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Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Île de Ré and La Rochelle, France
Photo: Pierre Voraz
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The Île de Ré villages, La Rochelle's old port, Oléron and Cognac

Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Île de Ré and La Rochelle

France

15 dog-friendly luxury hotels.

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Where can my dog actually go?

This coast is good for a dog in town and complicated on the sand. Every Île de Ré village takes dogs on a lead in its streets, harbours and markets, and they can even climb the Saint-Martin bell tower. The island's cycle routes are the natural way to get about with a dog in a basket or a trailer. The beaches are another matter: La Flotte, Saint-Martin and Loix don't allow dogs on any beach all year, and La Rochelle keeps dogs off its city beaches.

The hotels split on where the dog can go, and the best written answers aren't at the island's most famous boutique addresses. HR Hôtel & Spa Marin in La Flotte takes dogs in every room category and in the restaurant, with a basket and two bowls waiting. Hôtel Les Brises on La Rochelle's Digue Richelieu says dogs share the stay in all of its spaces, which covers the breakfast room, the bar and the terrace. Plaisir in Le Bois-Plage is clear the other way: dogs aren't in the dining room at breakfast or dinner, on the restaurant terrace or around the pools. Hôtel de Toiras in Saint-Martin keeps dogs out of its dining room.

Fees mostly sit at EUR 15 to EUR 25 a night. EUR 10 at Maisons du Monde on the old port, which takes small dogs only. EUR 15 at Les Brises, Plaisir and the Best Western Central Park, EUR 20 at HR Marin, Le Champlain and François Premier in Cognac, EUR 25 at Le Grand Large on Oléron and EUR 40 at Chais Monnet in Cognac. HR Marin publishes no weight limit at all, which makes it the pick for a big dog.

Several well-known names are a no. La Baronnie in Saint-Martin doesn't admit animals, and a number of the island's other boutique hotels don't take dogs either. On the beaches, La Couarde-sur-Mer is trialling dogs in June and September for 2026, with the ban kept for July and August, but the trial could be suspended on water-quality results and is being reviewed at the end of September, so check before you plan around it.

Daisy's picks

Where Daisy would book

  1. 01
    HR Hôtel & Spa Marin

    Dogs in every room category and in the hotel restaurant, with a basket, two bowls and a personalised welcome in the room. No weight limit. EUR 20 a night, with the La Flotte seafront promenade right outside.

    EUR 20 · max no limit kg

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  2. 02
    Hôtel Les Brises

    Dogs share the stay in every part of the hotel, including the breakfast room, the bar and the terrace, with sea-view rooms on the Digue Richelieu. EUR 15 a dog a night, and the seafront walk to the Tour de la Lanterne starts at the door.

    EUR 15 · max Unknown kg

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  3. 03
    Hôtel Restaurant & Spa Plaisir

    The rules are clear: dogs on a lead in the shared areas, not in the dining room, on the restaurant terrace or around the pools. What it has is position, close to Plage des Gouillauds, one of the island's dog beaches. EUR 15 a night.

    EUR 15 · max Unknown kg

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Before you go

What happens when you get there

Getting there
La Rochelle-Île de Ré airport has seasonal direct flights from Stansted, Gatwick, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Dublin and Cork, but UK carriers don't take dogs in the cabin, so most UK dog owners drive. The island is joined to the mainland by the toll bridge at Rivedoux.
Beaches on the island
It's set village by village. No dogs on any beach all year in La Flotte, Saint-Martin and Loix. Le Bois-Plage closes most beaches 1 May to 15 September but Plage des Gouillauds is a dog beach, with another spot at Plage du Petit Sergent behind the rock groyne. Sainte-Marie allows dogs October to April, and Ars-en-Ré's Le Martray, La Marielle, Pointe de Grignon and Radia take dogs 1 September to 30 June.
Early and late
Some beaches open to dogs at the edges of the day in summer. Les Portes-en-Ré allows dogs 8pm to 9am from 1 June to 30 September, and Saint-Clément-des-Baleines 7pm to 9am on La Conche des Baleines and the Côte Sauvage from 15 June to 15 September. At Rivedoux, Le Défend and the north beach are tolerated 8pm to 10am on a lead.
La Couarde trial
For 2026, La Couarde-sur-Mer is trialling dogs on its beaches in June and September, keeping the ban only for July and August. Before that the ban ran 1 June to 30 September. The trial could be suspended on water quality and is under review, so check the commune's notice for next year. The bag fine is EUR 135.
Forests
Across the island's forests, dogs must stay within 100 metres of you all year, and from 15 April to 30 June they must be on a lead off the forest tracks. It's a national rule, with fines up to EUR 750.
Cycling with a dog
The island has about 138 km of cycle routes, and many hire shops have kit for carrying a dog. In July and August the paths are busy, so a trailer or a basket works better than a dog running alongside.
La Rochelle
Dogs must be on a lead in all public space and are banned from the city beaches. Parc Charruyer, the green belt along the old ramparts, and the harbour front are the dog walks. The Yélo buses only carry small pets in a bag, plus assistance dogs.
Sights
Dogs on a lead are fine in the island villages and markets, the Saint-Martin bell tower (narrow stairs, about EUR 2), Fort La Prée, the salt-marsh ecomuseum and the garden around the Phare des Baleines. The lighthouse itself doesn't admit dogs. Check La Rochelle's harbour towers and the Aquarium before you go.
Best walks
On the Île de Ré, the La Flotte seafront promenade and the path to the ruins of the Abbaye des Châteliers, the harbour quays and Vauban ramparts at Saint-Martin, and Plage des Gouillauds between Les Grenettes and Gros Jonc for a beach that takes dogs. In La Rochelle, the Digue Richelieu seafront to the Tour de la Lanterne, the old port loop and Parc Charruyer's tree-lined paths. On Oléron, Plage de l'Écuissière takes dogs, and Plage de la Perroche in Dolus works early and late in summer. In Cognac, the paths along the Charente and the Jardin public.
When to go
Spring and autumn. Most of the beach bans run from June to September, and July and August are the island's busiest months, with crowded cycle paths and dogs off most of the sand in daylight. September is a good bet in the villages where dogs return to the beach, such as Ars-en-Ré, and from October Sainte-Marie's beaches open too. Mid-April to the end of June, keep dogs on a lead off the forest tracks.

Dog-friendly hotels in Île de Ré and La Rochelle

Questions we get asked

Dogs in Île de Ré and La Rochelle

Is Île de Ré dog friendly?+

In the villages, yes. Dogs on a lead are welcome in every village, on the markets and at most sights, and fifteen hotels on our list across the island, La Rochelle, Oléron and Cognac take dogs. The beaches are the hard part, since La Flotte, Saint-Martin and Loix ban dogs all year and most others close them in summer.

Which Île de Ré beaches allow dogs?+

Plage des Gouillauds in Le Bois-Plage is a dog beach, and Ars-en-Ré's Le Martray, La Marielle, Pointe de Grignon and Radia take dogs 1 September to 30 June. Les Portes-en-Ré and Saint-Clément-des-Baleines allow dogs in the evening and early morning in summer. La Couarde's 2026 trial allowed dogs in June and September, but it's under review.

Which hotels let dogs into the restaurant or at breakfast?+

HR Hôtel & Spa Marin in La Flotte allows dogs in its restaurant. Hôtel Les Brises in La Rochelle lets dogs into the breakfast room, the bar and the terrace. Plaisir and Hôtel de Toiras keep dogs out of the dining room.

How much do hotels on Île de Ré and in La Rochelle charge for dogs?+

EUR 10 a night at Maisons du Monde, EUR 15 at Les Brises, Plaisir and the Best Western Central Park, EUR 16 at the Mercure Vieux Port, and EUR 20 at HR Marin and Le Champlain. EUR 25 at Le Grand Large on Oléron and EUR 40 at Chais Monnet in Cognac. Hôtel de Toiras, La Monnaie and Maison des Ambassadeurs don't publish a fee.

Where should I stay on Île de Ré with a big dog?+

HR Hôtel & Spa Marin in La Flotte, which publishes no weight limit and takes dogs in every room category. Maisons du Monde in La Rochelle only takes small dogs, and most other hotels don't publish a limit, so ask.

Are dogs allowed on La Rochelle's beaches?+

No. The city bans dogs from its beaches and asks for a lead in all public space. Walk them on the harbour front, along the Digue Richelieu and in Parc Charruyer instead.

Can I fly to La Rochelle with my dog?+

There are seasonal flights from London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Dublin and Cork, but UK carriers don't take dogs in the cabin. Most people with a dog drive and cross to the island on the Rivedoux toll bridge.

Can I cycle round Île de Ré with my dog?+

Yes, and it's the easiest way to get about. There are about 138 km of cycle routes and many hire shops have kit for carrying a dog. In July and August the paths are busy, so a trailer or a basket is more practical than a dog running beside the bike.

Research updated 2026-09-27. Policies change, always confirm with the hotel.