Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Florida Keys

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Dog beach and dog park

Key West has two places built for dogs: Dog Beach at 1500 Vernon Avenue, which is small, and the Higgs Beach Dog Park at 100 Atlantic Boulevard, a fenced off-lead area with separate sections for large and small dogs. Hours and posted rules for either aren't confirmed, so read the signs when you arrive. The rule for dogs on Key West's other beaches isn't confirmed either, so check the city's own page before you assume.

Pools

Plan on the dog not being at the pool. The Perry, Isla Bella and Margaritaville Beach House all keep dogs off the pool deck or pool areas. Havana Cabana allows dogs at the pool bar but not in the pool or the outdoor hot tub. The Marker doesn't publish a rule.

Eating out

Outdoor seating is where dogs are accepted. At The Perry that means the outdoor tables at Matt's Stock Island Kitchen and the patio at Salty Oyster Dockside Bar & Grill. In Key West, Havana Cabana points its guests to Blue Heaven, Salute!, Cuban Coffee Queen and Half Shell Raw Bar. Isla Bella keeps dogs out of all three of its restaurant areas.

Fees

USD 75 a night at The Perry plus USD 25 for a second dog. USD 75 per dog per night at Havana Cabana, The Marker and Margaritaville Beach House, with Havana Cabana dropping to USD 100 a night for two in the same room. USD 100 a day at Isla Bella plus USD 25 for a second dog. The Marker adds tax on top.

Weight limits

All five take two dogs per room. Havana Cabana and The Marker cap at 50 lbs (about 22.7 kg) per dog. The Perry has no size or weight limit. Margaritaville Beach House and Isla Bella don't state one, so confirm with the hotel when booking, and note Margaritaville says room type and location restrictions may apply.

Leaving the dog in the room

Mostly not an option. The Perry, Havana Cabana and Margaritaville Beach House say dogs can't be left alone in the room. Isla Bella allows it only if the dog is crated. The Marker doesn't publish a rule, so ask.

Shuttles, trolleys and ferries

Havana Cabana's shuttle takes dogs and Margaritaville's doesn't, so plan your own way into Old Town from there. The Old Town Trolley is service animals only. The Key West Express ferry from the Gulf coast takes pets for USD 60 round trip per pet with a reservation, but every pet must be in a carrier you bring, strollers aren't allowed, and a dog too big to fit under the seat rides in its carrier on the rear exterior deck.

Dry Tortugas and the Key deer

At Dry Tortugas National Park, pets are permitted on Garden Key on a lead but not inside Fort Jefferson and not on any other key, and the commercial ferry and the seaplane don't allow pets on board. For most visitors that's a day without the dog. On Big Pine Key, the National Key Deer Refuge allows pets on a lead, and feeding, touching or harassing the deer is strictly prohibited.

Best walks

On Stock Island, the marina at The Perry is an easy lead walk and the two on-site dog parks cover the morning run. In Key West, Dog Beach on Vernon Avenue and the fenced, off-lead Higgs Beach Dog Park on Atlantic Boulevard are the two places made for dogs, and the Old Town harbour is on the doorstep at The Marker. From Marathon, the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key is within driving reach and allows dogs on a lead. Havana Cabana also suggests Fort Zachary Taylor State Park to its guests, but the park's own pet rules aren't confirmed, so check the Florida State Parks page for that park before you go, and do the same for Bahia Honda and John Pennekamp.

When to go

We haven't confirmed season-by-season guidance for dogs in the Keys, so we won't name best months here. What holds all year is that none of these five hotels lets a dog into the pool, so the dog has no way to cool off on site. Whenever you travel, build the day around the two dog spots in Key West and the shaded patio tables, and ask the hotel what the grounds are like at midday before you book.