The Beach at Dream Downtown
355 W. 16th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 212-229-2336
Solving the conundrum of where to find a lifeguard who’ll mist you with Evian while you sip a Sweet Peach or Wet Dream cocktail ($14 each)—in Manhattan—is Dream Downtown’s new sandy poolside oasis, open to the public nightly after 6 p.m. A cast reminiscent of an Ibiza postcard (plus some obvious tourists) lie on chaise lounges and take dips in the heated pool (the hotel lobby is visible through the exotic-people tank’s glass bottom) when they’re not simply swanning around. Guests can access the space all day long, but things gets buzziest at night: That’s when the bikinis are paired with sky-high heels and the two private cabanas’ parties really heat up.