Pet Friendly Hotels in California

Jennifer Regnier from Pixabay

Lots of families have a furry family member, and these days there are lots of hotels and resorts willing to welcome them with open arms. California is the sort of state with a pretty pet-friendly vibe, so it’s no surprise that there were plenty of contenders for our list of 20 of the best pet friendly hotels in California. Our picks are anything but scruffy, shed-y, and smelling of pet; some are extremely luxurious, with opportunities for your pet to not just stay with you, but to be pampered with you! Use our guide to the best pet friendly hotels in California and start planning your next trip.

City Break Hotels for your Pet

The Silver Lake Pool & Inn is a hip hotel in trendy, Hollywood adjacent, Silver Lake. These 54 rooms and suites are turned out with a Japanese-style cool. Think matting and low beds, plants and simple, but beautiful ornaments. Some have kitchen facilities. There’s also a pool, with a cocktail bar, and an Italian restaurant. And pets are really welcomed, with toys, food, and even a pet-friendly guide given to pets.

Beach Breaks for Pet Families

The Sanctuary Beach Resort is a chic hotel built right on the dunes of the Marina State Beach, between Monterey and Santa Cruz. It’s not so much rooms and suites, as small cottages and villas, with their own terraces, overlooking the ocean, and all together there are 60 of them, all in different configurations, from just the room, to much more. There’s a beautiful pool, elegant restaurant with the option to eat al fresco, bars, a spa, and you can order beach picnics. They don’t just allow dogs here, they welcome them with doggy treats. An idyllic escape for the whole family.
The Hideaway in Carmel is a cute little inn, about ten minutes walk from the beach. With just 24 rooms and suites, this is a relatively intimate sized hotel, and the fact that the rooms are arranged around a central courtyard increases the feeling of privacy. The decor is stylishly simple, with white walls, beautifully contemporary wooden headboards, and monochrome fabrics. There’s a shared indoor and outdoor living space, and though there’s no restaurant there are plenty within a short stroll. Two of the 24 rooms are pet friendly.

Chic Pet Friendly Hotels

Palm Spring’s Holiday House was a 1950s motel, until it got an amazing makeover into a cool boutique hotel. Its 28 rooms and suites are decorated with bold patterns in white and blue, super cool bamboo furnishings and mid-century pieces. There’s a relaxed pool, complete with an excellent cocktail bar, and a restaurant serving Californian cuisine. No kids allowed, but you can bring your dog, who’ll be treated to bowls, baggies, treats and toys.
The Sands Hotel & Spa is a chic, Moroccan-style boutique hotel, close to Palm Springs, the Joshua Tree National Park, and the Santa Rosa Mountains. So the palm trees are authentic, even if the hammam isn’t, and the colours are bright even by the standard of Marrakech. There are 46 rooms and suites, uniquely dressed with an unusual collection of printed fabrics and some really cool design pieces. There’s a trendy restaurant — Pink Cabana — which is also known for its cool decor and fusion cuisine, and the spa is highly regarded. No kids, but you can bring your pets, for an additional $100 per booking.
Another 1950s motel conversion, the Calistoga Motor Lodge has been turned into a chic Napa Valley spa hotel. There’s a wealth of great wine-country inspired spa treatments in the retro-look spa, which relies on locally found geothermal waters, plus a choice of pools. The accommodations range from simple rooms to all kinds of luxury and cabin options. It’s the Camper Rooms you need to go for if you’re bringing your pets. There’s an Italian restaurant, but they also lend out their bikes if you want to cycle to another local restaurant.

Romantic Hotels for Pet Lovers

The Inn Paradiso is an idyllic, modernist building, just outside Paso Robles, deep in wine country. This is a really incredible structure, seemingly all stone and wood rusticity, but with six neat rooms and suites, spread through three buildings, and dressed with mid-century furnishings, unique art, and contemporary details. Most have fireplaces and balconies too. And there’s a very stylish and comfortable lounge, and beautiful terraces, plus a pool and gardens, with views of the hills. Three of the six suites are pet friendly, and children over ten are welcome too.
The Landsby is a 51 room boutique hotel dressed with a Scandinavian theme. It’s located in wine country, not far from Santa Barbara, and they’re certainly playing up to the wine-tasting crowd with their wine-related offerings, and links to local balloon flight providers and stables etc.. The decor is a real pleasure for anyone who likes things elegant and simple, with lots of white, and wood, including pine four-poster beds in some rooms. There’s a cocktail bar in the courtyard and an excellent restaurant. Small dogs up to 50lbs are welcome here.
The Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer is a charming hotel on a vineyard, and surrounded by more — it’s just outside Zinfandel in the Napa Valley. The 78 rooms and suites are large and traditionally decorated, with exposed stone fireplaces and wood floors. The best have wonderful private balconies and terraces, with endless vineyard views. There’s a smart spa, a country-style restaurant, and of course, an excellent wine list, and two pools, one just for adults. There are pet friendly rooms across all the categories and your furry friend will be greeted with treats and toys.

Luxurious Pet Friendly Hotels

Andaz Napa is a large and luxurious hotel in central Napa, with 141 rooms and suites with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the city. The decor is elegantly understated, with white linens and walls, wood floors and designer, monochrome furnishings and cool lighting. The generously proportioned bathrooms have freestanding bathtubs, and downstairs there’s a an American bistro and an innovative cocktail and wine bar. There’s a spa too. Pets up to 50lb are welcome and they offer special doggy packages which include walking and bathing.
Casa Madrona is a marina-view boutique-y hotel in Marin City, on the opposite site of the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Converted from a vast Victorian mansion, the Cast Madrona has 63 light, airy rooms, the best with private balconies. There’s an elegant bar and restaurant which spills outside onto a relaxed terrace, and there’s a spa, with a sauna and a small gym. They also allow dogs, with a maximum of two per room.

Pet Friendly Escapes

Close to Sonoma wine country and the Redwoods, Healdsburg’s H2Hotel is an eco-friendly hotel, with a focus on sustainable living and eating, but in a relaxing environment. A stylish one too. There are only 36 rooms and suites, all of them simply decorated with beautiful, white linens, bamboo floors and cool, nature-inspired colours. You’re surrounded by beautiful countryside, which you’re encouraged to explore in the saddle of a bike, or a horse, or on foot. Dogs under 50lbs are welcomed here and provided with a bed and bowl.
Mine+Farm is a rural B&B converted from a wonderfully charming farmhouse built in 1906, and set on two and a half fruit-tree laden acres in the Sonoma Valley. There are just nine rooms, split between the main house and the Carriage House. The Carriage House rooms all have separate entrances, and these are the pet-friendly ones. There’s a huge garden with fruit trees, California oaks and a flock of chickens, and the Redwood Memorial Garden is only five minutes away by car.
The Benbow Inn is a country inn with all the country inn trimmings, in amongst the Californian Redwood forests. Expect tasteful chintz, antiques and picturesque views from the 55 rooms and suites. The inn also has sports courts, a pool and hot tub, plus a children’s playground. There’s fireplaces if you need extra cosiness, and a charming restaurant serving great, locally sourced produce. Pets are welcome in the terrace building, with a maximum of two per room.

Hotels for the Whole Family

The Kona Kai Resort & Spa is right on the edge of a man-made peninsula running along the edge of a San Diego marina, so this resort has something of an island appeal, but one you can drive to. It’s large and sprawling, with 170 rooms, suite and apartments, running along the water’s edge, so the majority of rooms have water views. There’s a man-made beach, two pools complete with poolside bars, and the whole area is landscaped with palms and tropical-feeing gardens. There’s a choice of restaurants as well as places to swim, and you can eat al fresco. Pets are welcome here with special packages, and beds and bowls are provided.
Berkeley’s Claremont Club and Spa is a huge, white, family-friendly resort overlooking the San Francisco Bay, which looks something like the Disney Palace! Its 276 rooms and suites are big and chic, with huge bathrooms and classic luxury decor. There’s a fantastic resort-style pool surrounded by sun-loungers, two further pools, and a big spa. Plus a choice of onsite dining and drinking, weighted toward seafood and cocktails. You’re close to the university and the zoo. All dogs are welcome here whatever their size!
Up the road from Lake Tahoe, the Cedar House Sport Hotel is a family-owned hotel modelled on a European ski chalet, but with some innovative design ideas in gorgeous wood. The 42 rooms and suites have a simpler, contemporary feel, while the public spaces are more exciting, with modernist art and brutalist brushed concrete, leather furniture and all that wood. The restaurant specialises in local produce in a range of styles, and there are family rooms, as well as pet-friendly rooms. Dogs over a year old are welcome, but do check when you are making your reservation.
The Hotel Milo is a gently sprawling resort/hotel just behind Santa Barbara’s West Beach — there’s a hedge, then a palm-lined road, and then the sand. Large and low-rise, with 123 rooms and suites, this is the sort of place where you can find just the accommodation configuration you need. All rooms are simply and elegantly decorated, and many come with sea views. This is a great spot for families, it’s got two pools and a hot tub, and complimentary breakfasts. There’s no restaurant, but there are plenty of choices just outside the hotel’s tropical-feeling grounds. Dogs are welcome and you'll be presented with complimentary baggies and treats on arrival.

Great Value Pet Friendly Hotels

The Hotel Azure is a modern, 99 room hotel just minutes away from the centre of the Heavenly Mountain Resort. It’s common for hotels in Lake Tahoe to have wood features, and even though the decor in these spacious rooms is chic and modern, there’s still a wood feature wall to give that mountain resort feeling, and the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows is there to remind you too. Most of the rooms and suites have a private balcony or patio too, and there’s a hot tub as well as a pool, gym and games room on the facilities list. There’s no restaurant, though. Dogs can stay for an extra $25 per night.
The Tamarack Lodge is a rustic lodge on the shore of Twin Lakes by Mammoth. Built in the 1920s, and featuring your classic mountain chalet features of wood panelling and exposed stone, this lodge offers accommodation within the main building, and in stand-alone cabins. There are 45 rooms in all, and plenty of open fires and cosy plaid prints to keep everything feeling welcoming and toasty. There’s a small restaurant, plus a bar and lounge, but more restaurants within a short walk, and the cabins are self-catering. Two pets per room with a fee of $30 per pet per night.

Still not sure where to book?

You could browse our recommendations for California Hotels?
Or refine your search to our recommendations for Pet-Friendly Hotels in San Francisco?
or the best wine hotels in the Napa Valley? or the best hotels on the Northern California Coast?
or just the best hotels in Palm Springs?
Alternatively, you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.

20 Pet Friendly Hotels in California

Casa Madrona

Sausalito (California)

Stunning Victorian mansion overlooking the marina. Rooms are light, modern and boast private balconies. Poggio Trattoria dishes up daily changing Italian dishes with locally sourced produce and homegrown vegetables. Spend days unwinding in the spa; an ideal city escape.

Great walks - Take long walks through the Muir Woods and along the Marin Headlands.
Sailing - Spend a day sailing with the Sausalito Yacht Club.
Tennis - The nearby tennis club has everything you need.
Designer

from €238 for 1 room, 1 night including taxes & fees

20 Pet Friendly Hotels in California

City Break Hotels for your Pet

Beach Breaks for Pet Families

Chic Pet Friendly Hotels

Romantic Hotels for Pet Lovers

Luxurious Pet Friendly Hotels

Pet Friendly Escapes

Hotels for the Whole Family

Great Value Pet Friendly Hotels

Still not sure where to book?

20 Pet Friendly Hotels in California

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