Best Pet-Friendly Hotels in San Diego

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Which beaches actually allow dogs

Off-lead all year: Dog Beach at Ocean Beach, and Coronado Dog Beach at the north end of Ocean Boulevard by the naval base. On the lead, outside the middle of the day only: La Jolla Cove, La Jolla Shores and the other city beaches, before 9am and after 6pm from April to October, before 9am and after 4pm from November to March. Seasonally off-lead: Del Mar, outside the summer window. Closed to dogs entirely: the rest of Coronado Beach, Torrey Pines, and the Children's Pool in La Jolla.

The Coronado catch

Dogs are not allowed on Coronado Beach except at Dog Beach on the north end. That includes the sand directly in front of the Hotel del Coronado, Shore House and Beach Village, all three of which show no beach access for that reason. The walk north up Ocean Boulevard takes about twenty minutes and is worth building your day around.

Getting to Coronado

Worth planning before you arrive. The Coronado ferry carries service animals only, so it is not the way over with a dog. That leaves driving across the Coronado Bridge, or the bus, and the bridge is the reason a car makes more sense here than it does in most of the cities we cover. Once you are on the island you can walk everywhere.

Eating out on Coronado

Easier than the hotel policies suggest. The weather means almost everything on the island is outdoor dining anyway, and dogs are generally welcome at the tables. That matters because the Del keeps dogs to the Sun Deck and the ENO Pizzeria seating, so the village restaurants and the bars around the resort are where you will actually eat together.

Little Italy and Old Town

Little Italy is the best neighbourhood in the city for a dog. The Mercato runs on Saturdays, with a smaller market on Wednesdays, and dogs on leads are part of the scene rather than tolerated at the edge of it, stalls selling dog treats included. The neighbourhood has its own dog park too, a proper grassy one run by the Little Italy Association, so you can let them off after the market. Old Town is straightforward with a dog, and a number of coffee shops around the city will let you come inside rather than tying up outside.

Bring a stroller

Unusual advice, but it earns its place here. San Diego is warm whatever time of year you visit, and the distances between the good bits are longer than they look. A dog stroller means you can be out for a full day, markets and all, without your dog having to walk every step of it or you having to cut the day short.

The Torrey Pines catch

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve bans dogs anywhere in the reserve or on its beach, and the ban applies even if the dog stays in the car. The Lodge at Torrey Pines and the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines both sit beside it. Use the hotel grounds instead, and note the Hilton's pet rooms open straight onto lawn.

Menus written for dogs

Six of them. All three Del properties share one, Pendry has a room-service menu, La Valencia does steak, eggs, vegetables and rice on the patio, and Estancia offers grilled chicken or steak tartare with bacon and eggs.

Weight limits

No cap at all at Pendry, Palihotel, La Valencia and Estancia. Up to 75 lb at the two Hiltons, the Granger and Hotel La Jolla. The whole Del estate stops at 40 lb with breed exclusions, which rules it out for a lot of dogs, so check before you fall in love with it. The US Grant is the tightest downtown at 35 lb, and the Omni at the Ballpark at 25 lb.

Fees

Margaritaville in the Gaslamp is free if you book direct, the only free dog in the city. USD 50 at the Hilton Bayfront, the Coronado Island Marriott per night and the Westin Bayview per night. USD 100 at most downtown hotels. USD 150 at the US Grant, the InterContinental and The Lodge. USD 200 at Estancia and at Shore House and Beach Village.

Downtown green space

No beach, so this is what you get. Bayfront Park sits directly outside the Hilton San Diego Bayfront and is the best of them. There is a fenced dog park at Children's Park across the street from the Hilton Gaslamp Quarter. Gallagher Square at Petco Park serves the East Village hotels, and the Embarcadero promenade runs past the InterContinental and the Manchester Grand Hyatt. We've stayed at the Omni at the Ballpark, and for walking the city it is the best-placed of the downtown options, a block off the Gaslamp with Gallagher Square next door and the Embarcadero a few minutes west. Worth knowing it caps dogs at 25 lb, the tightest limit downtown.

Leaving the dog in the room

Coronado is the place for it. All four Coronado hotels allow it, the Del estate outright and the Marriott crated with the sign up. Downtown, Hotel Republic is the one that says yes. La Valencia allows it with the Do Not Disturb sign displayed. Most of the rest of downtown says no.

Best walks

Coronado Dog Beach at the north end of Ocean Boulevard for off-lead running, Dog Beach at Ocean Beach for the same year round, the Bayshore Bikeway and Tidelands Park on the Coronado bayside, the Coast Walk Trail and Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla village, Kellogg Park beside La Jolla Shores, and Bayfront Park and the Embarcadero downtown.

When to go

March to June and September to November. The city beach rules ease outside summer, with the leashed window at La Jolla extending to after 4pm from November, and Del Mar turning off-lead again the day after Labor Day. July and August bring the tightest beach restrictions and the biggest crowds, which is the worst combination for a dog.