If you’re one of the many avid readers of my site, you know that I typically focus on dog-friendly activities during our travels rather than reviewing hotels. That’s because, up until now, no hotel has ever really stood out. But that changed on our recent trip to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, where we found our first truly ideal dog-friendly hotel.
You might be wondering what made this our ideal dog-friendly hotel. Did it have a doggy spa or onsite grooming? Maybe doggy daycare? While all of that would have been nice, it was actually much simpler than that—just thoughtful features that made traveling with a dog easier.
The biggest difference was that it was genuinely dog-friendly. Unlike many hotels that claim to be dog-friendly by allowing your dog to stay with you, but you get the feeling that they really don’t want you there, this one actually considered how to make your stay with your dog comfortable and convenient.
From the on-site dog park to the numerous designated dog-walking areas, and even an outdoor seating area near the breakfast buffet so your dog could join you in the morning, they truly made it easy to enjoy our stay together.
Where We Stayed
You’re probably curious about where we stayed.
Drumroll, please…………… We stayed at the TownePlace Suites in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.
As Marriott Bonvoy members our go to dog-friendly hotels are either the TownePlace Suites or Residence Inn, as we often take advantage of their points system to earn free nights and enjoy the ease of getting a quick free breakfast in the morning. Plus, I find it very convenient to have a dining table and kitchenette when traveling with our dog, since we can’t always find dog-friendly restaurants.
At this moment you might be thinking to yourself that this is an advertorial or sponsored post. It’s not. I just wanted to share my cool discovery in hope of making someone else’s life a bit easier. But, let’s get back to why we like this hotel.
What We Liked
Beyond our free nights one of the things that made this hotel our ideal dog-friendly place to stay was its prime location. If you’ve ever traveled with a dog, you may have noticed that many dog-friendly hotel chains are often located on the outskirts of town.
At least that has been our experience. Though this may be due to our preference of newer hotels that include a kitchen.
However, the TownePlace Suites in Kill Devil Hills is conveniently situated near many of the Outer Banks’ main attractions, like the Wright Brothers National Memorial and Jockey Ridge National Park. Plus, the hotel offers its own private ocean beach access just across the street, complete with a bathhouse and outdoor pool.
With all these amenities and a location that puts you in the heart of the action, it’s easy to see why this was an ideal spot for a vacation with our dog. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, we made sure to capture plenty of them to show you exactly what we mean.
Our Ideal Dog-Friendly Hotel in Pictures
This hotel stands taller than many of the homes in the area so it’s easy to find if you are looking up, but we found the actual street sign and entrance for the hotel to be hidden due to the privacy bushes planted around the hotel. We didn’t see the sign until we were almost at the entrance.
While this TownePlace Suites has the same look as the other hotels in this chain, you may notice one big difference in the picture below. It’s raised above the ground level and offers covered parking spots. The covered spots are coveted for the shade it provides, though I am sure the design has more to do with potential hurricanes and flooding than offering shady parking spots.
When you enter the building through the covered entry shown in the picture above, you’ll need to take either the elevator or the stairs up to the second floor to reach the reception desk. Unfortunately, the hotel was quite busy during our stay, so we weren’t able to get photos of the reception area without people. Out of respect for our fellow travelers, we decided not to take any.
Our Room
That brings us up to our room. When I booked the room I requested a second-floor room near the back stairs, which in this case was actually a third-floor room since the hotel is raised.
As usual, we were placed near the elevator—something I’ll never quite understand, as it means everyone walks past your door. The good thing was we really didn’t hear much noise coming from the hallway. Just an occasional loud child.
Our dog has learned to ignore these sounds, but I’ve stayed at other hotels where the neighboring dogs are constantly barking due to the hallway traffic. But enough of my rant—I’m sure there are reasons for it.
If you’re familiar with TownePlace Suites, you know that their rooms typically have a small kitchenette right as you walk in. This room was standard for the brand, with one notable difference: the floors.
Unlike most hotel rooms, this one had engineered wood floors. I’m guessing it’s because of the sand people tend to bring in from the beach, but it’s also a fantastic feature when you’re traveling with a dog.
Plus, they provide a broom and dustpan in the room, making cleanup easy. Since we prefer not to allow room service during our stay due to the dog, it was really nice to be able to keep the space clean ourselves.
Dog Friendly Amenities
When we first arrived at the hotel, even before checking in, we met another guest who was also vacationing with her dog. She suggested that we take our pup to the nearby dog park. Initially, I assumed she was referring to Mary’s Paws Park in Kill Devil Hills.
It turns out this hotel has its own fenced-in dog park, tucked away behind the parking area at the front of the property. In addition to the spacious gated area where dogs can run off-leash, there’s also a convenient clean-up station with bags and a trash receptacle, making it easy to clean up after your dog.
The dog run is just one of several areas where you can walk your dog. There’s also a grassy area just outside the back entrance of the hotel, which you can see in the picture below. It’s well-lit at night, making it a convenient spot for a final evening walk.
Here is another grassy area located on the side of the parking lot. All this grassy space made it easy to walk Bella without the distraction of other dogs. Bella is very social and would rather play when other dogs are around.
Dog Friendly Dining
Another feature we really appreciated was the outdoor dining area located close to where breakfast is served. While dogs aren’t allowed inside the breakfast area, you can easily bypass it to reach a third-floor balcony which has four tables and multiple chairs.
This is where we ate breakfast each morning, taking turns going inside to grab our food. It is also a really nice place to hang out early in the morning to enjoy a cup of coffee after our morning walk. The early morning ocean breeze was truly relaxing. This picture was taken around 7:30 am.
Dog Friendly Beach Access
In Kill Devil Hills, dogs are not allowed on the beach between 9am and 6pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but outside of these hours, leashed dogs are welcome.
This means you can enjoy an early morning walk or watch the sunrise with your dog on the beach. However, if you want to bring your dog to the beach during the day in-season, you’ll need to head to Nags Head.
The good news is that public beach access in Nags Head is just one long block away and has a small parking lot if you’d prefer not to walk.
If you’re looking to hit the beach with your pup during the permitted hours, you can use the private hotel beach entrance right across the street. This access is exclusive to hotel guests and requires you to walk through the bathhouse (see below).
Once through the bathhouse, which also provides restrooms for hotel guests, you’ll find yourself just outside the pool area. Dogs aren’t allowed in the pool area, but they can pass by using a path to the right. You can see it in the picture below on the left. It’s the space between the pool fence and the privacy fence.
This path also leads past an outdoor bar. Unfortunately the bar, which is run by an outside vendor, was not open during our visit so I don’t know if it is dog-friendly.
After passing the bar, you’ll head up a long ramp that leads to a staircase down to the beach.
When you reach the last step you need to be careful, due to erosion, the drop to the sand is more than what you might expect.
In the end, it was all the little things that made the TownePlace Suites our ideal dog-friendly hotel. From the on-site dog park, and abundance of designated dog-walking areas, to the convenient outdoor breakfast seating area and the dog-friendly beach access, they made it effortless to enjoy our vacation together.
