hot tub drink holder

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You know that frustrated feeling when you’re hanging out in your hot tub and realize there’s nowhere to put your drink?

It’s not just an annoyance. If you don’t have a proper place to set down your beverage, it could end up tumbling into the water. And how frustrating would that be? Well, worry no more!

This guide features the best drinks holders on the market (for every type of hot tub) so you can keep your drinks both safe from spills and within easy reach.

We tested everything from trays that attach securely to the side of the cabinet, floating tables with cup holders and space for snacks, or caddies that fit right over the edge of the tub.

Ready to relax with your drink of choice? Let’s check out these hot tub caddies!

How we picked

We bought and tried a few different kinds of cup holders, basing our choices on as many different styles as we could get our hands on—we know not every design will work for every hot tub.

For our research, we enlisted three testers who were willing to sacrifice their drinks for the sake of our readers. We sent them each a drinks holder with instructions to set it up in their hot tubs, and then report back on three things: ease of installation, stability, and overall usefulness. The results?

  • Best overall: Leisure Concepts Spa Caddy
  • Best for inflatable spas: Intex PureSpa Cup Holder
  • Best floating hot tub tray: Polar Whale Floating Drink Holder
  • Best budget: Life Tray Table

Of course, this guide is not definitive as there are other options out there, but everything we picked is made of quality materials, and approved by other spa owners.

Best overall

Leisure Concepts Spa Caddy

Sleek, sturdy, and stylish—as long as you can screw it to your spa.

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The Leisure Concepts Spa Caddy is a permanent fixture side table tray that attaches to the side of the cabinet with the provided bracket and screws.

It comes with a spacious 27″x9″ surface that can comfortably accommodate glasses plus multiple bowls of snacks. And it’s made from weather-resistant plastic that is durable and gives the tray a stylish, modern look.

What we loved

  • Besides holding your refreshments, the tear-drop shaped tray is great for other things you don’t want to get wet, like your mobile phone, a book, or sunglasses.
  • It can swing in and out of the tub on the metal pole. If you swing the tray to face out the tub, your precious possessions will be safe even if someone accidentally knocks them off the tray. (For most things, falling to the ground is probably preferable to water damage.)
  • Installation was quick and easy with everything included—we just had to choose where we wanted to put the tray and secure it.
  • The sturdy construction of stainless-steel and weather-resistant plastic makes it both durable and beautiful. It’s the only tray in the line-up engineered for fairly heavy duty use thanks to the permanent installation.

What we didn’t

  • The tray is attached to the outside of the tub, and it means that the drinks won’t follow you when you want to change your sitting spot. Fixing the tray close to your favorite spot in the tub will help to avoid this problem—but just know you will have to pass guests their drinks, or have people reaching over you.
  • Your spa cover needs to be considered when attaching the pole so that it won’t be in the way. Luckily the whole thing (the pole and tray itself) is removable so you can also keep the tray on the tub when you need it, and out of the way when you don’t.
  • The permanent fittings won’t work for you if you want to move the tray around, or if you have an inflatable or non-straight sided spa.

Best for inflatable spas

Intex PureSpa Cup Holder

Two cup holders and a tray so you can enjoy snacks, too!

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When you have an inflatable spa, your options are somewhat limited as you obviously can’t attach anything that could puncture the material.

However, this lovely caddy, with two cup holders and a tray to accommodate snacks, safely hugs the wall edge of your hot tub instead so your drinks stay safe. It’s portable and sturdy so you don’t have to worry about it tipping over while you enjoy yourself in the spa.

What we loved

  • You can attach this anywhere along the tub’s edge, so the drinks are always within easy reach no matter where you are in the tub.
  • The tray is big enough to hold some snacks but not too big, with just over 10″x” in usable surface area.
  • It’s easily removable and portable, so it’s not a hassle to use when you need it.
  • It will hold both drinks and snacks safely out of the water.

What we didn’t

  • It’s only molded to hold two drinks, which may be inconvenient if you have an extra friend over.
  • It accommodates only standard-sized mugs and glasses, so oversized containers will not fit into the cupholders.

Best floating hot tub tray

Polar Whale Floating Drink Holder

An excellent party tray for any hot tub.

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If you’re looking for something everyone can reach, floating trays are one way to keep beverages easily accessible while you’re relaxing in your hot tub.

The Polar Whale Floating Drink Holder is a premium foam refreshment tray with capacity for drinks, snacks, phones, sunglasses, or anything else you need. It can hold up to four bottles, cans, or party cups and has 3 additional compartments that are great for all your other items.

It’s made from dense, thick foam that’s also UV-protected from sunlight so it feels super durable too! Of course, being a floating tray means that it can be used in every hot tub out there as there’s no need to attach it anywhere.

What we loved

  • This will be perfect for parties or any other occasion where you’ll have people over in your hot tub.
  • The large size of the tray (17.5″ x 11.5″) can accommodate enough refreshments for guests, or you can use it to hold other important items out of the water, like the book you want to read while relaxing. Our tester even propped up an iPad in one end of this thing and was able to watch a movie.
  • Can also be flipped over and used as one big, flat surface (card game, anyone?).
  • Foam is puncture-resistant to ensure the tray should serve you for a long time. We also looked at an inflatable tray in the floating category, but preferred this one because there’s no need to blow it up before or re-inflate during use.

What we didn’t

  • The pre-determined size of compartments can make it difficult to fit odd-sized items.
  • There is a danger that someone (or powerful hot tub jets) could knock the tray over. It’s pretty stable when you load it evenly, but as a floating drinks holder, it’s never going to be as stable as a fixed tray.

Best budget

Life Tray Table

Simple, easy-to-use tray that will fit on the side of most spas without damage.

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If you’re budget conscious but still want a tray that fits on the side of your spa, this Life Tray Table should do the trick. It attaches with universal grip legs to the side of your tub so you can use it with pretty much any hard-sided spa.

This was great news for me as my rotomolded hot tub has curved sides so a tray that needed screwing to the outside was never going to be an option.

What we loved

  • Securely attaches to the edge of most hot tubs. Universal gripper legs make it portable so it will fit on any side of your spa.
  • Drainage holes prevent drink spills, condensation, or rain water from pooling on the tray’s surface.
  • The 18″x.5″ wide tray offers a generous space for food/drinks plus anything else you want to keep within reach.
  • Simple aesthetic won’t look out of place even in an elegant hot tub.

What we didn’t

  • This tray wasn’t the sturdiest, so don’t expect it to handle anything too heavy like full glass bottles.
  • The ‘universal’ grip opens only 8 inches, so it might not fit wide hot tub walls—be sure to measure yours carefully first.
  • Drink holders would also be a nice addition to this tray. All in all, I liked the practicality of the Life Tray Table, but it was definitely not my favorite on account of its lackluster performance with heavier items.

So there you have it, folks. These are our picks for the most convenient and useful hot tub trays and caddies on the market. We hope you’ll find one you love as much as we enjoyed reviewing them.

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