From 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., the Westin’s heated infinity pool offers a perfect reprieve from the heat, with shaded lounge chairs, cabanas, and a menu featuring cocktails, drink packages, and light bites. If in need of a change of scenery, venture off into the surrounding area, which is filled with bars and restaurants within walking distance.

Whether you’re catching a show at the Cynthia Woods Pavilion or taking in the Woodlands’ up-and-coming dining scene, a visit to the Woodlands Resort’s Forest Oaks pool and family-friendly water park is a must. With a lagoon-style pool, water slides, waterfalls, and a lazy river to lounge in, take in the endless Texas summer sun with great food and cocktails. Expect a casual menu of bites, like cheeseburger egg rolls, wings, salads, and sandwiches, or dig into heartier dishes like the smoked pork rib platter. Adults can indulge in the resort’s selection of beer, wine, and its variety of tropical drinks, including the mojitos and rum coolers which come in standard and large cup sizes for peak boozing.

Rooftop infinity pool? Check. Whirlpool? Check. This often-overlooked hotel in Memorial City is a great place to unwind while staying close to all the Houston hotspots. Private and relaxed is the vibe here, so grab a drink and watch the sunset at this rooftop pool.

With waterfall fixtures and column-adorned pergolas, this small but stylish hotel pool will transport visitors to the beaches of Italy. Take it further with the poolside bites and cocktails. Run by the hotel’s Il Giardino restaurant, the featured full-service Italian menu is robust with pasta, pizzas, seafood, and sandwiches, plus wine and cocktail pairings. Cool off with sorbets, available in strawberry, mango, and lemon, or the standout pistachio ice cream.

The Laura Hotel’s rooftop pool offers a perfect place to beat the heat, and it takes it up a notch with a rooftop pool party held every Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. through September 3. For $40 per person, this ticketed event offers live DJ sets and drink specials. Hotel guests get complimentary entry but can guarantee a shaded spot with the reservation of a pool cabana for two and a bottle of champagne for $250.

Located in the posh Four Seasons Houston, this breezy pool is an extension of the hotel’s understated opulence and is a charming place to bask in the sun. The dining menu is also something to indulge in. Find comfort food classics such as margherita pizzas, salads, and sandwiches, plus lighter dishes like the salmon sushi takko — fresh salmon with aji amarillo, mango scallion, and rice. Further channel paradise with frozen cocktails like the el Floridita — a Bacardi Ocho, lime, Luxardo Maraschino, and sugar mixture — or its gin-based Saturn cocktail, made with citrus, and Falernum, orgeat almond, and passionfruit syrups. Bonus: The pool features a DJ every weekend from noon to 4 p.m.

This five-star hotel also comes with a five-star pool. A calming outdoor oasis, the restaurant’s rectangular pool is surrounded by pillowy lounge chairs and day beds, beckoning guests to sunbathe, drink, and dine on light bites. Cabanas here — available for reservation by hotel guests only — are also next-level. Accommodating parties of four, each comes with its own flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges, safes to store belongings, plus water, fruit platters, and mini sunscreen.

Experience one of the city’s biggest and most colorful summer parties at this see-and-be-seen adult private swim club. Pool-goers can choose between its 15,000-square-foot main pool, or splash around in its smaller cocktail-depth pool, all the while enjoying pitchers of palomas, glasses of champagne, their favorite canned beers, or cooling summer cocktails like the Amor Prohibido — a combo of vodka, lemon, raspberry, and coconut water. A rotating selection of food trucks will be onsite to provide pool-approved fare, and national DJs will set the mood every Sunday. Visitors can also leave at least some of their worries at home — Segundo provides complimentary parking, sunscreen, and towel service.

With hotels outfitted with impressive pools in both the Memorial area and the Museum District, Hotel Zaza offers some of the most enjoyable outdoor pool bars in town, with a cocktail menu featuring single and sharable servings to match. Highlights include the berry jito — a cooling mix of Diplomatico Planas Rum, berries, mint, lime, and soda water; or the hibiscus margarita, a refreshing twist on the classic drink with Aperol and pomegranate. Feeling hungry after a day in the sun? Keep it light with the ahi tuna tostadas, or appease your appetite with the brisket cheeseburger, the 12-inch pizzas, or the volcano salt fries served with a goat cheese ranch. If staying overnight, consider the cabana packages, which include fruit trays, a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne, and a food and drink package.