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Have Fido, Will Travel

Four-Legged Friends Are Welcome At These Pet-Friendly Florida Hotels

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Not all of Florida’s pet-friendly hotels go beyond the basics of allowing furry creatures to share rooms with their companions and providing a patch of grass for dogs to do their business. 

But hotels that excel at pooch pampering – like those we dug up -– deliver extra creature comforts, which can include anything from wonderfully comfy pet beds and spa-like gift bags to spiffy bandanas and even canine glamor shots. 

With amenities like these, pet owners be warned: Your best friends will not only hound you to sit, stay and play but to fetch reservations for a repeat visit. Make no bones about it, with these amazing hotels and resorts statewide, your four-legged friends will have you trained in no time.

Mandarin Oriental

Miami 

Humans aren’t the only ones living in the lap of luxury at the swanky Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key in Miami. The waterfront resort keeps tails wagging by providing plush beds and a special canine-friendly dinner menu (organic chicken breast, Rex?). Stylish bathrobes are on hand for pooches to relax in after a trot, perhaps for some shopping at nearby Brickell City Centre. Dog beds and bowls are provided, and walks are available for an extra fee.

Baker’s Cay Resort

Key Largo

Except for the pool area, the entire 14 acres of beach and tropical groves at the newly reimagined Baker’s Cay Resort – part of the Curio Collection by Hilton – is open to pooches traveling with humans. Beach-side tiki huts await dogs seeking shade, and a Paw Happy Hour serves specialty canine cocktails and treats. Maya, an amiable husky with an affinity for tummy rubs, is the Cay-9 director of pet relations and marriage ceremonies that include pets.

Plunge Beach Resort

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

Social pups and their traveling companions will lap up Plunge Beach Resort’s Tails and ’Tinis, a monthly event at the resort’s Backflip Beach Bar & Kitchen, touted as the city’s only toes-(or paws)-in-the-sand beach bar. Humans can sip on martinis as pets lap up doggy martinis. Twenty percent of proceeds from the canine happy hours benefit the nonprofit United Dog Rescue. Plunge supplies customized pillowcases, chew toys and waste bags for canine hotel guests, and water bowls and treat boxes are scattered throughout the property. 

Alfond Inn

Winter Park

You’ll be coaxing your dog to “say cheese” for a photo shoot at the Alfond Inn in Winter Park, a city known for its pet-friendly lifestyle. The Photography Session With Your BFF package comes with matted photographs that make memorable souvenirs. A VIP (Very Important Pup) deal includes a keepsake water dish, dog treats and toys, and a donation to the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando. All visiting dogs get a “pup welcome basket” when they arrive, and there’s an inviting grassy area for pets to relieve themselves. 

W Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale

The P.A.W. – Pets Are Welcome – package at the W Fort Lauderdale includes a Bark Box, a limited-edition bandana, a W Hotels pet tag, waste bags and a list of pet services in the area. You can order gourmet bites for your pooch off the specially curated dog menu. Pet-friendly rooms are equipped with a plush pet bed, bowls for food and water, and turndown treats for four-legged guests. Outside the hotel, you can take your dog for a long walk down A1A or check out restaurants and boutiques on nearby Las Olas. 

TradeWinds Island Grand

St. Pete Beach 

A whopping 48 one-bedroom suites are pet-friendly at TrandeWinds Island Grand. Dogs have access to a leash-free pet play zone with a doggie drinking fountain, fire hydrants, a photo opp display, grass and shade. When it’s time for a walk, guests and their pups enjoy a pretty area beside a meandering waterway. On the beach, pooches relax in hammocks, and a doggie accessory center has leashes, bowls and toys to borrow. Hungry doggos can take their pick of treats from the Paw Court Bistro on the room service menu.

Jupiter Beach Resort

Jupiter 

In a city known for being pet-friendly (dogs are allowed on beaches), Jupiter Beach Resort, an Opal Collection property, fits right in. Its Opal Paws Program provides a gift sack for dogs, containing waste bags and dental stick treats, and a dog mat and food and water bowls are also supplied for the visit. Pet door hangers let the hotel staff know you’ve got a special guest in your room. Walking areas are located in the front of the hotel and on the beach.

Photo by iStock.com/ipolonina

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