When the temperature rises in New York, it makes sense to head to the hills. Or rooftops. The long-awaited 2nd and 3rd story pool lounge at the Thompson Lower East Side hotel, which opened this month, is the latest of the city's urban oases.

The pool deck itself, complete with Andy Warhol negative print on the floor tiles, is open to hotel guests and diners at the new Shang terrace restaurant on the 3rd floor (cheeseburger spring rolls anyone?), and the pull of a cocktail overlooking the Lower East Side cityscape is inevitably making it a popular spot for weekend lunch and after-work drinks. Don't dive in though - it's only 4 feet deep.

It's not the hotel's only outdoor offering either - the seventh floor is home to the Above Allen nightclub and bar, which in summer transforms into a garden terrace thanks to a rather handy retractable roof. 

190 Allen St, New York, NY 10002 (212 460-5300; www.thompsonhotels.com)