When summer in DC brings low hotel rates – and high temperatures – you may find that it’s time to check into a hotel with an outdoor pool. Cool off with the kids in family-friendly comfort or join chic and stylish urban hipsters at the District’s newly remodeled properties.

On the Roof

New to the Thomas Circle neighborhood, Thompson Hotels’ Donovan House takes rooftop outdoor pools to a new level of luxury. Sophisticated travelers can lounge poolside in cozy cabanas or sip cocktails in the evening at a fireside bar. Or, stay in style near the U.S. Capitol at Affinia Hotels’ first DC property, The Liaison Capitol Hill, where upscale travelers can enjoy access to a rooftop “green oasis” complete with a pool. The rooftop pool at Hilton Washington Embassy Row serves up a great view of the city, along with a poolside menu for adults and children alike. Families will feel right at home at the Holiday Inn Central, whose rooftop pool affords a view of the surrounding Thomas Circle neighborhood.

If you’re shopping for a location near the National Mall, try the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, whose giant rooftop pool allows visitors to swim no matter the season. The pool is covered during the winter months, but opens up in the summer for a spectacular view of the city. Near the National Air and Space Museum, the Holiday Inn Capitol also offers its guests a swim with a view with a seasonal rooftop pool.  In the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, dive into the Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel’s rooftop pool with views of the Kennedy Center, the Watergate complex and the nearby Potomac River.

Parks and Patios

Visitors can swim a little closer to the ground in park-like settings at other DC hotel pools. Dive into the Hilton Washington’s Olympic-sized pool, located amid the shade of trees within the arc-shaped hotel’s courtyard or at the Hotel Palomar, whose outdoor lap pool comes complete with a sundeck and private cabana. North of Dupont Circle, the classic Omni Shoreham Hotel’ s heated outdoor pool is situated amid the scenic greenery of Rock Creek Park, a wooded, 1,755-acre recreation center which attracts bikers, joggers, dog-walkers and more. Nearby, the historic Marriott Wardman Park Hotel is the city’s largest hotel, complete with two heated outdoor pools and matching sundecks.

Lounge patio-side at the cool, comfortable One Washington Circle Hotel in Foggy Bottom or top off a day of shopping and sightseeing with a relaxing poolside nap at the Holiday Inn Georgetown.  The Washington Plaza’s outdoor pool is nestled in a lush, green setting, located along Massachusetts Avenue at Thomas Circle. You’ll also find intimate outdoor pools at the Courtyard by Marriott Northwest and Swann House Historic Dupont Circle Inn.

South of the Mall, the Channel Inn offers an outdoor pool near the Potomac shoreline. The Best Western Capitol Skyline, near Nationals Park, also welcomes travelers with an outdoor swimming area.