, B&B (00 34 971 34 22 22; pikesibiza.com ) Copacabana Palace Rio de Janeiro, Brazil In the 1940s, Orson Welles was liable for a hefty damages' bills at Rio's Copacabana Palace. The American auteur stayed at Brazil's beachfront icon for eight months while dating Mexican actress Dolores del Río and working on an unfinished film about samba and carnival. Ever the bon viveur , Welles hosted soirées – neglecting to remain faithful. When Ms del Río called to terminate their relationship, Welles dispensed with the entire contents of his suite – writing desk and furniture included – into the hotel's half Olympic-siz){kind=link}
Some of history’s best celebrity action has taken place in and around these hot spots to cool off
This summer marks 40 years since WHAM! shot its seminal Club Tropicana video poolside at Pikes in Ibiza. That was far from the Balearic retreat’s only moment in the limelight, having become almost as renowned as its star-studded guestlist over the years. For hotels such as Pikes, the pool is often the centre of the action; where parties can last all day and well into the night. Far from simply a place to swim and sunbathe, a hotel pool can be a site of scandal and salaciousness – as these seven classics of the genre prove.
WHAM!’s 1983 video – shot poolside at Pikes, in the San Antonio hills – is all green lilos, moustachioed mixologists and eyebrow-raising swimming trunks. But there was serious subtext behind the seemingly upbeat shoot. As detailed in Netflix’s new WHAM! documentary, it’s also where George Michael – wrestling with his sexuality – first came out as gay to childhood friend and bandmate Andrew Ridgeley. Today, after half a century of hosting Grace Jones and Freddie Mercury, Pikes remains the place to stay and play on the White Isle. Refurbished with rock and roll aplomb by designer Lucinda Swayne this year, it now sports vintage fringed lamps and wallpaper by Divine Savages in rooms, along with a host of party spots including a disco ball-decked terrace. Just don’t expect the drinks to be free.
Book it: Doubles from €199 (£170), B&B (00 34 971 34 22 22; pikesibiza.com)
In the 1940s, Orson Welles was liable for a hefty damages’ bills at Rio’s Copacabana Palace. The American auteur stayed at Brazil’s beachfront icon for eight months while dating Mexican actress Dolores del Río and working on an unfinished film about samba and carnival. Ever the bon viveur, Welles hosted soirees – neglecting to remain faithful. When Ms del Río called to terminate their relationship, Welles dispensed with the entire contents of his suite – writing desk and furniture included – into the hotel’s half Olympic-sized pool six floors below. He was not the only star to have misbehaved: rock icon Janis Joplin also jumped naked into the pool in the 1970s during a failed sojourn to sober up in Brazil’s second city, before being promptly asked to leave.