Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Naples and the Gulf Coast

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Dog Beach, Bonita Springs

Lee County's Dog Beach is at 14436 Bonita Beach Causeway, open dawn to dusk with free parking, and it's the off-lead beach for anyone staying in Naples. Dogs may run free, there's a rinse-off shower and waste bags at the entrance, and the only toilets are portable. It's a tidal flat and unsupervised: at mid to high tide you can only reach the beach by wading, so check a tide chart first. No glass, alcohol, fires or grilling.

Fort De Soto and Honeymoon Island

Fort De Soto Park allows dogs on the beach in a designated area and has two fenced areas near the beach, for large and small dogs, with water stations. It opens 7 a.m. to sunset and parking is USD 6. Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin allows dogs only in designated areas, the pet beach on the southern tip and the nature trail, on a 6-foot hand-held lead at all times. It opens 8 a.m. to sunset and costs USD 8 per vehicle.

Tampa

The city lists two dog beaches: Davis Islands Dog Park and Dog Beach at 1002 Severn St and Picnic Island Dog Beach at 7409 Picnic Island Blvd. Downtown dog parks include Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and Julian B Lane Riverfront Park. Dogs aren't permitted on city beaches unless it's a designated Dog Beach, and they must be on a lead outside the lead-free areas. Hours aren't published on the city's page, so check before you drive.

Hotel beaches and pools

Don't assume a beachfront address means beach access for the dog. JW Marriott Clearwater Beach states that dogs aren't allowed at its beach, pool or restaurants. Beach House Suites in St. Pete Beach publishes no rule on its beach or pool, so ask. City rules for the public beaches at Naples, Clearwater Beach, Sanibel and Siesta Key aren't confirmed here, so check each city or county page before you go.

Fees

USD 50 a night at The Westin Sarasota. USD 75 a night at Beach House Suites, and USD 75 per room plus 11% tax at Naples Bay Resort, which also holds a USD 350 card deposit until you leave. USD 100 per pet at Hotel Haya, USD 125 plus tax per stay at Palihouse, USD 150 per stay at Inn on Fifth and JW Marriott Clearwater Beach. The Perry Hotel Naples is USD 150 for one pet or USD 200 for two. The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón is USD 350 for the first pet and USD 45 for a second.

Confirm the terms when booking

Four hotels are worth a call or email before you pay. Ask The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón and The Perry Hotel Naples to confirm the exact fee for your stay. Ask Hotel Haya whether USD 100 is per stay or per night. Ask Beach House Suites whether USD 75 is per room or per pet and to confirm a first floor room, as that's the only floor pets go on.

Weight limits

Palihouse takes one dog under 30 lbs (about 13.6 kg). The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón caps at 35 lbs (about 15.9 kg) each. JW Marriott Clearwater Beach, Naples Bay Resort and The Westin Sarasota cap at 40 lbs (about 18.1 kg) each. Hotel Haya, Inn on Fifth, The Perry Hotel Naples and Beach House Suites state no limit, which isn't the same as a promise, so confirm with the hotel when booking.

Two dogs

Seven of the nine take two per room: Hotel Haya, The Perry Hotel Naples, Naples Bay Resort, The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, The Westin Sarasota, JW Marriott Clearwater Beach and Beach House Suites. Palihouse takes one. Inn on Fifth doesn't publish a number. At Naples Bay Resort dogs go in the hotel rooms only, never the cottages.

Best walks

In Naples, Fifth Avenue South is a pavement walk straight from the door of Inn on Fifth, and Naples Bay Resort sits on its own marina. The off-lead run is Lee County's Dog Beach on the Bonita Beach Causeway in Bonita Springs, a drive north. In Tampa, Ybor City and Hyde Park Village are both made for walking, with the Davis Islands Dog Park and Dog Beach on Severn Street and Picnic Island Dog Beach for a swim, and dog parks at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and Julian B Lane Riverfront Park downtown. From Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach, drive to the pet beach and nature trail at Honeymoon Island State Park or the dog beach and fenced areas at Fort De Soto Park. The St. Pete Pier is pet friendly on a lead of six feet or less, with bag dispensers, though dogs aren't allowed on the splash pad or on Spa Beach.

When to go

We haven't confirmed season-by-season guidance for dogs on this coast, so we won't name best months here. The thing to check whenever you go is red tide, which changes week by week: look at the Florida Fish and Wildlife statewide red tide status page before any beach day. That page doesn't give advice for pets, so if a bloom is reported where you're heading, ask a vet before letting the dog in the water. For Dog Beach in Bonita Springs, time the visit by the tide chart, as the beach can only be reached by wading at mid to high tide.