Anyone who regularly travels with their dog to hotels is familiar with the stresses that come with it: added fees, security deposits, sneering concierges and judgemental fellow guests. And yet we go through the trouble anyway because our dogs are part of our family — and boarding a pet can cost as much as the vacation itself. Thankfully, savvy hotels are upping their game by not just becoming dog-friendly, but offering unique amenities that’ll pamper pups and put owners at ease. If you’re visiting Los Angeles, where people carrying Bichon Frises in designer handbags and pugs riding skateboards along the boardwalk are common sights, the luxury Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows is the premier accommodation for you and your four-legged friend.
This Luxe Santa Monica Hotel Will Send Gourmet Room Service to Your Dog
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Located in Santa Monica and overlooking the Pacific Ocean, all of the 297 guest rooms and suites and the 31 homey bungalows are dog-friendly. Up to two dogs of any size can stay at the hotel with no extra fee, (though they can’t be left unattended in the room at any time). But those who splurge for the “Dog Be With You” package will really be setting their pup up for a special stay.
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The package includes a welcome amenity of Luscious Liver all-natural dog treats, a fluffy dog bed, plush dog toys, and food and water bowls (which is usually the number one thing dog owners forget to pack) for in-room use. While this is already shaping up to be the best vacay your pet has ever had, the real perk comes the next morning when you and your dog are treated to a chef-prepared breakfast in your room.
Photo: Laura Reilly
As a human, you’ll be able to choose from a generous selection from the downstairs FIG restaurant, including guest-favorite lemon ricotta pancakes with almonds and blueberry butter. Your dog can choose between chicken, beef, or salmon entrees, featuring other healthy ingredients like organic brown rice, free-range scrambled eggs, potatoes, peas, and carrots.
In reality, no amount of assurance from the hotel that this is a thing people regularly do will save you the embarrassment of calling the room service line and actually saying, “Um yes, I’d like to place an order for my…dog?” But if there was ever a place to not have an eyelash batted at such a request, it’s Los Angeles.
The dog’s breakfast arrives in a bowl alongside your own meal on a rolling room service cart, and the portions are large enough to satisfy a Great Dane, so you’ll probably have to risk a finger and pull away the bowl from a tiny Chihuahua before they’re finished. And if your dog isn’t an influencer and any bit as ravenous as mine, the resulting scene won’t exactly be Instagrammable.
Photo: Laura Reilly
Once you and your pup have had your fill, you can enjoy the rest of the Fairmont Miramar’s tropical-inspired, five-acre grounds, which include an outdoor pool, beautiful gardens, and a truly astounding fig tree on the front lawn. In the summer, you’ll also have access to the Miramar Beach Club across the street, which you can easily walk to or get escorted to by the hotel staff in a topless Jeep Wrangler.
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Other on-site amenities include a well-stocked gym overlooking the ocean, Exhale spa and yoga studio, barbershop and blowout salons, and an Atelier jeweler that’s been known to make jeweled dog tags if money really is no object. While Santa Monica certainly has plenty to offer, from the famous pier to farmers markets, you and your dog may end up never leaving the property — especially when sunset views from your balcony look like this.
Photo: Laura Reilly
Packages start at $459 and can be booked online. 