Okay, let me walk you through how I figured out which hotel search engines actually work well when you specifically need a place with a pool. It wasn’t as simple as I first thought.
Starting the Search
So, the family decided we absolutely needed a pool for our next trip. Kids insisted, you know how it is. My first move, like probably everyone’s, was just using the big general search engine. I typed in something like “hotels with pools in [Destination Name]”. Got loads of results, sure, but it was a mess. Some were articles about hotels with pools, others were just regular hotel listings where you had to click through multiple pages to even see if they had a pool.
That wasn’t efficient. I needed a better way to filter things right from the start.
Trying Dedicated Hotel Search Engines
Alright, plan B. I started opening up the usual suspects – the big hotel booking websites. You know the ones, Booking dot com, Expedia, Agoda, Hotels dot com, maybe even Kayak or Skyscanner to compare aggregators. My goal was simple: put in my destination, dates, and see how easily I could filter only for properties with pools.
This is where things got interesting. Finding the ‘pool’ filter wasn’t always obvious.
- Some sites were great: They had ‘Pool’ right there in the main filter list on the left side or top bar. Easy peasy. Click the box, and boom, filtered results.
- Others made me hunt: I had to click into ‘Amenities’ or ‘Facilities’ sections, sometimes scrolling through a long list before finding ‘Swimming pool’. A bit annoying, but doable.
- A few were less helpful: The filter was buried deep, or the results still seemed to include places without pools, which was frustrating.
Comparing the Results and Experience
Once I figured out the filtering on each site, I started comparing what they actually showed me for the same destination and dates.
What I noticed:
- Different Inventories: Not every site showed the same hotels! One platform might have a great little boutique hotel with a rooftop pool that another didn’t list at all. This was a big eye-opener. You really need to check a couple of places.
- Filter Granularity: Some sites were better than others at drilling down. For example, a few let me specify ‘Indoor Pool’ or ‘Outdoor Pool’, which is super helpful depending on the season or preference. Most just had a general ‘Pool’ option.
- Photos and Info: How well they showcased the pool mattered too. Some sites had clear, large photos of the pool area right in the main listing preview. Others made you click through to the hotel details page, and even then, sometimes the pool pics were hard to find or low quality. Seeing the pool easily was a big plus for me.
- User Interface: Honestly, just how easy the site was to navigate made a difference. Some felt clunky, while others were smooth and made the filtering process feel quick.
My Personal Winners (for Pool Searching)
After going through this process for a while, running searches for a few different imaginary trips, a couple of platforms started to stand out for me specifically for finding pools.
I found that Booking dot com usually had a very prominent ‘Swimming pool’ filter under ‘Facilities’ and seemed to return a large number of properties. The photos were generally good too.
Expedia and Hotels dot com (which are related) were also pretty reliable. Their filters were reasonably easy to find under amenities, and they often had a good selection. Sometimes I’d check both just to see if one had a slightly better deal or a specific room type available.
I also gave Agoda a try, especially for trips in Asia, as people say they have strong inventory there. Their pool filter was usually straightforward too, often grouped under ‘Top facilities’ or similar.
Final Thoughts
So, yeah, it took a bit of trial and error. My takeaway was that just using one single site isn’t always best, especially for a specific need like a pool. The major players generally have the filter, but how easy it is to find and how comprehensive the results are can vary. Checking two or three of the big names that have easy-to-use pool filters seems to be the most reliable way I’ve found to make sure I see the best options for a poolside stay. It’s just about putting in that little bit of extra effort upfront.
