Poolside: England’s Most Beautiful Outdoor Hotel Pools

Dorset

The Hotel as the Destination at Louma Country Hotel

Set across 100 acres of vineyards, pasture and shaded woodland, Louma Country Hotel feels refreshingly authentic. Rather than polished formality, expect understated luxury rooted in the landscape: from the hyper-local produce at the restaurants to the beguiling countryside views from the pool.

Accommodation is spread across the estate, from elegant rooms in the main house to converted stone barns, timber stables and shepherd’s huts in the gardens, some with private outdoor spaces or hot tubs. Dining follows a farm-to-table philosophy, celebrating ingredients grown, foraged and raised on the estate. Unusually, rates include breakfast, lunch and dinner, allowing guests to effortlessly settle into country life on this irresistible estate.

The Pool and Wellness Facilities at the Louma Country Hotel

The outdoor pool sits beside the Wellness Barn, heated throughout the year and framed by uninterrupted views across the Dorset countryside. But rather than feeling like a centrepiece, it is discreetly integrated into the landscape, making early-morning swims or an afternoon spent on the terrace feel restorative and private. Impressive floor-to-ceiling glazing connects the indoor and outdoor wellness spaces, allowing the scenery to become a part of the experience, whether you’re swimming beneath blue skies or practising yoga under the high wooden ceilings of the Cow Barn.

Gloucestershire

The Cotswolds… but different at Cowley Manor Experimental

The Paris-based Experimental Group boasts colourful maximalist-style hotels across Europe, each a lesson in elegance and bespoke design. And this, Cowley Manor Experimental, in the heart of the Cotswolds, is one of our favourites. Indeed, while typically, Cotswolds hotels celebrate the region’s distinct honey-coloured heritage with decidedly British personalities, Cowley Manor Experimental takes a different approach. Housed within a Grade II-listed manor surrounded by 55 acres of gardens, woodland and lakes, the hotel pairs its historic setting with deep, bold colours, playful design and the unmistakable flair of the Experimental Group — which began life as a cocktail bar in Paris, so expect fabulous mixology.

The Pool and Wellness Facilities at Cowley Manor Experimental

Tucked inside the estate’s gardens, which are said to have inspired Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the heated outdoor pool offers a quiet retreat from those Cotswolds crowds. Framed by mature trees, it’s a place to linger between rural rambles or afternoons exploring nearby Cheltenham, with loungers encouraging slow afternoons in the open air. And throughout summer: June, July and August, there’ll be a series of adults-only pool parties. Speak to your travel designer if you’d like to attend one of them.

Devon

Serving Devon on a plate at Lympstone Manor

Firmly rooted in its surroundings, Lympstone Manor, above the Exe Estuary just outside Exmouth, is the vision of celebrated chef Michael Caines, whose cooking has long championed the rich produce of the South West. Food is at the heart of each stay, everything shaped by what grows, swims and grazes nearby, from shellfish harvested in the estuary to vegetables, herbs and fruit from local growers. Additionally, Lympstone Manor’s vineyard supplies award-winning English wines, best sipped with views of the vines.

The Pool and Wellness Facilities at Lympstone Manor

One of our most cherished places to spend an afternoon at Lympstone Manor is beside the heated outdoor pool, where the vineyard rolls gently towards the scenic waters of the Exe Estuary. It’s wonderfully peaceful, and a perfect spot for recuperation after a morning exploring nearby Topsham or hiking along the striking Jurassic Coast. While Lympstone Manor isn’t a destination spa in the traditional sense, that’s precisely its charm. Wellness here comes naturally: swimming at local beaches, wandering through the vines and the sculpture-lined grounds, or lingering over exceptional Michelin-starred cuisine in the restaurant.

Surrey

A House of Whimsy at Beaverbrook

The Surrey Hills have long offered Londoners an easy escape from the city, but nowhere captures the beauty, luxury and playfulness of the place quite like Beaverbrook. Once the country home of newspaper baron Lord Beaverbrook, the estate became famous for its remarkable guests: people like Winston Churchill and Rudyard Kipling.

Dining here is distinctive too, from refined Japanese cuisine at The Dining Room to relaxed Anglo-Italian fare at The Garden House. But for a memorable celebration this summer, we’d recommend the charming and whimsical Balloon Dining experience, where a beautifully dressed table seats up to four guests in the basket of a hot air balloon, set around the pond and colourful blooms of the Italian garden.

The Pool and Wellness Facilities at Beaverbrook

The outdoor pool is chic with a chequered design, and, with its position in the gardens, boasts lovely vistas across the woodlands of Surrey Hills. The wellness experience continues inside at the Coach House Spa, where striking stained-glass installations by Sir Brian Clarke cast vivid blues, reds and yellows across the indoor pool, thermal facilities and treatment rooms, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere that lingers long in the memory.