The Rise of the Dog-Friendly Hotel. And the Best Ones I’ve Been To.
I am noticing something. There’s a new breed (sorry, not sorry) of dog-friendly hotels, and it seems to be on the rise. I’m opening up my Instagram, and I’m seeing more and more princely pooches front and centre in a hotel’s marketing. We all know it makes for great content — what’s not to “like” when you scroll past a cute blonde on a plush four-poster bed? But does this mean the tide is turning for our four-legged fur babies? Are they finally being welcomed (I mean truly welcomed) as the members of the family that we (crazy dog moms) already know they are?
Our first-born Biscuit is almost six years old (this December), and we’ve been travelling with him since he was 15 weeks. It is the greatest pleasure to enjoy trips all over Europe with him (we’re yet to venture further afield), and in fact, we’ve left our three-year-old son at home more times than we’ve left Biscuit behind.
He’s been all over Italy, France and Greece, to Ibiza, Mallorca and mainland Spain, Austria, Switzerland, and of course Ireland and the UK — and most recently to Comporta in Portugal. He’s island-hopped and road-tripped, taken boat trips on Lake Como and around Ischia, boarded the train to Paris for a quick weekend, and eaten at Stanley Tucci’s favourite restaurant in Florence. He’s taken bike tours around Lucca and been to the beach clubs of Mykonos and Saint-Tropez. He has a life that anybody would envy.
But it doesn’t come without hours of research, some sacrifice and compromise, and saying no to the things he won’t like and the places that don’t welcome him. (Hotel du Cap will forever break my heart.)
Ironically (or not), when it comes to hotels, in our experience, the more high-end they are, the more dog-friendly they become. And that doesn’t mean simply allowing them in the room. It means joining you for meals, at the pool or beach, having the run of the grounds and facilities (within reason), and being met with joy and openness rather than rules and regulations.
It goes without saying that we would never allow Biscuit to disturb another guest — and he never would. He is quiet and well-trained, though he truly thinks he’s a human and prefers a seat to the floor.
I put it down to a luxury hotel being willing to go above and beyond for its guests. They’re used to saying “yes”, whatever that yes may be. And at the same time, people who travel with their dogs are going the extra mile (and taking on the extra expense) to do so.
So, with almost six years of experience under our belt, here are the hotels where we felt the most relaxed and Biscuit felt the most love. In terms of destinations themselves, that’s for another day. But these are the stays that still stand out to me.
Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens
I hold my hands up and say that I am extremely biased because this is one of my favourite places on earth. My family are half Greek, and we are fortunate enough to have had a home on the Athens Riviera since before it became the Athens Riviera. I stayed at this hotel when I was a baby in the 1980s, long, long, long before it was recently reimagined by the Four Seasons. And it has always been an iconic setting.
We are so lucky to go here regularly, for pool days, drinks and dinners, and in the last few years for some dreamy ‘staycations’ coinciding with our wedding anniversary. It’s a tradition (in my mind) that I never want to give up.
But enough of that, what does Biscuit think? Well, he thinks he owns the place. He runs through the lobby doors, straight for the lift, down to the main pool, and knows exactly which beach cabana his most mortal enemy (one of the resident cats) likes to hang out around.
On our last stay, we were a little delayed getting into our room because, they told us, housekeeping was preparing something. When we arrived, there was the most beautiful hand-drawn portrait of Biscuit on a card and a personalised bandana. The drawing is so perfect it brought tears to my eyes, and I have never experienced a welcome like it. I was literally blown away.
Of course, Biscuit got his bed (not that he’ll use it when there’s a Four Seasons mattress on offer), his snacks, dishes and even some bottled water laid out. But the drawing will stay forever in my heart — and every dog mom will understand how special that was.
Full disclosure, he must be on a lead at the pool and beach, and he is not technically allowed inside the bars and restaurants. However, you want to be on the terraces here as much as you can, believe me. And on the couple of occasions that the weather hasn’t cooperated, they have graciously made an exception and allowed him inside at the main restaurant, Mercato, and in the bar.
They know him by name, and we just love to go here.
Il Sereno, Lake Como
This was one of our first stays with Biscuit, and we couldn’t have asked for a better one. We took a road trip from Amsterdam through Switzerland to Lake Como, then on to Portofino and down to the South of France for our honeymoon. It was somewhere in a gap during the Covid shutdowns at the beginning of August, and we lucked out with an amazing rate that nobody will ever get again. I will never forget this experience.
Il Sereno is a wonder. The setting, architecture and design are flawless. It is small, warm and friendly, and every morning Biscuit got the first greeting. “Buongiorno Biscuit” — at breakfast, at reception, at the pool. He was loved and adored. He was only nine months old and still looked like a puppy, and the staff at Il Sereno couldn’t get enough of him.
On our first night, they arranged a beautiful table at their fine-dining restaurant with a view of the lake through the arches. The restaurant is set on the lower ground floor, so you feel like you are almost on the water. Biscuit sat with us, and that view was awe-inspiring. He may even have got a Michelin-starred nibble when nobody was looking.
Overall, he loved the tented daybeds by the pool, he loved the gardens, he loved our private boat ride and he loved watching the ducks go by on the lake, thinking he might be able to catch them.
Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa, Ischia
A flight > Napoli traffic > ferry > island transfer could have been a bit of an over-extension for a long weekend with our Biscuit babe, but he took it like a champ. And from the moment we ascended into the pink, sultry sunset hues of Mezzatorre, it already felt worth it. A 16th-century pearl overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.
It was our first (and only) foray into the Pellicano Hotels group, and I sincerely hope not the last. And it being a Pellicano hotel, Biscuit was instantly presented with the chicest water dish everywhere we went. I think most of the time he got his water faster than we did, and I am not complaining — any fur parent out there will know the anxiety of asking for water for your parched dog in unfavourable temperatures and waiting and waiting (and waiting) for it to arrive. So Biscuit and I appreciated this immensely.
It being Italy, the staff (once again) doted on him — renamed Biscotto and met with affectionate greetings from the restaurant to the (utterly heavenly) beach club. The concierge team made sure he was included in dinner reservations and our boat tour booking, and in this most stylish, exclusive setting, he didn’t ruffle a feather. Our skipper held him while we swam under the Castello Aragonese, and we sipped sundowners on the way back to our watchtower while Biscuit took in the wind in his hair.
The thing that ties these hotels and experiences together is that bringing Biscuit didn’t feel like a burden. It didn’t feel like a chore, for him or for us. We enjoyed our time together. In every setting. Without worry, without feeling uncomfortable, without wondering if it was OK or not.
He can sleep on our bed, like he does at home. He can sit with us while we have an evening drink. He can snooze on our lap while dinner runs late. He can find his shady spot next to us while we unwind in the sun. He gets to savour the same views, places, smells and people that we do. That’s what dog-friendly travel means.
So I hope when I see more pet perks and packages appearing on my feed, it’s not just for marketing, and it really means that those properties (and many more of them) are ready to love and welcome our most precious family members as they deserve to be.
Of course, we’ve had many wonderful stays, in all types of places at all kinds of price points, but these are the ones that stand out, and the ones that (I think) Biscuit will remember the most.