LA plays host to tourists all year long, but during the summer months the Hollywood tour buses are packed to the brim, and folks with cameras roam Hollywood Boulevard snapping away at all the glitz and kitsch the city has to offer.

 But if you’re the kind of traveler who likes to blend in with the crowd, you’re best bet is the summertime hotel pool party.  It’s quintessential LA: sun, tans, enviable bikini bodies, great cocktails, and good eats.  The best way to ensure entry is to be a hotel guest, but if you’re bunking with a family member, either dress the part and test your luck or go the safe route and make a reservation.

The Tropicana Pool at the Roosevelt Hotel is one of LA’s finest.  It’s Old Glamour meets New Hollywood, with a little David Hockney in between.  (The bottom of the pool is home to an underwater Hockney mural).  Kick off your loafers and bite into tasty sliders as you lounge beneath palm trees.  If you’re not one for sun tanning, Night Swim at the Tropicana has been going on for years.  It’s a hipster meets Hollywood force to be reckoned with, and the nights boast jams from popular LA DJ’s.  Plus, they promise the pool is hot and pool toys for all.

The Standard Downtown Los Angeles is a place to see and be seen, and offers panoramic views of the city. The red AstroTurf deck wraps around a heated pool, and there’s a dance floor, outdoor fireplace, vibrating waterbed pods, and of course a well-stocked bar. Weekends are crazy, and the Swimming with Sharks Saturday event encourages you to bring a swimsuit and water gun.  Throw on some vintage sunnies and a Panama hat and you’re sure to fit in with the in-crowd. 

-Arianna Schioldager