Best Hotels with a Pool in Porto Alegre

A pool matters more in Porto Alegre than in a beach city, because the Guaiba riverfront isn't set up for swimming and the region's winters run cool enough that an outdoor deck alone won't carry a whole trip. Families who pick a hotel with an indoor pool, like the Novotel near the airport or the Hilton in Moinhos de Vento, buy themselves a rainy-afternoon plan without leaving the building. That flexibility is worth more here than a river view, especially with kids under six who tire out fast between meals.

Every hotel on this list keeps a pool alongside the basics that make a family stay run smoothly: free breakfast at Hotel Continental and Intercity Praia de Belas, room service at the Hilton and DoubleTree, and airport shuttle service at the Novotel for arrivals that land tired. Distances stay short across the board, from a two-minute walk to Puppi Baggio for a casual dinner near the Hilton to a one-minute walk to Gourmetbar by Novotel for families who'd rather not leave the property after a swim. The Novotel and Hilton both sit under 15 minutes from Salgado Filho International Airport, which matters on a red-eye arrival with young kids who need a bed fast, while the DoubleTree's Cidade Baixa location trades airport speed for walking access to Fundacao Ibere and the Pier Pontal waterfront.

Toddlers and preschoolers do best at the indoor-pool properties, Novotel Porto Alegre Airport and Hotel Laghetto Stilo Higienopolis, where a swim isn't weather-dependent and the water stays warmer than an open-air deck in the shoulder season. Elementary-age kids get more out of the outdoor pools at Hotel Continental and Hotel Intercity Praia de Belas, both set up with fitness centers and event spaces that keep older siblings occupied while parents alternate pool watch. Teens traveling with the family lean toward the Hilton or Plaza Sao Rafael, four- and five-star properties respectively with fuller amenity lists, including bars and full-service laundry, useful on a longer stay when a load of swim gear needs drying overnight.

Ratings on this list are strong across the board, which lets the choice come down to location and pool type rather than quality. Laghetto Stilo Higienópolis scores highest at 9.4 from about 1,800 reviews, and its heated rooftop pool is the one I would book for a winter stay. Hotel Plaza São Rafael, a five-star like the DoubleTree, carries the largest review count, over 5,600 at 9.0. Novotel Porto Alegre Airport and Intercity Praia de Belas both hold 9.0 from more than 3,000 reviews each, and Hotel Continental, at 8.4, is the simplest of the group, with an outdoor pool, breakfast included and a fitness center.

Porto Alegre's climate is the reason the indoor pools matter. The city sits in Brazil's far south, where summers are hot and humid but winters from June to August bring cool, sometimes cold days, so an open-air deck can sit unused for weeks. Families travelling in winter should favour Laghetto Stilo Higienópolis with its heated rooftop pool and spa, or the indoor pools at the Novotel near the airport, the Hilton in Moinhos de Vento and Hotel Plaza São Rafael near the Public Market. In summer, the outdoor pools at Hotel Continental, Intercity Praia de Belas and the DoubleTree are at their best.