Pet Friendly Destinations, Tips & Deals
By Amy Ziff, Editor-at-Large
March 21, 2006
There are a lot of choices for people who prefer a little fur with their vacation fun. Travelocity’s editor-at-large, Amy Ziff, shares her picks for the best places in the country to either observe animals, interact with animals or bring your own animals along for the ride.
Some of Amy’s top picks are:
San Diego tops the list as a year-round pet lover's paradise and animal experience extravaganza. There are a number of pet friendly hotels, from the new and trendy boutique Hotel Solamar, which caters to pets as part of the Kimpton hotels pet-friendly program, to the W San Diego, which is part of the chain's PAW (pets always welcome) practices and has special events like occasional doggie happy hours and a 4-legger menu. But it's not just the hotels that embrace animals--Sea World, with the legendary Shamu shows, swimming with Dolphins, shark encounters and even programs where visitors can "be a trainer for a day", tops the list for animal interaction. Also special to San Diego is the famous Zoo's animal park, which in the summer months has a Roar N' Snore overnight program where you get to sleep in the park and get extra access to the animals. Plus, San Diego sports numerous pet-friendly beaches, great dog-runs, pet salons, and restaurants–and the city's baseball park is sponsored by PETCO. You get the picture: this is one town where our furry friends are welcome to roam.
DEAL:Hotel Solamar, San Diego from $289/night. Travelocity guests receive a free pet leash.
Boston: Beantown is friendly to pets, as it has a reputation for making way for our furry and feathered friends with the book Make Way for Duckings, which takes place there. You can even take a walk by the statue and visit Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings who are captured in bronze in the Public Gardens. There' are the swan boat tours and the Boston Duck Tours which guarantee riders a view of some of the area's more active feathery friends. Beyond the gardens and the commons, Boston has pet friendly hotels such as the Fairmont Copley plaza with a canine companion named Catie, who was originally trained as a guide dog. You can even take a tour of the city with her! Or, take your own dog and rollerblade along the Charles esplanade. For more animal sightings visit the Franklin Park Zoo with gorillas, warthogs, Cotswald sheep, Pilgrim geese, and more. Zoo details: http://www.zoonewengland.com/
DEAL: Hotel Marlowe, Boston from $239/night.
Denver & The Mountains: Though the mile high city and surrounding mountains are welcoming to visitors of all kinds, remember it's important to keep your pet hydrated when you're at altitude too. In Denver the Hotel Teatro and the Monaco are particularly pet friendly. The Monaco hotels have a line of pet paw-licies that detail their special pet services from gourmet canine cuisine and doggy-dog tags for travel to massage and pet-sitting. The Teatro will serve your pet food in a personally monogrammed dish and walk them as needed. Up in the mountains you can have a great animal experience by hiking. Try spotting elk, moose, deer, coyotes, cougars, black bear, hawks and more. At Keystone, you can take your dog in a chairlift (pups ride free) and let them roam at your side. If you can't take your own pet with you, stay at the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch where you can borrow their mascot and take him out for a hike.
DEAL: Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek, Colo. from $150/night.
DEAL: Stay 3 nights and receive 10% off at Hotel Teatro in Denver. (From $180/night)
DEAL: Receive 10% off at Inn at Keystone during April. (From $89/night)
Puerto Rico & Vieques: These destinations are a diver’s delight -- for lovers of the deep blue ocean and all of the creatures beneath the surface of the water. Consider this, not only does the Caribbean offer coral reefs and brilliant fish they have bioluminescent bays which are for nighttime dives. Bays can be brimming with phosphorescent single-cell animals that will glow in the water when they are agitated or moved. It can be as gentle as the motion from a kayak paddle or fish swimming by. See if you can create a bioluminescent snow-angel at sea. To witness the phenomenon for yourself, in Puerto Rico there are two bays: Fajardo and Guarnica. In Vieques, the healthiest of the bio bays in the Caribbean, is found at Mosquito Bay.
DEAL: Receive 15% off at Puerto Rico’s Normandie House. (From $212/night)
For more pet-friendly destinations, visit www.travelocity.com/animals.
As for Tips on traveling with your pets:
• Rule number one is to check with your vet before traveling with your pet. Travel can be stressful to your furry friend, so you'll want to make sure it's OK and they have what they needed (including a letter that documents that they are up-to-date on their shots and vaccinations.)
• Be aware that while many hotels welcome pets, they also may charge for them. The Fairmont has a fees ranging from $25-$40 and the W has a $25 fee as well as a non-refundable $100 cleaning fee.
• Traveling with your pet can be stressful. Take care to acclimate your pet. Bring items from home to comfort them. Consider Comfort Zone's spray & diffusers, for more information visit www.petcomfortzone.com
• Make a reservation in advance if you are flying with your pet. Also be sure that you're flying your pet in an airline approved container.
• For dog parks across the US visit http://animal.discovery.com/features/dogpark/map/map.html
• For a pet forecast, including the best time to walk your dog, visit www.weather.com and look for pets.
For more travel tips and advice, check out Amy Ziff’s monthly column, Travel Trends & Advice from A to Z, at www.travelocity.com/atoz. To suggest a topic for a future column or to tell about a travel experience of your own, please email Amy Ziff at ask.amy@travelocity.com.
Related Links
www.travelocity.com/animals
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