Blue Water Hotels — a curated guide to hotels with open-water swimming access

"Beachfront" means almost nothing. Sometimes you step out and swim. Sometimes there's a trek, a marina, and water you wouldn't go back into. No booking site describes what the water is actually like.

My wife Susan and I are open-water swimmers, and for years we've planned trips around one question: can we stay somewhere good and get a great swim right outside the door? It started when a friend asked for a couple of Costa Brava hotels that would suit swimmers. I began writing the list and couldn't stop.

53 hotels across 10 countries now, each checked against four rules: direct access to the water or under five minutes on foot, a real unobstructed swim route, water worth swimming in, and a hotel worth staying at even if you never got in. Binary curation, closer to Michelin than TripAdvisor. Well-known properties have been left off because the swim didn't hold up.

There are no affiliate links. Every listing goes straight to the hotel's own site. Every photograph is used with permission, asked for one hotel at a time, or sent by swimmers who have been there. That has been slower than expected, and more rewarding.

What I'd most value from this group is a read on the product. Is the proposition clear, is the curation convincing, and what would you do differently? And, if you know of a property that should be here and is not, please let me know.

Thx so much for your attention. Explore the website over at bluewaterhotels.com

very cool, thanks for sharing!

One request: please start a newsletter! Or even just send out updates. I'd happily sign up for an occasional new hotel, swimming spot, or other place you've discovered. I looked for one and couldn't find it. Great idea, wonderful editorial, and beautiful site.

This is a great resource, thanks for sharing!

As someone who lives on a beach, I'm always curious about the rules of beach access in other places. For example here in Australia all beaches are free to access, there's no "private beach" concept.

Water temperature would be nice to know!