The best pet-friendly stays around Australia

For a stay that is not only luxurious for us, but for our furry friends too, look no further than these pet-friendly stays.

We all love our pets and when booking a holiday, trying to figure out where our pets will stay is the most complicated part. Well, not anymore. We’ve found the best pet-friendly accommodation options all across Australia so your pet can come and unwind with you.

Pet-friendly accommodation NSW

Four Seasons, Sydney

Four Seasons Hotel Sydney ’s Paw-fection package pampers all furry friends, providing exclusive perks including a plush dog bed, gourmet treats, an Aussie-themed toy, and natural dog bath amenities. Plus, the team can provide dog-sitting or dog-walking services highlighting the best pooch-friendly parks in the area.

The Langham, Sydney

If you wanted to treat yourself to a luxury night or two away, you no longer have to choose between that and your beloved pet! Guests at the Langham Sydney can bring their pooch (up to 20 kilos) or cat for a stay. With Langham Sydney’s Pampered Pets Staycation your pet will receive their own plush bed to match yours! Pet-sitting and afternoon teas for you and your pet are also available.

A King Charles Cavalier lies on bed with a pink dog bowl that says The Langham. (Image: The Langham) — The Langham offers a luxurious stay for your pet. (Image: The Langham)

Pier One, Sydney

Pier One welcomes canine guests into its Water View rooms with the Puppy Package , where they will enjoy their own bed, food bowl and water bowl, plus a $5 donation to the RSPCA is included in the price. For even more luxury, opt for a doggy minibar loaded with dog-friendly snacks or take your pup to The Gantry Restaurant for a doggy degustation. There is no weight limit for the dogs, and you can bring two!

A schnauzer sits on a bed at Pier One. (Image: Pier One) — $5 of your stay will go to the RSPCA. (Image: Pier One)

InterContinental, Double Bay

Let your puppy live its best life with InterContinental Double Bay’s Pet Stay package . With a dog bed in the lounge room, and water and feed bowls in the bathroom, they will be relaxing just like you. Plus, there is a fancy pet-friendly menu if you want to go that extra mile.

Bannisters, Mollymook and Port Stephens

Both Bannisters by the Sea in Mollymook and Bannisters Port Stephens have pet-friendly rooms that will have your pup loving life. Not only will you get to indulge in the luxurious Bannisters, but you’ll also be accompanied by your little best friend.

Classic pet-friendly room at Bannisters by the Sea. (Image: Bannisters Mollymook)

Spicers Sangoma Retreat, Blue Mountains

Don’t just enjoy the stunning Blue Mountains surrounds with your human friends, bring your furry friend along too! At Spicers Sangoma Retreat, the Pooch Package gives your dog a plush dog bed, lead, doggie bags, water bowl, food bowl, blanket and dog treats in the luxury Bush Suite.

Overlooking the sunset at Spicers Sangoma Retreat. (Image: Spicers Retreat) — What a view for you and your pup! (Image: Spicers Retreat)

Pet-friendly accommodation Victoria

Zagame’s House, Melbourne

Zagame’s House is a boutique hotel in Carlton where fur babies are just as welcome as you with the Fur Friendly package! They’ll be treated to a bag of goodies upon arrival and a free ‘Furry Movie of the Month’.

Dog and owner getting their nails painted at Zagame's House. (Image: Wasamedia) — Nothing better than relaxing with a mani. (Image: Wasamedia)

Plus, experience the seasonal menu of culinary dishes designed by renowned chef, Chris Bonello. If it’s your pup’s cup of milk, there are also bonding sessions available with Zagame’s Dog of the House, Hugo the Groodle – what a treat!

Two dogs sit on armchairs by a fireplace at Zagame's House. (Image: Wasamedia) — Warming ourselves up. (Image: Wasamedia)

Mount Sturgeon Cottages, Dunkeld

Once home to the station’s shearers and cooks, these renovated cottages , owned and operated by the two-hatted Royal Mail Hotel down the road, offer all the outdoor space your small friend could want… plus wooden floors so they’re allowed inside, too.

Fireplace at Mount Sturgeon Cottage. (Image: Emily Weaving) — Cosy up with your pet! (Image: Emily Weaving)

Pet-friendly accommodation Queensland

Ovolo The Valley, Brisbane

Ovolo The Valley’s V.I.Pooch takes care of both you and your dog. Offering an indulgent experience, complete with amenities (and treats!) to pamper you and your pooch like a true VIP. The V.I.Pooch holiday accommodation package provides a doggy bed where your furry buddy can snuggle and relax like a real boss, an eating/drinking mat and food bowl so they can feast in style, a doggy bag with specially designed dog toys and treats, and dog-friendly staff on hand to provide assistance when you need it.

Dog on the bed at Ovolo The Valley (Image: @bozzie.the.aussie) — Just hanging out at Ovolo The Valley. (Image: @bozzie.the.aussie)

Crystalbrook Bailey, Cairns

Fur babies deserve to enjoy life’s little luxuries just as much as we do. The dog-friendly Crystalbrook Bailey Residences are located on the first floor, with access to a courtyard or balcony, so your four-legged pals can stretch their legs and soak up some tropical Queensland rays.

Just a short walk to the Cairns Esplanade, there are plenty of grasslands and parks for you to explore so now you can enjoy a guilt-free holiday with your best mate.

A dog sits in a suitcase with snorkel gear nearby in Cairns. (Image: Crystalbrook Bailey) — Ready for a day on the reef. (Image: Crystalbrook Bailey)

Quest Robina, Gold Coast

Quest Robina has six exclusive pooch-friendly apartments on the ground floor, decked out with pet futon, food and water bowls, lounge cover, treat on arrival, and their very own outdoor terrace to roam and play in, these apartments are a slice of doggie heaven. There is even a personalised pooch guide available to help you find all the top local spots that are pet-friendly.

Dachshund with sunglasses and a hat at Quest Robina's pool. (Image: Quest Robina) — Soaking in those Gold Coast rays! (Image: Quest Robina)

Pet-friendly accommodation SA

Hilton, Adelaide

Pups are welcomed with open arms at Hilton, Adelaide – as long as they weigh less than 35 kilograms. They must also be on a lead or in a carrier whenever in public areas and mustn’t be left unattended. The ‘Dog-Friendly Package’ must be booked, and the hotel will charge you a $500 refundable deposit in case of any accidents that may occur – so allow for plenty of outside walks.

Mayfair Hotel, Adelaide

The Mayfair Hotel’s Luxe Pets program offers five-star treatment for your four-legged friend. Available in the Deluxe King Rooms or Superior Queen Access Rooms, a Luxe Pets stay includes a comfy pet bed, food and water bowls, pet food and snacks, and a cheeky toy too. Maximum 2 pets per room. 20kg weight limit applies, but larger dogs may be allowed at management’s discretion.

Pet-friendly accommodation WA

QT Perth

QT Perth says Pup Yeah! to doggy visitors under 20kg. The pet-friendly rooms come with fetching features, including a mini-bar packed with treats, and decadent in-room dogs’ dinner menus designed by QT Head of Treats Andrew Barkham. It also has bespoke pupQ grooming leaving your bestie washed and looking gorgeous!

Pet-friendly accommodation ACT

Mercure Hotel, Canberra

Mercure Canberra accepts pets of all shapes and sizes, and the pet-friendly rooms feature a private courtyard accessible via your own French doors making nighttime bathroom breaks for your pet a breeze.

A small, black dog is covered in flowers as it stands beside the pool at Mercure Canberra. (Image: Mercure Canberra) — Pippa being pampered by the pool. (Image: Mercure Canberra)

Prior to booking your stay, be sure to contact the hotel first so that they may approve your pet. Note that bringing your pet may also incur extra fees for the dog-friendly amenities and services offered by these hotels.

The charm of Mildura is hidden in plain sight along the Sturt Highway. The capital of Tropical North Victoria is in a league of its own.

From the moment you arrive in Mildura , the warm air and palm trees invite you to slow down. While most Australians might drive right past it, Mildura is full of surprises. Here you’ll spend one day witnessing over 50,000 years of First Nations history in a UNESCO-listed National Park, and the next dining in a hatted restaurant after wandering through 12,500 fireflies as the outback sunset bursts to life above. From roadside fruit stalls and family-run wineries to houseboats and galleries, it’s time to explore Mildura.

Feast Street, at the heart of Langtree Avenue in Mildura. — Taste, wander and be surprised in Mildura.

Taste Mildura’s produce

It makes sense to start your trip by addressing the most important question: where to eat. In the beating heart of Australia’s food bowl, sample the local produce directly from the source. And then, of course, experience it through the menu of a hatted chef. Or sandwiched between pillowy slices of Nonna’s ciabatta.

Rows of orchards and olive groves invite you to spend the day traipsing from farm to farm. Taste olives propagated from Calabrian trees brought over in the 40s, oranges picked right from the tree and squeezed into juice and spoons full of honey . Bring the holiday back to your kitchen by stocking your pantry at roadside produce stalls, or calling into the ‘silver shed ’ (Sunraysia’s gourmand Mecca).

Thanks to the warm, balmy air and fertile soils, the wineries dotted along these hills produce award-winning local wines. Like Chalmers , a family-run, innovative winery dedicated to making their wines as sustainable as possible. And picturesque Trentham Estate offers views of the snaking Murray River as you sample their vintages.

Venture beyond the gnarled shadows of olive groves and fragrant rows of blossoming fruit trees and you’ll find an otherworldly side to Mildura. With Discover Mildura as your guide, visit Murray River Salt’s Mars-like stacks. The naturally pink salt is formed from an ancient inland sea and evaporated entirely by the sun to create one of the region’s most iconic exports.

Start your day with just-squeezed sunshine.

Hatted dining & Italian history

Mildura is home to a proud community of Calabrians and Sicilians. This, paired with the exceptional local produce, means that you can find paninos on par with those in Italy. The Italian is a Paninoteca serving up made-to-order, hefty, authentic Sicilian paninos. Nonna Rosa’s pork meatballs, slowly cooked in tomato ragu and served in a crusty, fluffy roll topped with gratings of Grana Padano cheese and salsa verde, will call you back to Mildura for the rest of your days.

To find hatted dining in Mildura, simply follow the staircase down into the basement of the historic Mildura Grand Hotel to find Stefano’s . Following the muscle memory and instinct of his Italian roots, he delivers on the principle of ‘cucina povera’. That is, the Italian cooking ideology that turns simple, local ingredients into magic.

Things to do in Mildura include dining at the acclaimed Stefano’s, where simple local ingredients are transformed into Italian culinary magic beneath the historic Grand Hotel. — Bite into Mildura’s Italian heritage.

Discover a thriving culture scene

The city is alive with culture. Whether it’s painted on the town’s walls, told in ancient yarns, or waiting for you in a gallery.

The Mildura Arts Centre was Australia’s first regional art gallery. Behind the walls of Rio Vista Historic House, you’ll find a lineup of ever-changing exhibitions. The gallery’s wall space pays tribute to the art and songlines of local First Nations People, the region’s awe-inspiring landscapes and more. Outside, on the gallery’s lawn, find 12 contemporary sculptures in the Sculpture Park.

Mildura’s streetscapes are a punch of colour. Swirling strokes of paint blend the winding artery of the Murray River, red dirt and local characters into a story you can see with your own eyes, thanks to the Mildura City Heart’s Mural Art Project . Pick up a copy of the Murals of Mildura guide from the Visitor Information Centre.

Follow the border of NSW and Victoria on a map and you’ll see it hugs the curves of a tiny island on the Murray. That’s Lock Island, where, as the sun and moon trade places, the island comes alive as darkness falls. The island is dotted with 12,500 firefly lights that lead you on a meandering path through the outback sunset. The installation is known as Trail of Lights and was created by the same visionary who dreamt up Field of Light at Uluṟu, Bruce Munro.

Things to do in Mildura include exploring its rich cultural scene. From vibrant street art and ancient stories to exhibitions at the Mildura Arts Centre, Australia’s first regional gallery. — Find culture around every corner.

Wonder at ancient landscapes

The landscapes of Mildura feel almost transcendental. The skyline bursts to life with reds, pinks, and deep, sparkly night skies.

The nature will leave you in awe. See hues of pink water changing with the weather at Pink Lakes inside Victoria’s largest national park, Murray Sunset National Oark. Cast a line into Ouyen Lake. Watch the sunset against 70-metre tall red cliffs that reflect the setting sun. Or get the heart racing and sandboard down the Perry Sandhills dunes, formed 40,000 years ago at the end of an ice age.

Just don’t leave without following the twists and turns of the Murray. Stroll or ride along the Shared River Front Path, or jump onboard a boat for a scenic ride.

Your itinerary will be incomplete without a visit to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park . Head out with an Indigenous ranger to witness ancient campsites and footprints, before standing in awe of ancient civilisation near the discovery site of Mungo Man—Australia’s oldest human skeleton at 42,000 years old.

Mungo National Park at night is a vast, silent landscape where ancient dunes glow under moonlight and stars blanket the sky in breathtaking clarity. — Walk in the footsteps of ancient civilisation.

Meet your home away from home

On equal par with planning your meals and adventures, is finding the perfect place to relax at the end of each day.

Sleep inside a Palm Springs postcard at Kar-Rama . A sleek boutique hotel complete with a butterfly shaped, sun-soaked pool. Here you’re staying right in the heart of Mildura but you’ll feel worlds away. Or if you really wish to connect with nature, a night glamping under the stars at Outback Almonds will have you spellbound.

When in Mildura it’s only right to stay on one of the Murray River’s iconic houseboats . Wake up each day to the calm waters of the Murray lapping outside your window. Enjoy days full of river swims, fishing and exploring. All boats are solar-powered and can be self-skippered or moored along the river.

A solar-powered houseboat on the Murray River in Mildura. — Stay and play on the Murray in a solar houseboat.

Start planning the perfect getaway at mildura.com .