Vacation Rentals with Indoor Pools Near NYC: A Complete Guide

Finding a vacation rental with an indoor pool near New York City is harder than it sounds. Outdoor pools are everywhere. A heated indoor pool you can swim in any month of the year is much less common, especially in a rental big enough for a group.

This guide covers what to look for, what to ask before you book, and where Hilltop’s own indoor pool fits in.

Why an indoor pool matters for a group trip

An outdoor pool depends on the weather. In the Northeast that means a summer season, and even then a cold or rainy weekend can take it off the table. An indoor heated pool changes that. You can swim in January, or on the afternoon it pours. For groups traveling with children, the pool becomes the thing everyone comes back to, whatever is happening outside.

It matters most for trips outside summer. A fall or winter weekend with a warm pool down the hall is a very different weekend from one spent waiting for the rain to stop.

What to look for in an indoor pool rental

Heated, and how warm. Not every indoor pool is heated year round. Ask whether it is, and to what temperature.
A pool, not a plunge. Some “indoor pools” are closer to an oversized hot tub. Ask for the depth, or photographs that show the scale.
Yours, or shared. At a resort the indoor pool is shared with every other guest. In a rental, check whether the pool belongs to the building you are booking or to somewhere else on the property.
Light and a view. The best indoor pools have big windows, so you can watch the season outside while you swim.
The rules. Ask about supervision for children and whether pool towels are supplied. Many rentals ask you to bring your own.

Where to find indoor pool rentals near NYC

The Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania

The Poconos are a natural place to start. Beach Lake, in the northern Poconos, is two hours from New York City by car.

Hilltop Farmhouse, at Hilltop Castle World in Beach Lake, has a heated indoor pool that is open all year. It is held at 87°F, runs from 3 feet at the shallow end to 5.5 feet at the deep end, and sits in a pool room with floor-to-ceiling windows onto the Pocono Mountain landscape. The pool belongs to the Farmhouse, so whoever books the Farmhouse has it to themselves.

The Farmhouse's indoor pool at dusk, blue water under a dark timber roof with pink light along the beams and turquoise loungers along the far side — The Farmhouse pool, heated and open every month of the year.

The rest of the Farmhouse is built for a group too: seven bedrooms and nine beds sleeping 16, a stone fireplace in the living room, a kitchen built for a crowd, a dining room that seats all sixteen at once, a bar and billiard room, and a cedar sauna off the master bath. The Farmhouse tour shows every room on the floor plan.

The Hudson Valley, New York

The Hudson Valley is the other region people search. Many of its indoor pools belong to hotels and inns rather than private rentals, which brings back the question of whether you share the pool with other guests.

The other pools at Hilltop

Hilltop has five pools across its four buildings, and only the Farmhouse pool is indoors:

The Castle has three outdoor pools in the courtyard inside its walls.
The Mansion has an outdoor salt-water pool with a covered gazebo beside it, and an indoor hot tub in its own room downstairs that seats six, is heated to 102°F and works all year.
The Lodge has no pool.

The outdoor pools are open from May 15 to October 1. Groups can choose to heat them; ask the team when you book.

The courtyard from above: blue pools and loungers on a pale deck inside the Castle — The Castle's three outdoor pools, in the courtyard inside its walls.

Adding the Farmhouse to a bigger booking

The Farmhouse can be booked on its own or added to any other Hilltop booking, each building a short walk from the next. A group at the Castle in January might add it for the indoor pool, or simply for the extra beds. Taken with the Castle, the Mansion and the Lodge, it is part of 39 bedrooms sleeping 92.

When to go

The point of an indoor pool is that the answer is any time:

Winter. Snow outside the windows, 87°F in the water. Nearby, Ski Big Bear is about twenty minutes away, with snow tubing as well as skiing.
Fall. The leaves turn outside the windows, and the pool stays warm.
Summer. The outdoor pools open, and the indoor one is there for rainy days and evening swims. Rafting on the Delaware is five minutes away.

See what there is to do nearby for the rest.

Booking the Farmhouse

The Farmhouse is at 28 Castle Hill Rd, Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, two hours from New York City and Philadelphia. The minimum stay is three nights, all year. Bring your own pool towels, and keep in mind that children under 18 need an adult with them in the pool room.

Check your dates in the booking calendar, or call or text the team on (570) 251-1998 or write to hello@stayathilltop.com with any questions first. The frequently asked questions cover check-in times, pets and the rest.