Xiamen Hotels with an Outdoor Pool: Best Months
Four of the 16 Xiamen hotels on this site have an outdoor pool, and they could hardly be further apart: Waldorf Astoria Xiamen and Andaz Xiamen in Siming District on the island, the small Ambur Anchen Hotel near Zengcuo'an on the island's south coast, and the Xiamen Marriott Hotel & Conference Centre on Guanbin Road in Tong'an District, on the mainland, with three outdoor pools. Together they average 9.55 out of 10 across 275 reviews. If you searched for an outdoor pool in Xiang'an, none of the four is in that district; the Marriott in Tong'an is the closest base on the mainland side. Timing matters as much as the hotel: in Xiamen, October is the outdoor-pool month.
Xiamen is an island city linked to the mainland by bridges and tunnels, and its outdoor pools split along that line. Siming, on the island, holds the old town, Lianhua Park, Zengcuo'an and the Huandao Road coast; Tong'an and Xiang'an lie on the mainland to the north and northeast, where Xiang'an's new international airport is due to open around the end of 2026 and to take over civil flights from Gaoqi. Most hotels here are conference towers, so outdoor pools are the minority: four of 16 on this site.
Where to stay
Which outdoor pool fits which trip
An outdoor pool in Xiamen works on a short, specific calendar. Average highs reach 27 °C in May but June brings about 17 rainy days and 211 mm of rain; July and August are the sunniest, with eight to nine hours a day, but they sit inside the typhoon season that runs into September. October keeps highs around 27 °C with only about six rainy days, and the sea is still near 25 °C. From December to March, highs of 17 to 19 °C make an unheated outdoor pool a brave choice.
Waldorf Astoria Xiamen answers the infinity-pool search. The hotel describes a 170 m² outdoor infinity pool with cabana service, at 1 Lianhua North Road in Siming District, beside Lianhua Park. Do not expect the sea at the edge: the hotel sells its views as park and city, not coastline, so the overflow faces green space and towers. It has the strongest review base of the four, 177 reviews averaging 9.5. I would book it for a city stay where the pool is the reward at the end of the day, rather than for a beach holiday, which it is not.
The Xiamen Marriott Hotel & Conference Centre is the pool hotel of the four. Travel listings describe three outdoor pools plus an indoor one and a children's pool, at a bayfront address on Guanbin Road in Tong'an District, north of the island on the mainland. That indoor pool is the hidden advantage: on a typhoon day or in February, you still swim. The catch is distance, since Tong'an is a long drive from the old town and the Gulangyu ferries. Its 9.5 average rests on 25 reviews only, so I read it as a good sign rather than proof.
Andaz Xiamen, at 101 Hubin East Road in Siming, sets its outdoor pool in tropical planting with loungers and umbrellas, and listings give it long opening hours that start early in the morning. Its 9.5 average comes from 31 reviews, a smaller base than the Waldorf's. Its strength is position: it is on the island, in the commercial core of Siming, so a swim fits around sightseeing rather than replacing it. Like the Waldorf, it is a city pool, not a seafront one, which matters if you picture the Taiwan Strait from your lounger.
The Ambur Anchen Hotel (Zengcuoan Branch) is the outlier: a three-star hotel with an outdoor pool and the best average of the four, 9.7 from 42 reviews. Zengcuo'an is the former fishing village on the island's south coast, close to the Huandao Road seafront, and the hotel sits roughly 2.3 km from the Zengcuo'an bathing area. I would choose it for a seaside base where the pool is a calm alternative to the beach, not for long swims, since no source gives the pool's size. For lengths, the Waldorf or the Marriott are the safer bet.
Two local rules shape any outdoor swim here. Hotel pools in China commonly expect a swim cap for every swimmer, children included, and pool desks often sell or hand one out, so pack your own. And the sea is not the free alternative it looks like: Baicheng Beach beside Xiamen University is a no-swimming beach, and the local maritime police have reported most drownings near Gulangyu and the Huandao Road coast between 4 pm and 8 pm, often at high tide. In the late afternoon, the hotel pool is the sensible place to be in the water.
A traveler's takeFor a long weekend in October, I would book Waldorf Astoria Xiamen for its 170 m² infinity pool and the island location, knowing the view is the park and the skyline, not the sea. With children, I would go to the Xiamen Marriott in Tong'an instead: three outdoor pools, a children's pool and an indoor fallback make it the one hotel where bad weather does not cancel the swim, even if the old town is a long ride away. For a seaside feel near Zengcuo'an, the Ambur Anchen is my pick, with modest expectations for the pool itself. In winter, I would not choose any of the four for outdoor swimming.
Outdoor poolXiamen Ambur Anchen Hotel (Zengcuoan Branch)
An infinity-edge pool near Zengcuo'an, at a fraction of the rate
Why guests love itThe pool having a genuine infinity edge was the last thing we expected at this rate, we had budgeted for a standard rectangular pool and got something that would not look out of place at a five-star coastal hotel. The balcony room's sea view matched the pool's own outlook toward the water. Zengcuo'an Bathing Spot was an easy trip from the hotel, arranged through the tour desk without much planning on our end. The airport shuttle on arrival was a nice surprise for a three-star property.
Outdoor poolWaldorf Astoria Xiamen
A year-round outdoor pool with its own open-air bath
Why guests love itThe open-air bath next to the pool turned out to be the better call on the two cooler evenings of the trip, warmer water without giving up the outdoor setting entirely. The kids' club ran a full afternoon programme that let the adults use the sauna uninterrupted. Mingfa Commercial Plaza was a comfortable 13-minute walk for dinner most nights rather than eating on-site every time. The six-kilometre run to Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport made the last morning easy.
Outdoor poolXiamen Marriott Hotel & Conference Centre
Indoor and outdoor pools with balcony views over both
Why guests love itSwitching pools by the hour turned out to be the actual highlight, not something we expected to matter this much. Rain on the second morning killed any outdoor plans, so the indoor pool absorbed the disappointment while the kids still got a swim in. The balcony room looked straight down onto the outdoor pool, which made checking whether it was worth heading down easy without getting dressed first. Fantawild Dreamland the next day was an easy eight-kilometre trip from the hotel.
Outdoor poolAndaz Xiamen, By Hyatt
A year-round garden pool in the city centre
Why guests love itThe garden setting around the pool was the surprise, we expected a standard outdoor deck and instead got a genuine sun terrace with real greenery rather than potted plants. Staying through a cooler week tested the year-round claim, and the pool held up better than a fully exposed outdoor pool would have. Mingfa Commercial Plaza was an easy walk for dinner most nights. Private check-in on arrival, after a delayed flight, was the one detail that made the whole trip start smoothly.
Local tips
- 1Aim for October: highs around 27 °C, only about six rainy days and a sea near 25 °C make it the best month for an outdoor pool in Xiamen.
- 2Avoid counting on June for pool days: it is the wettest month, with about 17 rainy days and over 200 mm of rain on average.
- 3Looking for an outdoor pool in Xiang'an? None of these four hotels is there; the Xiamen Marriott in neighbouring Tong'an is the mainland option with three outdoor pools.
- 4Check which airport you fly into: Xiang'an International Airport is due to open around the end of 2026 and to replace Gaoqi, which changes which side of the bay is closer.
- 5Do not book the Waldorf Astoria expecting a sea view from the infinity edge: the hotel sells park and city views from beside Lianhua Park.
- 6Pack a swim cap: hotel pools in China commonly require one for every swimmer, and buying one at the pool desk is the usual fallback.
- 7Skip late-afternoon sea swims near Gulangyu and the Huandao Road coast at high tide, the hours and places where most local drownings were recorded.
- 8For a family trip between November and April, favour the Marriott: its indoor pool keeps the children swimming when the outdoor water is too cold.