Hard Rock Hotel San Diego

The pool

• Rooftop pool (FLOAT)
• Harbor + Coronado Bridge
• Seasonal, weather permitting

Why it's on the list

FLOAT is the fourth-floor rooftop pool and lounge, looking over the harbor, the Gaslamp and the Coronado Bridge. It runs seasonally and weather permitting — and the hotel is mid-renovation under new management, so confirm before you plan around it.

The stay

The Hard Rock is the wild card right now — the music-branded party hotel at the Gaslamp's Fifth Avenue entrance, across the street from the convention center, and in the middle of a change of era: new management arrived in mid-2025 with a full renovation to follow. The location is as convenient as downtown San Diego gets for a convention or a Padres game, which is exactly why people keep booking it through the disruption. At $$ it can be a genuine deal — the pick if the address matters most and you've confirmed what's open for your dates, the pool included; look elsewhere if you want a sure thing.