leaving you only 3 types of lies: short grass, sand, or lost. Hitting those raised fairways is key, with windswept, angled tee carries from the Blues. The front is a unique, well-done marshland prelude to the more memorable seaside back, which features ocean winds and cart paths winding through dune complexes. The par-3 17th is an all-you-got knee-knocker 3-wood over water.

If you can afford the Ocean Course's greens fees, then you can probably afford a room a Kiawah's Sanctuary Hotel. Grab a poolside lounge chair at Sanctuary's pool, order a gooey frozen libation, and eat a leisurely lunch while checking out the beach scene beyond the infinity pool edge, as well as the plentiful trophy wives walking by. This is how the top 2% vacations.

If you're just passing through for the day but still want a taste of Kiawah golf without the Ryder Cup/PGA-rep greens fee premium built in, then play Turtle Point. With a notable uptick in difficulty from it's sister course Osprey, Nicklaus asks you to make shots to make par. Long from the Blues, with water carry approaches, reasonably wide fairways flanked by houses (O.B.) on both sides (although the palms will kick half your wayward drives back in bounds--barely), and Jack left just enough strategically placed trees in the rough to block many of your more direct recovery lanes.

 Turtle Point

Turtle Point's three gorgeous oceanside holes (#14-16) are cleverly tucked against beachside dunes, with dune fingers creating optical hazards going into tough green complexes swept by ocean breezes, and the sound of crashing waves as a backdrop.

Sea Island, GA

We'll go upscale again at this posh golf-centric resort. Sea Island GR's Seaside course is a trophy round at a resort that reeks of a Ralph Lauren ad featuring D.L. III, who's a regular and also designed Sea Island's Retreat course. "The reason you should play Seaside last is that it's by far the best of Sea Island's three courses. The minute you finish playing Seaside, redesigned by Tom Fazio in 1999, you want to play it again, and you might not especially care about the other two anymore. That's not a knock on Plantation or Retreat, but more a compliment to Seaside. They're all good walking courses, and I recommend taking a caddie. The stories they tell about the history of the property make it a better experience." [Golf Digest]

While it might be hard to tear yourself away from the waterfront men's club vibe of the resort's Oak Room Bar, you'll be glad you did once you experience Sea Island's pool. Splurge on an air-conditioned poolside cabana, and order a pitcher of mint juleps.

Ponte Vedra, FL

Moving on to another great Pete Dye creation, you won't find a better golf/pool combo than at the Sawgrass Marriott: Pete Dye's brutal Players Championship host TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, and the Sawgrass Marriott's 100th Hole pool bar. A match made in Heaven. Bring your no-limit AMEX, your $200 chick-scoping mirrored sunglasses, your digital camera, your best conservative course management mindset, your Perry Ellis trunks, and a spare liver.

The Stadium Course invented target golf 30 years ago and will test your game and temprament like few courses will, and it's less than half-a-mile from the ocean. Everybody knows about Sawgrass' island green 17th, while the Marriott's poolside cabana bar is a highlight of a stay at the resort. Order a refreshing Tanqueray No. 10 & tonic as the cherry on top.

Orlando, FL

Obviously this is another one of those pool bar/golf options for you family guys, 'cause chances are you'll have the family in tow on a trip to the Land Of Mickey.

Hopefully you've been saving up your Marriott points from all that biz travel, so you can book your brood into Marriott's "waterslide resort" World Center Orlando (www.marriottworldcenter.com) featuring waterfall pools, Zen-like spa pools, a grotto, a waterslide, 6 hot tubs, and a "beach" for sandcastle building. Let the kids go nuts while you belly up to the Pavillion Pool Bar, where waterfalls tumble from the raised bar into the resort's largest palm-lined pool. Stray from the margarita track and order a pint of the resort's signature 8701 Lager.

Then tee it up at Hawk's Nest GC (www.golfhawksnest.com) on the Marriott's golf package. Hawk's Nest is a Bob Cupp Audubon layout that personifies Florida golf: littered with palm trees, water, lush Bermuda fairways, bulkhead peninusla greens, and water-edged beach bunkers.

Palm Coast, FL

Hammock Beach (www.hammockbeach.com, Palm Coast).  Per T&L Golf:  Think Nicklaus, the first oceanfront course in Florida since 1929, a British Indies getaway, and a track like Royal Troon with better weather, and you've got Hammock Beach GC (800-654-6538, $185-$205).  A fabulous parcel of sandy hammocks within sight and sound of the pounding surf.  Using the earth from 10 manmade lakes to sculpt a prototype shoreline links, Nicklaus created a brilliant strategic test through scrub-covered dunes, oaks, and pines.  Green shapes, bunker depths, and hole orientations were used to create a varied canvas that tests shot making to the max.  The par-4 9th with rolling dunes framing the right side, is the real deal.

For a post-round drink or 12, Ginn Hammock Resort's Ocean Bar & Cafe has outdoor seating and refreshing libations surrounded by 6 acres of multilevel pools within a 4-iron of the ocean.

Vero Beach, FL

If you want all the style of a Miami pool, but don't feel like dealing with the beautiful people crowds, room premiums, and body scrutiny of South Beach, then just chill at the beachside pool bar of Vero Beach's Costa D'Este, owned by Gloria Estefan. The pool and boutique resort are pure Miami, but in a slower vibe town a couple hours to the north, and it's a great value room compared to the Art Deco hotels in South Beach. This is the perfect spot for a relaxing couple's pool bar/golf weekend, or a low-key reunion/golf weekend with old friends. Don't sweat Vero's lack of nightlife; the resort starts to pulse when the DJ moves from poolside into the indoor club and the locals begin to pour in. Plus, partying on-site also means no late night driving or cabbing.

Sandridge GC is Vero's municipal course, although you'd hardly guess it from the very strong layouts and conditions of the Dunes and Lakes courses.  The value here is outstanding, and quite probably the best value course I've ever played.  We paid $22 for a May afternoon rate for 18 strong, challenging holes on the Dunes, and found it to be in very good condition.  Par-5's that require actual strategy, a semi-island green, and a memorable back 9 wound among a former sand mining ridge with plenty of water, scruffy waste areas, and cool 360 vistas.  Plus, a rarity in Florida:  There's no housing on either course.

Miami, FL

Miami invented the pool bar scene, and it's home to the sexiest pool bars on the planet.  Beach-chic fashionistas mix with the heady Latino/Caribbean South Beach vibe to produce some of the hottest places to cool off anywhere. Guys like me probably float a little too well for the Miami crowd, but for you flat-belly types...

Die-hard golfers will gravitate towards Doral Resort & Spa for 18 holes at the Blue Monster.  Afterwards, hit the resort's poolside Bungalou's Bar & Grill at their palm-laden Blue Lagoon pool, with outdoor seating and a Caribbean atmosphere.

Travel Channel named the Sagamore Art Hotel Bar in sexy South Beach to it's 21 Sexiest Beach Bars in the world, "The Sagamore literally makes beachside entertainment into an art. At the bar, Miami's beautiful unwind amidst signature cocktails, balmy beach breezes and an impressive selection of art. But even if art isn't your thing, the stunning pool bar and grill is one of Miami's hottest scenes."

Or hit the pool scene at Miami's Fountainbleau Hotel (www.fountainbleau.com). 

You may not realize it, but you remember this pool; it's the one from the pool scene in Scarface (it's also where Connery's Bond played cards with Goldfinger poolside), and it just recently reopened after a massive remodeling.  In addition to a great pool bar, the Fountainbleau's Lobby Bar was once a Rat Pack hangout.

The Art Deco hotels of South Beach are usually designed around a sexy pool.  Per ClubPlanet.com, some of the best are:

"Surfcomber Hotel
1717 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139

If you happen to be a big fan of electronic dance music in Miami, then you probably know about the Surfcomber Hotel and how it has one of the best pool set-ups you can find in the city. During these events, sponsored tents line up around the border of the pool, while the crowd enjoys a drink and a dip while they’re in the pool. While on one side you can take in the view of the glamorous hotel, on the other the Atlantic Ocean is just yards away. Even though this place pops off mostly during WMC, it’s even better if you want more of a low-key vibe during the summer.

The Gansevoort Hotel
2377 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Another example of a pool that shouldn’t be judged by its shape, The Gansevoort has some of the best pool side aesthetics you can think up. More than comfortable lounge chairs, perfectly lined up cabanas that offer all the intimacy you need with a giant letter ‘G’ smack dab in the middle of the pool, just in case you forgot where you were. Elevated and offering one of the best views you can get poolside in the city, this is exactly why The Gansevoort Hotel has made our list of best pools in Miami.  Metro.us adds, "After the sun goes down, get dressed up and party into the wee hours with Miami’s most gorgeous at the palm-fringed rooftop pool bar, Plunge, at the Gansevoort Miami Beach hotel on Collins Avenue (www.gansevoortmiamibeach.com)."

The Raleigh
1775 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Remember that line in There’s Something About Mary, where Ben Stiller mentions that he’s staying over at The Raleigh? Well, he may have made the place out to be a lot less than it actually is. Having one of the best reputations in Miami, and without a doubt one of the best pools, The Raleigh definitely ranks high on our list. From up above it almost seems as though the shape of the pool was designed by Liberace, resembling more of a chess piece than anything else, rather than the typical boring rectangular shape. This place also serves up some of the best cocktails, poolside.

The Shore Club
1901 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139

We’ll be the first ones to say that at the Shore Club doesn’t have the most immaculately shaped pool. Yep, just a normal rectangle. But, if there’s one thing that we’ve learned about pools thus far, it’s that you can’t judge them by their shape, but by what’s around them. Here instead of one pool, they have two elevated infinity edge pools and hot tubs that are surrounded by custom tufted beds. It kind of feels like you’ve left the city when you venture into this place. Did we mention they have a Rumbar? Yep, offering 75 different kinds of rum, there’s definitely a choice in there to fit your needs. When you combine these things then you understand why it’s on our list of best hotel pools in Miami.

The National Hotel
1677 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139

What happens when you surround one of the longest and most beautiful pools in the city with luscious and vibrant plants? One of the best pools in Miami. If you go online right now and check out some pictures of the pool at the National Hotel, then you may not believe what you see. More like something out of a movie, the National boasts the biggest infinity pool you can find, meaning that while you take a dip in it on one side, you can gaze into the Atlantic Ocean on the other.

The Delano Hotel
1685 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Without a doubt, one of the best and most popular pools in Miami has to be at The Delano Hotel in South Beach. There are two key words when describing this place, “underwater music.” At The Delano, instead of having balls-to-the-wall fun, they want their guests to sit back, relax, and enjoy their “Water Salon” experience. This is probably the only pool in the city that has its floating and meditating areas, which is nice.

The Standard
40 Island Ave.
Miami, FL 33139

If you’re familiar with some prominent hotels across the nation, then The Standard has probably been used in your vocabulary at one time. Not located on South Beach, but basically located on South Beach, The Standard has one of the best pools for the summer in Miami. Once you walk into the hotel, then out through the back, you walk through an Asian inspired, that’s immaculately tended to, your breath is easily taken away from the sight of the pool. From one angle, the infinity pool seems to drain into the bay. Although the bodies that come into this pool are hot enough to raise the temperature of the water, it is heated, but that won’t be needed during the heat-filled summer days."

If you can't swing the freight for a room at one of South Beach's Art Deco hotels on your budget, AOL Traveler ranked The Palms Hotel & Spa (www.thepalmshotel.com) as their #1 Best Budget Beach Hotel.  "Normally this super sleek oceanfront resort just above the bustle of South Beach would cost a grip during the winter high season. But, it's a bargain for those who don't mind the steamy August through October weather. Rooms are a great size and mimic the colors of the sea scene outside with their brown, cream, and turquoise touches. And they come kitted with an iPod docking station, flat screen TV, and free WiFi. Outside, take a refreshing dip in the bathwater-warm ocean, lounge by the pool, or enjoy a potent Miami Vice at the Tiki Bar. But if you're like us, you'll find yourself relaxing atop an opium bed in one of the free cabanas -- a true rarity in these parts."

If you can swing a golf vacay in South Beach, then you can swing the greens fees at Doral GR&S (www.doralresort.com). T&L Golf says, "The Blue Monster, as it’s universally known, is one of those larger-than-life courses, though the reason for its renown is a running debate. Yes, certain holes are legendary, particularly the 437-yard par-four eighteenth, an object lesson in risk-reward, with water running along the entire left side and pinching in at key places."  Still others might say it's renowned as much for a slightly inflated reputation due to questionable conditions for the massive greens fees, as I've read on more than one golf website comments page.  But Doral did undergo an extensive renovation back in '06, and it's always fun to play where the Tour plays.  Whether it's worth the greens fees is up to you.