Yo mi Chill-e-toes,
Are you looking for an all-inclusive resort with heated pools?
I bet anything that starts with ‘Cold’ makes you physically recoil.
We do have a short list below, but in truth, this is a difficult question to answer, because the answer varies based on the time of year, the day of the week, the time of day, the weather, the phase of the moon, and whether the person whose job it is to turn on the pool heater is out sick.
In short, if you ask if any specific resort has a heated pool, the answer is a “maybe“.
And any list of all inclusive resorts with heated pools that purports to be definitive should be viewed with a bit of skepticism, because what one person calls a “pool” another calls a “jacuzzi”…..so, is it heated? Yes. But is it a pool? Could be, but maybe not large enough for swimming laps, playing Marco Polo, or having more than 8 people in it at a time.
I have been to a HUGE number of all-inclusive resorts – at all times of the year.
Especially during travel awards season which goes from November through January.
The only truly “heated” pool I encountered was at the Check PricesIberostar Grand Paraiso Cancun…..and it was an indoor pool with a retractable roof.
Of course it’s also important to consider that what one person considers “warm”, my wife another person says “Are you &*#^% insane? That’s freaking cold!“. Ahem.
The time of day is also an important factor – it can take hours for a pool heater (assuming they have one in addition to the sun) to bring the temp up to comfortably warm, so don’t be disappointed if your morning pool plunge results in major shrinkage.
Some pools get warm by 3:00pm, – but during the winter the ocean water is typically way warmer than the pools. Colder weather and rain also can make the pools cold despite a heater. And some resorts will only turn on the pool heaters in certain months, for example in January – which doesn’t help if you’re there in chilly December.
To be sure I was not barking noise about this I contacted a friend who recently retired after 20 years in product development for All-Inclusive Resorts.
They have been to virtually every all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean and Mexico – multiple times.
I was told that although resorts say they heat their pools…they typically only heat the Jacuzzis.
In fact, because people were flocking to the Jacuzzis when the sun was not shining – or it was raining – resorts began building huge jacuzzis to compensate (and save dineros).
One of the biggest groups of jacuzzis I have seen was at Live Aqua Cancun. I was there on a rainy day and the Jacuzzi was ‘the’ place to partay!
The List of All Inclusive Resorts with Heated Pools
I am not making a whole list of resorts that claim to heat their pools (it would be a long and – at best, dubious – list), but these all-inclusive resorts actually DO have pool heaters and use them – although we can’t vouch for whether the temp will be to your liking (nothing short of scalding qualifies as “heated” in my wife’s opinion), but at least it shouldn’t feel like an ice plunge.
- According to a recent press release from Palace Resorts, both the Check PricesMoon Palace Cancun (Sunrise Section, main pool) and Check PricesThe Grand at Moon Palace (several different pools) have been updated with ‘heating technology’. Not sure exactly what that means, but we’re hoping for no shrinkage.
- Resorts like Check PricesHotel Xcaret do use solar panels to heat some of their pools. But if it’s cloudy, solar ain’t gonna work real good.
- The swimming pools at Check PricesGrand Velas Los Cabos are heated. The adults-only Serenity pool has a temperature of 82 °F. The family pool located in the center, has a temperature of 84 °F and the pool for water activities, located opposite of restaurant Cabrilla has a temperature of 86 °F. The jacuzzi is also heated, with a temperature of 96 °F.
- Check PricesExcellence Riviera Cancun does heat their Club Level pool but not their main pool, we haven’t yet received verification if that is all the time or just at certain times of the day/week/year, whatever.
- Rumor has it that Check PricesSecrets Akumal has a heated main pool and Check PricesFiesta Americana Condesa also heats their main pool – be sure to ask questions before you book!
This is one of those posts that can make me look stupid if just one resort pool timer is off, so if a heated pool is important to your vacation enjoyment, be SURE to ask the resort before you book, and get all the details – which pool(s), how heated, when heated, and to what temps.
Then pray that the pool guy doesn’t call in sick.
Hope this helps…..
~Jake
P.S. [Reminder] The Iberostar Grand Paraiso Cancun has an indoor pool that is mind-blowing.
For every other pool, you might want to bring your horse-trough heater. You may just be the most popular person there!
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