Is Resort Pass worth the money? We tried it at three hotel pools.

Before summer even arrived, we started thinking about pools. Specifically, how to have mini-getaways by the water without taking time off.

We had flirted with Resort Pass, a company that books daytime experiences at more than 2,000 hotels, in the past but found options around D.C. were limited and difficult to book. So this year, we got organized. Our team of three travel reporters synced up to search on the same day in early June to book hotel passes two days, two weeks and three weeks out.

Here’s what we found — and our verdicts on the value.

Omni Shoreham Hotel

For pool time with my mermaid of a 4-year-old, I needed to find a kid-friendly option. That took several bargain-priced, adults-only options off the table but reassured me that my tiny plus-one might not get the evil eye.

The Omni Shoreham in Woodley Park, while pricey for an adult day pass at $100, charged a reasonable $20 for kids. Children under 3 are free. The heated outdoor pool is open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., and cheaper evening passes from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. are often available. Our total came out to just about $139 with taxes and fees; prices vary by date. Our visit on the day after Juneteenth couldn’t have helped the price.

Pros: The hotel has a giant, lagoon-shaped pool where couples, families with kids and a woman reading her book could easily coexist with a bachelorette party toting an eggplant emoji float. There’s a hot tub and a small, foot-deep children’s pool that my daughter loved, even if she called it the "baby pool."

Lounge chairs are plentiful, even if they were mostly claimed by noon, and food and drinks are available to purchase at the pool bar. (Self-serve water was free.) Staffers were polite and efficient at the front desk, the health club and the pool, where one friendly man in a suit walked around checking on everyone’s day. Towels, access to the locker room and sauna, lounge chairs and three hours of free valet parking are included with the pass.

Cons: While the pool and grounds are lovely, much of the view is still of the back of a large convention hotel. The pool depth maxed out at three-and-a-half feet, which was fine for us but not for diving.

Even though the area is spacious, it was crowded enough that lounger options were limited and shady spots were not available during peak swimming hours. Food prices aren’t obscene, but if you plan to eat there, prepare to drop $5 on sparkling water or $16 for a hummus plate.

The takeaway: We enjoyed the day, but the Florida native in me craved tropical colors and ocean breezes. It’s not the kind of resort getaway I would splurge on for a one-day family outing again — especially when I could join crowds at the (admittedly less impressive) neighborhood pool, free. But like the unbothered woman who turned the pool into her personal library, I would absolutely sign up for a lower-priced solo day.

Royal Sonesta Dupont Circle

On the pool deck or in the water, the D.C. sun will find you. For a respite from the heat, the Royal Sonesta Washington, D.C. Dupont Circle’s pass combines pool access with a guest room for $95, plus about $25 in taxes and fees. Pass holders can bounce between hot and cool, covered space and open sky from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pros: At check-in, a front desk employee handed me a key card as if I were an ordinary guest but asked that I check out in person, because of the inverted hours. The spacious corner room was stocked with a fridge for snacks and drinks, a shower and toiletries to rinse off the chlorine, a closet to hang post-pool attire, a hair dryer to blast a wet bathing suit, and a pair of beds to recover from the physical exertion of lowering yourself into the refreshing water.

My room was one floor above the second-story pool, tucked inside a square of brick buildings. A profusion of artificial pink flowers lent a touch of the tropics. Guests can grab a towel from a stack by the door and park themselves in a cabana, on a chaise longue or at a cafe table. In the adjoining fitness center, they can run or bike with views of the shimmery blue swimming hole.

Cons: The pool is on the smaller and shallower side — the max depth is 5 feet — so you won’t be able to dive or swim laps without bumping your head. There is no shade or umbrellas; for cover, you’ll need to snag one of the two gratis cabanas.

Outside food and drink is not allowed at the pool, so your only option is the lobby restaurant, Certo. However, its hours aren’t really aligned with poolside dining. Breakfast service ends a half-hour before the pass starts, and weekend brunch wraps up at 1:30 p.m. The happy hour menu runs from 4 to 6 p.m., so you have an hour to order, race your food and drink (in a lidded plastic cup) to the pool and consume your meal before the pass expires. If you abide by the 30-minute-rest rule, forget about a final swim.

The takeaway: With the room at your disposal, you will never get too hot, too hungry, too sticky or too sleepy. I visited on a weirdly cold summer’s day, so I had the pool to myself. When the heat peaks, the swimming area might be packed, but you can wait for the crowds to thin from the comfort of your air-conditioned room.

For about $120, or less if you divide the cost by four occupants (the max allowed), the no-sweat retreat was worth the money. I could easily imagine skipping the beach traffic and summering at the Royal Sonesta instead.

The Watergate Hotel

With a rainy-day forecast on the horizon, the historic Watergate Hotel looked like a promising escape. For $65, excluding taxes and fees, you could get a day pass to the Argentta Spa to unwind at the indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Pros: The staff was incredibly welcoming and professional, and the facilities were spotless. Check-in was seamless, and after a quick tour of the space, you’re given a locker where you can store your belongings while you relax in the facilities. The cherry on top was the complimentary robe and slippers. After some swimming, sweating and showering, the restaurant upstairs served a mean club sandwich at a high-end hotel price ($28).

Cons: If you’re here on a day pass just to access the pool, not get a spa treatment, you may get stir crazy. When the indoor pool area gets busy, voices screech against the echoey walls. Even if you don’t mind the sharp noise, there aren’t many lounge chairs around for reading or napping. The pool itself isn’t conducive for a day of lap swimming; it’s better suited for a romantic dip or family-friendly frolicking. The Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room are fine, but the human body can only sweat so much.

The takeaway: The Watergate is a hotel for a spa day, not a pool day. If you’re not splurging on a massage, there are better places in the DMV to sweat, dip and steam. Like Spa World, where you can go for a lower day rate and more variety.