Critic
Love It or Hate It, the Swim-Up Bar Isn’t Going Anywhere
A renovation at Sandals Montego Bay highlights a 35-year love affair with the beach resort’s much-imitated innovation.
Sandals Montego Bay in the early 2000s.
Source: Sandals
The swim-up bar is a polarizing amenity: It’s either the pinnacle of leisure—think of lounging in a Caribbean pool watching the sunset with a piña colada in hand—or a ridiculous chain resort gimmick to siphon more dollars from hotel guests’ soggy wallets.
No surprise, then, that they can be found in locations that range from the Four Seasons Resort Maui, which has panoramic views of lush tropical gardens, to a thatched-roof version serving giant pickles at a theme park in Des Moines. There’s even an indoor one at a Times Square hotel.