The Best Pet-Friendly Hotels to Book in Maine, USA

A show-stopping coastal resort on lighthouse-dotted Cape Elizabeth, Inn by the Sea is not just the stuff of vacation dreams for humans, but for your furry family members, too. Staff leave a signature treat for your dog at turndown service each night, while water bowls, blankets and beach towels are also a given. There’s even a gourmet pet menu available. Moreover, this hotel has a soft spot for pooches, taking in several dozen foster dogs each year, which welcome guests in the lobby.

If you’re traveling with just one pup, then consider this York Harbor hotel. There’s a surcharge of $50 per dog, per night, but for the price your canine friend will enjoy a personalized bowl and dog bed, as well as al fresco showers. Most conveniently, dogs are allowed on neighboring York Harbor Beach, just a stick’s throw away (though there are certain restrictions depending on the season and time of day).

This Tripp Lake inn isn’t just pet-friendly; it’s pet mad. Owners Sue and Roy are dog lovers themselves (their pooches Bruschi, a pug, and Gabby, a black English lab can sometimes be found scampering around on the property’s great lawn) and are happy to supply pet blankets, water bowls and poop bags. There are four different rooms for guests with pets to choose from, plus three dog-friendly hiking and walking trail networks within just ten minutes’ drive of the inn.

You don’t have to forego creature comforts or boutique properties to vacation with your pet, as the York Harbor Inn proves. The period features and furnishings of this pet-friendly hotel in Maine are still intact at this historic property, built in 1730, which feels like a home away from home. All the usual extras are on offer for your pets here (blankets, food and water bowls, trash bags, treats) and hotel staff will be happy to present you with walking maps and lists of pet-friendly beaches in the area.

Originally opened in 1927 as the Eastland Park Hotel, this hotel, now part of the Marriott family, is located in the heart of historic Downtown Portland, Maine’s most populous city. Guests are welcome to bring up to two dogs during their stay, at no additional charge, with beds, bowls and even treats provided. If you can find a sitter (dogs can’t be left alone in rooms) then make a beeline for the hotel’s rooftop bar, which offers floor-to-ceiling window views of Portland and Casco Bay.

Vacationing with a small or medium-sized dog? You’ll find a warm welcome at this charming Kennebunk inn. There’s an additional fee of $45 per night, and you can choose from two different accommodation options: the Tack Room Suite with its gas fireplace, king-size bed, sitting room and its own private entrance; or the Bungalow, which features two bedrooms and a screened-in porch, and is available between May and October.

Fur babies will go wild for backcountry walkies near this storied Kingfield property. There’s the pooch-friendly Narrow Gauge Pathway rail-trail, which runs between the softly rounded peak of Maine’s Sugarloaf Mountain and the 36,000-acre (14,569-ha) Bigelow Preserve. Alternatively, there’s the Kennebec Valley Trail, which traces the curves of its eponymous river. A maximum of two dogs of any size are welcome for an additional fee of $30 per pet, per night.

Just 6mi (10km) from the best skiing on the East Coast, the Bethel Inn Resort accommodates all family members, including your pet. Head off snow-shoeing with your dog bounding ahead through the forest. It has designated pet-friendly rooms with furniture coverings, so you don’t have to worry about your pooch shedding hair everywhere. There is a surcharge of $35 per pet, per night.