Have you ever seen anything as happy as a dog playing on the beach? Me neither. Sometimes I borrow my neighbor’s dog just to take him to the beach and watch him go nuts chasing after his tennis ball into the roiling surf, completely oblivious of the chilly water and crashing waves. It’s not only fantastic exercise for the dog, it’s cathartic for humans as well, being able to bring so much joy to a dog’s day. So open your day-planner right now, find a free weekend, then call your dog over and let him know that he’s about to have the best beach getaway a pooch could ever hope for.

Slurps Up in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz offers more dog-friendly beaches than any other city or town on the Northern Coast. Many of the beaches in Aptos, Capitola, and Santa Cruz allow dogs on a leash, and one—Mitchell’s Cove Beach off West Cliff Drive at the intersection of Almar Avenue—even allows dogs off-leash from sunrise to 10am and 4pm to sunset. If you’re planning a trip to Santa Cruz with your pooch, your best bet is to call the Santa Cruz County Visitors Council at 831/425-1234 and ask them to fax or mail you their “Dogs at Play in Santa Cruz County” flyer, which lists all the dog-friendly parks and beaches in the entire county (it’s very handy).

And if you’re looking for a place to stay while visiting Santa Cruz, the Chaminade Resort & Spa is offering a special rate starting at $129 for LocalGetaways dog lovers, including complimentary breakfast for two (but they do charge an extra $75 a day for hosting your pet; see our hotel deals for details).

Four-Legged Fun in SF
My sister lives in Sacramento and makes frequent trips to San Francisco because both she and her dogs (Toula, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and Buster, a Borderdoodle) have a ball in this pet-friendly city. First she takes them for a stroll to the off-leash area along Crissy Field—with incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge—to play with the other dogs. Then it’s a short drive to the off-leash area at Ocean Beach for some serious ball-throwing exercise, or to nearby Fort Funston (www.fortfunstondog.org), one of the best and most popular doggie parks in the Bay Area, with plenty of sand dunes, trails, and wide-open spaces where dozens of happy and sociable dogs play daily.

On day two, when it’s time for some serious shopping at Union Square, she drops them off at Wag Hotels (www.waghotels.com; 415/876-0700) near downtown San Francisco for some paw-dicures, dog play sessions, and swim time in the pet pool (well, Toula’s not into the swimming part—it’s a short-leg thing). And if you’re looking for a pet-friendly place to stay while you’re in the city, LocalGetaways is currently offering a fantastic $129 deal (pets stay free!) at the Serrano Hotel near Union Square (see our hotel deals for details).

Secret Tahoe Dog Beach
Just about all the beaches in Lake Tahoe are off limits to dogs, but here’s a little secret: Near the Zephyr Cove Resort in South Lake Tahoe there’s a place called North Beach that’s part of Tahoe National Forest and allows dogs (and boy-howdy do dogs love this beach). You can park at the Zephyr Cove parking lot, then walk about 100 yards north to the beach. Better yet, stay the night at one of Zephyr Cove’s pet-friendly lakeshore cabins and pay just $129 when booked through LocalGetaways (see our hotel deals for details).

Another great pet-friendly Tahoe inn is Tahoma Meadows Bed & Breakfast Cottages (866/525-1553) on Tahoe’s West Shore. It’s one of the few properties in Tahoe that welcomes pets, and they even provide a doggy welcome basket for each visiting pooch. Be sure to check out their “Adventures with Your Dog at Lake Tahoe” page on their website at www.tahomameadows.com (click on “Pet Info”).

Canine Bliss in Carmel
My stepmom and dad love taking their dog Pogo (a Hungarian Kuvasz) to Carmel-by-the-Sea, so I asked her to write about their last trip: “We had a lovely time in Carmel with Pogo. I have never been anywhere that dogs are so ubiquitous—there were breeds of every kind. We ate dinner one evening at Forge in the Forest (www.forgeintheforest.com). They have an (outdoor area, laughingly referred to as the ‘dog pound’, which is where we ate beside a roaring fire in the fireplace. The waiter brought Pogo a water bowl, and there were even menu items for dogs.

Carmel Beach is a beautiful off-leash dog run. There were many dogs there, and Pogo loved the beach (the water, not so much). That evening we enjoyed a nice dinner at Flaherty’s (www.flahertysseafood.com). We were welcome inside with Pogo. Overall it was a very enjoyable vacation for the three of us.” Tip: Right now LocalGetaways is offering a special $109 rate at the pet-friendly Carmel Mission Inn (see our hotel deals for details).

Mendocino Loves its Mutts

If you really want to spoil your pooch (and yourself to boot), head over to Mendocino for a luxurious getaway to the Stanford Inn by the Sea (www.stanfordinn.com; 800/331-8884). Longtime owners Joan and Jeff Stanford, who love to travel with their dogs Murphy and Gypsy, always make sure that animals of every ilk get the royal treatment here. At check-in dogs get a welcome treat, stainless steel food and water dishes, pick-up bags, and even “dog sheets” to protect the furniture. There are three nearby beaches that are dog-friendly, and Joan and Jeff will tell you everything you need to know about where to play with your pet in and around Mendocino. It’s a wonderful place to go for a relaxing seaside getaway with your pet.

The dog-friendly beaches and hotels mentioned above are just a fraction of the places in Northern California that allow pets. For more information check out Where to Stay & Play—or better yet, add your own comments and advice to our dog-friendly-beaches blog below. We’d love to hear from you.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 6:32 am by Getaway Guru and is filed under Beaches & The Coast, Pet-Friendly. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.