Axel Hotel, Barcelona, Spain

If washboard abs and hairless chests are your thing, then the rooftop pool at the Axel in Barcelona is your kind of place. The 105-room hotel, which reopened in May 2010 after a swanky renovation, is a big hit with the gay community and pretty much anyone who can appreciate the decadence of sunbathing in the middle of a gorgeous European city. What the pool lacks in size, it makes up for in location (in Barcelona's beautiful Eixample neighborhood) and a cool, color-block design. The pool has a wooden deck, some well-tended greenery, and one very groovy bar that, curiously, guarantees the "most attractive cocktails in Barcelona." (We hear they taste pretty good, too.) Probably best to refrain from too many laps by day, so as to reserve your energy for when the poolside action really gets going, once the bar opens at midnight.

Axel Hotel
33 Aribau
Barcelona, Spain
Tel: 34 93 323 93 93

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