The best hotels with rooftop pools in London – for epic city views

If there’s one spot to sun yourself in West London, it’s The Berkeley’s rooftop. This prestigious hotel isn’t short of beautiful spaces – you’ll no doubt have seen pictures of its blush-toned cocktail lounge – but come summer, upstairs is where the magic happens. The 13.5m pool is comfortably heated but when things get too hot to handle, cooling spray and iced snacks like Granita are on hand. Each summer the rooftop takes on a new theme and this year striped loungers and Italian cocktails nod to the glamour of Capri.

Address: The Berkeley, Wilton Pl, London SW1X 7RL

Closest transport: Hyde Park Corner

Price: Starting from around £540 (low season) or £750 (high season)

One of the most unique places to rest your head in London, art’otel is an art-inspired, 164-room hotel within Battersea Power Station’s Roof Garden, designed by Spanish artist Jaime Hayon. It’s got it all: industrial modernist architecture, killer views and, crucially, a rooftop bar and infinity pool. Sitting on the 16th floor, the year-round heated pool looks up and out at the power station’s iconic Art Deco chimneys, complete with dramatic, sheer edge. This one’s only available to use for hotel guests, so make sure you have a bedroom booked. 

Address: 1 Electric Blvd, Nine Elms, London SW11 8BJ

Closest transport: Battersea Power Station

Price: Starting from around £220 per night

Hotel guests and 45 London members can splash around come rain or shine, thanks to Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch year-round, heated rooftop pool. Decorated with huge potted plants, a turquoise colour scheme and bohemian details, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re in Bali – not around the corner from Bethnal Green. After working up an appetite, order something from the all-day menu which starts with sunrise breakfasts and continues into the evening for late-night cocktails. 

Address: 45 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3PT

Closest transport: Old Street 

Price: Starting from around £145 (low season)

Taking over a Grade I-listed former bank in the City, The Ned sprawls across 11 floors from a basement vault bar to wedding-worthy ballrooms. It’s on the roof, though, that’ll you’ll find Ned Upstairs; a space reserved only for members and hotel guests with al fresco dining, two converted domes and a rooftop pool with panoramic views that include St Paul’s Cathedral. Guests booking through third party sites will need to book a day pass. It’s not big, exactly, but there’s more than enough space to take a dip and cool your feet with an Eastern Standard in hand. 

Address: 27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ

Closest transport: Bank 

Price: Starting from around £300 per night

Let’s get one big thing out of the way first: Embassy Gardens typically isn’t a place you can rest your head just for the night. But it gets an honourable mention in this list for being the accommodation with by far the most impressive rooftop pool in the city – the world-famous Sky Pool. The flashy housing complex includes a membership, exclusively for residents, with use of an impressive spectrum of facilities including a suspended open-air pool. At 225m long, it acts as a totally transparent bridge between two buildings, allowing swimmers to see 115 feet down to the ground beneath them. 

Time Out tip: Though this isn’t a hotel, some apartments in the complex are available to book for short term stays on Booking.com.  

Address: 1 Viaduct Gardens, Nine Elms, London, SW11 7AY

Closest transport: Nine Elms

Price: Starting from around £350 per night.  

Soho House White City packs a punch on all fronts. Situated in the original Grade II-listed Helios Building, formerly the BBC’s HQ, it’s got 1960s charm by the bucket-load, amplified by the design team’s penchant for mid-century furnishings and rich, jewel tones. Inside, you’ll find a cinema, 45 bedrooms, live performance space, co-working and more. But, upstairs, the rooftop pool wows with fairy lights twinkling above, frilly umbrellas and water-side dining, as well as a 360 perspective of West London. Available to use only for Soho House members and hotel guests, the pool is heated through the winter and particularly lovely for morning swims. 

Address: 2, Television Centre, 101 Wood Ln, London W12 7FR

Closest transport: White City

Price: Starting from around £260 for non-members and from around £160 for members