Pool season, hours and the rules
Most big resort pools open in March and close in late October or early November, with a heated pool or two staying open through winter at many properties. Hours are typically 9 am to 6 pm or so; check the resort site because they vary by month. Almost every hotel pool is guests-only, enforced by room-key checks at the gate, and the exceptions are dayclubs (ticketed, open to anyone over 21) and a handful of hotels that sell day passes.
Things to expect: a mandatory towel-and-locker desk, chairs that fill by 10 am on weekends, food and drink prices a step above the casino floor, and, at the party pools, a DJ from around noon. Cabanas and daybeds are rented by the day, from roughly $100 to $500-plus for a daybed and $300 to $1,500-plus for a cabana depending on the resort and the date, as of 2026, usually with a food-and-drink minimum. Booking online in advance is normal for weekends.
Mandalay Bay Beach: the big one
Eleven acres, 2,700 tons of real sand, a wave pool that runs actual surf sets, a lazy river, several pools and a topless adult pool (Moorea, extra charge). Mandalay Bay Beach is the most complete pool complex on the Strip and the best for families and mixed groups by a wide margin. Concerts are staged on the beach in summer. Guests of Mandalay Bay, Delano and the Four Seasons have access; Luxor and Excalibur guests do not, despite the tram link, so check when booking a package.
It gets busy. Arrive at opening on weekends, or go midweek when the crowd halves. A daybed or cabana is worth the money here if you have a group of four or more and plan to stay all day. Our family hotels guide covers Mandalay Bay in more depth.
Caesars Palace Garden of the Gods
Seven pools across five acres in a Roman garden setting: the Temple pool at the centre, the Neptune pool with its swim-up blackjack, the Bacchus pool for a quieter time, the Venus pool (adult, topless-optional, extra charge) and the Apollo pool, plus Fortuna for gaming. It is grand, well kept and one of the few pool complexes where you can find a calm corner and a lively one on the same visit. Guests of Caesars Palace and Nobu Hotel have access.
The catch is the resort fee (Caesars charges among the higher ones) and the size of the resort you have to walk through to reach it. Cabanas here are the most elegant on the Strip. Read our Strip hub for the Caesars destination guide.
Wynn, Encore and the Encore Beach Club side
Wynn's pools are the most beautiful on the Strip: deep green landscaping, cabanas under real trees, a European (topless-optional) pool and a calm, adult, well-serviced atmosphere. Encore's main pool is similar, and the Tower Suites at each have their own private pool. Then there is Encore Beach Club, a separate ticketed dayclub with big-name DJs, which is loud, expensive and enormous fun if that is your thing; on the wrong side of the tower you will hear it in your room until early evening, so request a room facing away from it.
This is the best pool choice for couples who want elegance without silence, and a reason many regulars never leave Wynn in summer.
The Cosmopolitan and Marquee
The Cosmopolitan runs three pool areas: the Boulevard pool, which overlooks the Strip from a terrace and becomes a dive-in-movie venue on summer nights, the Bamboo pool for relaxing, and Marquee Dayclub, a ticketed party space with a DJ and a cover charge. The mix suits a younger crowd who want a bit of everything. In winter the Boulevard pool is converted into an ice rink, a Las Vegas oddity worth seeing.
Guests only, except for Marquee. If you want the lively version of a pool day without the full dayclub circus, the Boulevard pool on a weekday is ideal. For nightlife and dayclub tickets, the shows and nightlife hub has the details.
Bellagio, Aria, Resorts World and Fontainebleau
Bellagio has five courtyard pools in a Mediterranean garden, calm and elegant with no DJ, plus the adult Cypress pool; it is the classic quiet-luxury pool. Aria has three large pools on a sunny deck with a party area (Liquid) at one end and calm at the other, and is usually the most relaxed of the big MGM decks. Resorts World has a 5.5-acre complex with seven pools, including an infinity pool overlooking the Strip and a family pool with a beach entry, spread across its three hotel brands. Fontainebleau's pool deck is vast, new and glamorous with cabanas and daybeds arranged in tiers.
All are guests-only. Aria and Bellagio share MGM Rewards, so a status upgrade there is one route to a better chair.
Downtown, off-Strip and day passes
Golden Nugget Downtown has the Tank, a pool wrapped around a shark aquarium with a slide through it, and it is the best pool north of the Strip. Circa runs Stadium Swim, a multi-level, all-year pool amphitheatre with a giant screen; it is a ticketed venue open to non-guests and a genuine alternative to Strip dayclubs. Off-Strip, Red Rock, Green Valley Ranch, M Resort and Virgin Hotels have large, uncrowded pools that many locals prefer.
Day passes: a handful of resorts sell them on quiet days, and Stadium Swim and the dayclubs are always open to outsiders for a fee. Policies change constantly, so call the resort or check its site the week you travel.
Pool day tips from people who do it every summer
- Go early or go midweek. Chairs disappear by mid-morning at the big pools on weekends.
- Sunscreen and shade are not optional in a desert at 105°F; an umbrella chair or daybed is worth more here than at a beach.
- Bring a refillable bottle; most pools have water stations and the cocktails are $18 to $25.
- Check the dress code and age policy for adult pools and dayclubs; most require 21 and photo ID.
- Ask for a pool-facing room only if you want the noise. Otherwise request the opposite side.
- Book cabanas online, and compare the minimum spend against just buying drinks; on quiet days a daybed is enough.
Pair a pool day with a show that night from the shows and nightlife hub.