Cool off at one of these 10 luxurious Tampa Bay hotel pools without staying the night

Tradewinds Resort

5500 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach
The Tradewinds Resort's day pass is $45 well-spent — not only does it include the pool (pools, actually!), it includes the water fun — slides, bouncy-thing–in-the-water, mini-golf, paddle boats and that beach cabana the 18-year-old hot pool boy totally keeps telling you you can't use.
Photo via Tradewinds Island Grand

The Epicurean

1207 S. Howard Ave., Tampa
The Epicurean doesn't offer any day passes, but here's a hack: Book a spa service — any spa service — at Evangeline, and you can use the pool and the fitness center. They have a bourbon pedicure and — for the men — a whiskey scrub, plus a whole list of spa services that include champagne soaks, couples massage and cosmetic enhancements.
Image courtesy of The Epicurean

The Don CeSar

3400 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach
A $50 day pass gets you pool access and access to the fitness center. We've heard the Pink Lady may be haunted, but odds are you're safe at the pool. Seriously, who haunts a swimming pool? The Don only offers the pass when they're not at capacity, so call the Don Club first to make sure you can dip your toes in this storied pool.
Photo by Josh Hallett via Flickr/CC2.0

Hotel Zamora

3701 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach
Hotel Zamora has one of the smaller pools you'll find on the beach, but it's open to anyone — for free. And because it's not huge, odds are you won't have to fight crowds. Bonus: the rooftop bar has some spectacular sunset views, so when the sun's ready to say goodnight, head to the rooftop to toast it one last time.
Hotel Zamora via Booking.com

The Hollander

421 4th Ave. N., St. Petersburg
If you do brunch in St. Petersburg, odds are you’ve done it at The Hollander. Which means you probably know that you can use the pool gratis on Sundays from 2-5 p.m. —but did you know you can rent a cabana anytime? It’s $100 during the week and $150 on the weekends, but anything you spend on food and drink while you’re there goes against that rental fee. That means if the CL edit team rented a cabana, we wouldn’t pay a dime for that rental. But you do you.
Photo via Facebook

The Vinoy

501 5th Ave. NE, St. Petersburg
Perhaps the priciest — but possibly the most rewarding — access. Granted, it carries a $3,000 initiation fee and costs $260 per month, but in addition pool access, you'll get 40% off food and drink (including booze, and the Vinoy bartenders may be some of the best you'll find in DTSP), substantial discounts on in-room dining, 20% off their retail, 25% off the rooms and 20% off their catering — plus two discounted tee-times.
Photo by Ebyabe/CC 3.0

WTR

7700 W. Courtney Campbell Causeway, Tampa
Over Tampa way, WTR has so many pool events, you might not even realize there’s a hotel attached, but there is. Of course, that’s not important — what’s important is that you can use the pool all week, whenever you want. Friday night there’s usually a charity event, so it has a fee, and on weekends they do charge a cover charge, but it’s nominal —$10 on Saturdays and on Sundays, $10 for girls and $20 for guys and yes, we know.
Photo via WTR

Innisbrook

36750 U.S. HWY 19, Palm Harbor
At Innisbrook, there's more than golf. The only day pass available is a free one — for those considering membership. We suggest you grab a free pass — because their membership's actually pretty reasonable — $149 annual fee and $149 a month for access to six pools, the fitness center, discounts on spa services and dining and resort rates for tennis, racquetball and the driving range. That includes you, a spouse and any of your kids 25 or younger. So it's six summer pools, a gym and a spa.

Pasadena Yacht & Country Club

6300 Pasadena Point Blvd. S., Gulfport
The Pasadena Yacht & Country Club has a summer membership that runs $1000 for five months (May through September). That includes the use of the pool, tennis courts, health club — and it gives you access to the social events. At this point in the summer, they're pro-rating that number, too. Bonus: full-time students (under age 27) can get the student membership, which includes pretty much all of the above, plus unlimited golf (cart fee only). That'll cost you $100/month, which is a spectacular rate. The student membership carries a $100 initiation fee, and both have dining requirements, but you gotta eat anyway, right?
Photo via Bacon Realty Group

Safety Harbor Spa

105 N. Bayshore Dr., Safety Harbor
The Safety Harbor Spa has a couple of options: Their pool-only membership costs $60/month or $90.00/month for a family of two or more. You can get a day pass for $25, or, if you want to sit by the pool for your two-week vacation, you can get a 10-day pass for $150. Spa guests also get access to the pool.
Photo by Roman Eugeniusz/CC 3.0