Which hotels and wellness spaces in Santa Teresa let non-guests use a pool in 2026, with prices from $30 to $60, hours, what is included, and the well-known places that keep their pools for guests only.
Only a handful of places in Santa Teresa sell a pool day pass to non-guests, and they cost $30 to $60. Blooma Boutique Hotel charges $35 for an all-day pass with a hot tub and cold plunge, Hotel Tropico Latino charges $40 with a $30 food credit, Hotel Vista de Olas charges about 20,000 colones against a bar tab, and re:center sells a $60 wellness day with a pool. The beach clubs, Nantipa and Blue Mist keep their pools for guests.
The short version
This is a small list, and I would rather tell you that than pad it. Santa Teresa has more than 300 places to sleep, and the pools at nearly all of them belong to guests. The beach club scene runs on a lounger and a drink, not a pool, as the beach clubs guide explains. What exists in October 2026:
- Cheapest all-day pass: Blooma Boutique Hotel, $35 a person, with a hot tub and cold plunge.
- Best on the sand: Hotel Tropico Latino, $40 for 10am to 4pm, $30 of it back as a Shambala food credit. Valid July to November 2026 only.
- Best view: Hotel Vista de Olas in Mal Pais, an infinity pool and jacuzzi over the ocean for 20,000 colones, applied to the bar.
- Pool plus recovery: re:center Wellness Club, $60 for a full day of sauna, cold plunge and pool. It is not in the Onda directory yet.
- Possible, price unconfirmed: Banana Beach Hotel announced a day pass in November 2025.
- Guests only: Nantipa, Blue Mist, Playa Cielo and the rest.
Prices move with the dollar and with the season, and the pass is always subject to availability. Message first, especially on a weekend or a holiday week, because a hotel at full occupancy will say no.
Blooma Boutique Hotel
Blooma is a kosher boutique hotel in Playa Carmen with a restaurant and a pool. Its "Escape the Ordinary" day pass costs $35 per person per day and includes all-day pool use, the hot tub and the cold plunge, plus an arrival drink. You book through a form on the hotel's day pass page, and the pass is subject to availability under the hotel's terms and conditions.
The hotel's page does not state opening hours or whether children can buy a pass, so ask. The same page promotes cocktails and "fresh, locally inspired dishes" at the restaurant, and the restaurant is kosher, so check what is on the menu for your day before you plan lunch around it. Who it suits: couples and friends who want a quiet pool, a cold plunge and a lunch without a beach. The caveat is that it is a hotel pool in a small garden, not a beachfront deck.
Hotel Tropico Latino
Tropico Latino sits directly on Playa Carmen in the centre of town. From July to November 2026 it sells a day pass to non-guests from 10am to 4pm, subject to availability. Adults pay $40, which includes a $30 credit at Shambala, the beachfront restaurant. Children pay $30, which includes a $20 credit. The pass covers the pool and the beach area, and the credit goes against food and drinks, so the real cost of the pool for an adult is $10.
Shambala itself is open to the public from 7am to 9pm every day and runs Mezcal Monday, Saturday Grill Night and a Sunday seafood special from noon to 9pm, with live music from 6 to 8pm. Message the restaurant on WhatsApp at +506 8629 1813 or reservations at +506 8453 3422. A local rentals company that has tried walking in with a lunch order reports it is hit or miss whether the manager of the day lets diners use the pool, so buy the pass instead of assuming. Who it suits: families and anyone who wants to be on the beach and in a pool on the same afternoon. The caveat is the season: the pass is advertised through November, so ask whether it comes back for the dry season.
Hotel Vista de Olas
Vista de Olas is an adults-only hilltop hotel above Mal Pais with an infinity pool and a jacuzzi facing the sunset, and a bar you can reach from the water. A local rental company's guide to public pools reports the entry fee as 20,000 colones per adult, all of it credited to food or drinks. The site's hotel guide has the same arrangement as $30 credited to the bar tab, cash only. At current exchange rates those are close, so budget $30 to $40 and ask which currency they take. Phone +506 2640 0183.
The road up is steep and has been paved in recent years, so the rental company's guide says you may manage without a 4x4, but a taxi is the safe call in the rain. Plan to arrive in the afternoon and stay through the sunset, since that is the view you are paying for. Who it suits: couples and adult friends. Children are not accepted because the hotel is adults only. The caveat is that guests come first, so a full house can mean no day visitors, and reviews of the hotel mention maintenance slipping in places.
Banana Beach Hotel
Banana Beach announced a new day pass in November 2025, to be sold at the restaurant or the hotel reception with no reservation required, and described time by the pool. The price and inclusions are not quoted here, and local travel guides tell visitors to confirm current access directly. The restaurant is a kilometre north of the cruce, open until 1am per its own restaurant page, and the beach club burned in January 2026 and was rebuilt, per the hotel's Instagram. Ask at reception for today's price, whether towels are included and whether the pool is open to non-guests on the day you want.
re:center Wellness Club
re:center, in the jungle north of town, is a wellness club rather than a hotel. A day pass costs $60 and gives full access to the infrared sauna, cold plunge and contrast therapy, red light therapy, a functional gym and a pool, plus daily breathwork, movement and sound healing classes. A week pass is $120 and a month is $200. No stay is required, and you book on WhatsApp at +506 8622 9431. Who it suits: surfers recovering from a hard week and anyone who wants a pool as part of a wellness day instead of a lounge afternoon. The caveat is that it is a training and recovery space, not a place to drink a cocktail by the water.
For ice bath and sauna without a pool, ACTIVO Fitness Center charges $30 for a recovery day and Somos Sweat Den sells day passes at the desk. The spas, saunas and ice baths guide lists them with hours.
Eat first, swim second: restaurants with pools
Two restaurants get named for letting diners swim. Hotel Frank's Place, at the Playa Carmen junction, has the biggest pool in the centre, a jacuzzi and an open-air restaurant, and a local rentals blog lists it as a place where diners can use the pool. Brukas is a hilltop grill with sunset views that the same blog describes as having a pool. I did not confirm either with the venues, and these arrangements change with the manager and the crowd. Call ahead, order lunch, and ask in writing what is allowed; do not drive up a hill with swimsuits and hope.
Where the answer is no
Nantipa's pool and Manzú's beach deck: the hotel says on its own page that Manzú is a restaurant, and the beach clubs guide records no day pass. A rental company's blog says management once sold a $75 pass in the off-season with $50 credited to the restaurant; Confirm it is offered now, so message the hotel before you count on it.
Blue Mist, Uma at Playa Cielo and the rest of the beachfront hotels also keep their pools for guests. Selina, which older blog posts list with a $5 pool entry, closed in 2024, as the best hotels guide notes. Rocamar and Banana Beach's old beach club have loungers on the sand, not a pool.
Free alternatives
The Mal Pais tide pools near Playa Mar Azul are natural pools in the reef, best around low tide. The Malpais tide pools listing is a free swim with a sunset. Check the tide guide first, because at high tide they are underwater, and watch your footing on the wet rock.
How to choose
| Place | Price | Included | Hours | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blooma | $35 | All day pool, hot tub, cold plunge, drink | Ask | Quiet day, kosher menu |
| Tropico Latino | $40 adult, $30 child | Pool, beach area, $30 or $20 credit | 10am to 4pm, July to Nov | Families |
| Vista de Olas | 20,000 colones | All credited to food and drink | Ask | Sunset, adults |
| re:center | $60 | Sauna, cold plunge, pool, classes | Ask | Recovery day |
| Banana Beach | Ask | Pool access announced | Ask | Walking from town |
Practical notes
Bring cash in dollars or colones, since card terminals drop in rain and Vista de Olas has asked for cash. Bring your own towel unless the pass says one is included. Sunscreen and a hat matter between 11am and 2pm. The getting around guide covers taxis for the hillside venues. If you are travelling with children, the family-friendly stays guide and the Santa Teresa with kids guide cover hotels with pools for guests. For a couple wanting a private pool, the honeymoon guide lists the hotels that have one.
Browse every hotel, spa and wellness space in the activities directory.
FAQ
Are there any pool day passes in Santa Teresa?
Yes, a few. Blooma Boutique Hotel sells one for $35, Hotel Tropico Latino for $40 from July to November 2026, and Hotel Vista de Olas charges about 20,000 colones against a bar tab. re:center sells a $60 wellness day with a pool.
Can I use a hotel pool if I eat at the restaurant?
Sometimes, and it depends on the venue and the manager. Frank's Place and Brukas are named by locals as places where diners swim, and Tropico Latino has been inconsistent. Buy a pass or confirm in writing before you go.
Does Nantipa sell a day pass?
No pass is confirmed. The hotel keeps its pool and loungers for guests and Manzú works as a beachfront restaurant. A local blog mentions a $75 off-season pass with $50 credit, so ask the hotel directly.
How much is a day pass at Tropico Latino?
$40 for adults and $30 for children, from 10am to 4pm. $30 of the adult price and $20 of the child price come back as a credit at Shambala restaurant, and the pass runs from July to November 2026.
Is there a free place to swim in Santa Teresa?
The Mal Pais tide pools are free, as are the beaches, though the sea has rips and rocks. For a safe swim in a pool you need a pass or a hotel room.
Is the pass worth it?
At Tropico Latino and Vista de Olas most of the price comes back as food and drink, so the pool costs you $10 or so. Blooma's $35 includes the hot tub and cold plunge, which is better value if you will use them.
