San Juan Capistrano 1/14/2009 8:53:08 AM
Jet Set with a Pet at a Bed and Breakfast Inn
Travel with Your Pooch to a Hotel for Dogs Found at iLoveInns.com
It’s a familiar scenario: you start packing for your weekend away and as soon as your pet sees a suitcase he hides under the bed in fear of being left at the kennel. This year, try taking your furry friends with you. Find a bed and breakfast at http://www.iloveinns.com/ for wherever you are going. Many inns offer pet-friendly rooms and special amenities for dogs and cats on the go. Just check the “pets welcome” box when you start your search to travel with a pet.
It’s a Dog’s Life
Hollywood agrees. In the heart-warming and funny new comedy-adventure movie, “Hotel for Dogs,” no stray gets turned away. Even the Obamas, America’s new First Family, will soon welcome a dog into the White House. During one of their trips maybe they will stay at one of these dog-loving B&Bs who will certainly be adding the “Hotel for Dogs” DVD to their movie library when it becomes available.
When it comes to dog-friendly inns, the Lodge at Sedona in Arizona is a rare breed. Dogs are welcomed with a throw blanket, a gift bag, extra towels, their own sleeping cot and bowls. Dogs who love the outdoors can explore three acres of property with sculpture gardens, fountains and a labyrinth. Innkeepers can direct guests to Sedona’s numerous pet-friendly shops, galleries, restaurants and hiking trails that weave through beautiful red rock formations.
The upscale Lord Camden Inn in Maine, offers a “Pampered Pooch Package” to make dogs comfortable with a plush fleece bed of their own, gourmet dog biscuits, water and food bowls and a list of local outdoor recreational activities, doggy daycare options, and local veterinarians. People are pampered too! New to the inn is the Suite Dreams™ Bed, which features a Sealy Posturepedic Royal Trilogy plush-top mattress, 300-count sheets and down comforters from Waverly and Cuddledown. As to which of you will be more pampered, it may be a tie.
For the professional pet, The Inn on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas is a 20-minute drive from McAllister Park, which hosts A Fest of Tales. This annual kite festival and dog fair is for pets and their owners. The Inn includes three separate properties with modern décor and river views. San Antonio’s Riverwalk is a scenic destination for shopping, dining, and showing off your ribbon for best-dressed dog. With wireless Internet service and walking access to the Convention Center, this bed and breakfast is great for business travelers and a friendly alternative to big hotels.
Pets also make good innkeepers. Just ask Lacey, the resident collie dog of The Magnolia Plantation Cottages and Gardens in Gainesville, Florida. Her Victorian mansion is set amiidst 1.5 acres of gardens stocked with plastic bags and trash cans for clean outdoor fun. Pets may enjoy a walk through the nearby Southeast Historic District and come home for a nap by the fireplace. Lacey is happy to accommodate pets in some of the inn’s private cottages.
A Feline Friend
Pets hate being left behind while their owners have all the fun. At the Traveler’s Rest Bed and Breakfast in Montezuma, Georgia, their owners will want to “stay.” This inn offers extra meals including four-course candlelit dinners, light lunches and afternoon tea as well as in-house activities like massages and Murder Mystery Dinners that may entice a pet’s owner to spend more time indoors. Just don’t tell the cat about the huge whirlpool bathtub in the Captain’s Quarters.
Most pet-friendly inns have rooms and shared areas that are specially designated for pets and may charge a small fee that is much lower than the average nightly stay at a kennel. Be sure to read the policies carefully when booking a room.
Visit www.iLoveInns.com and browse through the 19,000 bed and breakfasts and country inns that specialize in events and locations that may interest you. Many of the properties listed above are also in the best-selling bed and breakfast guidebook Bed & Breakfasts and Country Inns with a Buy-One-Night-Get-One-Night-Free certificate. ILoveInns also offers Bed and Breakfast Gift Certificates, a perfect solution to help celebrate any occasion.
About American Historic Inns and iLoveInns.com
American Historic Inns, Inc. (www.iLoveInns.com), founded in 1981, is the leading publisher of bed and breakfast guidebooks, with more than 2.5 million bed and breakfast guidebooks sold, and runs iLoveInns.com, a top bed and breakfast and country inns directory.
Note: For photos or interviews, please contact Deborah at 949-481-6256, ext. 308.
