No room required at these San Diego resort pools
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Worth fighting for passes at midnight? Photo: Claire Trageser/Axios
If you're looking for a slightly more bougie pool day than your local community swimming hole, San Diego hotels have you covered.
The big picture: Many local hotels sell day passes so you can swim, soak up the sun and drink and dine poolside without staying overnight.
- Prices vary wildly depending on the day of the week and whether you want a cabana or not, so you should shop around for deals.
🌊 Town & Country Resort San Diego. This retro spot in Mission Valley has three pools, a hot tub and a four-story water slide called Twister. You can find day passes on ResortPass.com.
🏝️ Catamaran Resort and Spa. This Mission Bay hotel has options to book a pool day or spa day, or reserve a beach chair at their kid-friendly spot on the bay.
🌿 Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. This Carlsbad spot has a family pool perfect for younger kids with a shallow beach entry and sandcastle area. But it's only available on weekdays for adult or family passes this summer.
- Again, prices are not cheap, but if you want a deal, check out their Endless Summer Neon Nights: Glow Zone events on July 11 and Sept. 5 for late-night swimming at $11 a person.
🏨 Paradise Point Resort & Spa. This hotel is set on its own 44-acre private island, and gives you the closest feeling to a tropical island vacation for the day. With a day pass you can explore the five pools, including an adults-only pool and a big family pool with food and drink service.
- But you'll have to wait until locals summer starts in September to get a spot.
🌆 For more relaxed adult vibes, try Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine ($34+), Fairmont Grand Del Mar ($100–$140) or The Lodge at Torrey Pines ($112), which all have big decks for lounging and poolside drinks and food.
🦈 If you want to swim with the sharks (not literally), you can get ultra-competitive and try to get a vaunted day pass at the Gaylord Pacific water park that opened last year in Chula Vista. Here's the catch: The passes go on sale at midnight and can only be booked up to 21 days before the date you want to go. Yes, many people stay up until midnight for these precious passes.
🥸 Can you sneak in? We know a few people who shall not be named who've managed to sneak into a hotel pool without paying for a day pass or a room. But we don't encourage this. Some hotels, like Paradise Point, crack down in the summer and actually require wristbands for hotel guests to get into the pool.
- And no, despite the urban legend, the Hilton Bayfront pool isn't open to the public.