Pet and dog friendly hotels in Monterey, California

How much do pet friendly hotels in Monterey charge for a dog?

We hold a stated pet fee for 0 of the 20 Monterey hotels we list (November 2026), Hampton Inn Monterey included, so we cannot quote a typical dog fee. Pet policies change. Confirm with the hotel when you book.

Room rates, not pet fees: from-prices are sampled for a stay three weeks out. All 6 motels price below the $151.50 median, from $66 at Monterey Pines Inn to $109 at Lone Oak Lodge. The 2 resorts start at $212 (Casa Munras Garden Hotel & Spa) and $257 (Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa). Monterey Beach Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, tops the list at $303.

Victorian Inn tops guest scores at 8.7 from 1,707 reviews ($228). Pacific Inn Monterey scores 8.4 from 1,058 at $103.

Which Monterey hotels accept large dogs, cats or two pets?

We hold a stated weight limit for 0 of the 20 Monterey hotels we list (November 2026), so our data cannot say which hotels take a large dog. Hampton Inn Monterey is the one hotel where we hold answers on cats and a second pet. It accepts cats and allows up to 2 pets per room, per Hilton's page for the hotel (November 2026).

The size rule we can quote here is the Monterey Dog Park's, not a hotel's. Its rules, dated October 2007, keep the small-dog area for dogs under 30 lbs and elderly and weak dogs, and cap owners at two dogs in the park.

Which beaches in Monterey are dog friendly?

Leashed dogs are allowed at Del Monte Beach, San Carlos Beach Park and McAbee Beach, per the City of Monterey's parks list, and on part of Monterey State Beach, per California State Parks (November 2026).

California State Parks says dogs are not permitted on most state beaches, but Asilomar State Beach, Carmel River State Beach and part of Monterey State Beach take them on a maximum six-foot leash.

The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District, naming no specific beach, asks people to keep dogs leashed on the beach at all times and 50 yards from fenced, signed habitat. Western snowy plover breeding season runs mid-March to mid-September.

• Monterey State Beach: leashed dogs are allowed south of the Monterey Tides Hotel and not north of it.
• San Carlos Beach Park: a City of Monterey notice dated August 21, 2025 said sea lions were temporarily closing public access and gave no reopening date.
• Carmel Beach, in Carmel-by-the-Sea: dogs may go without a leash under voice control, per the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Leash up at the bottom of the stairways when leaving.
• Asilomar State Beach, in Pacific Grove: leashed dogs are allowed on the beach, trails and conference grounds, not in the buildings.
• Carmel River State Beach: leashed dogs are allowed, and California State Parks flags late winter and early spring plover resting areas.
• Closed to dogs: the beach and its spur trails at Fort Ord Dunes State Park, where leashed dogs keep to the north/south recreation trail, and Marina State Beach beyond the day-use parking lot.

What to do in Monterey with dogs?

The Monterey Dog Park on Pearl Street, inside El Estero Park, is the only City of Monterey park where dogs can run off leash, per the city's parks list (November 2026).

The Monterey Dog Park's rules, dated October 2007, bar dogs under four months old and require current vaccinations. Bring your own water container.

California State Parks bars dogs from all of Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and from the buildings of Monterey State Historic Park.

• Lake El Estero: a 1.2-mile path around the lake, on leash only, per the City of Monterey.
• Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail: a paved path, 18 miles from Castroville to Pacific Grove. In Monterey, the leash is six feet at most, per City Code Section 23-8(a).
• Fisherman's Shoreline Park, between Fisherman's Wharf and the Coast Guard Pier: on leash only.
• Veterans Memorial Park and Huckleberry Hill Nature Preserve, reached through it: on leash only.
• Garland Ranch Regional Park: domestic animals under leash or immediate voice and visual control, per the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District.
• Fort Ord National Monument: a six-foot leash or restraint at trailheads and on routes not designated Off Leash Opportunity Routes. On designated routes, dogs stay on the road, within 50 feet of the owner, and leashed within 100 feet of people outside your party, per the Bureau of Land Management.
• Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park limits dogs to the Warden's Path and River Path among its trails, and Garrapata State Park to the beach at Gate 19 and its access trails.

Are dogs allowed in Monterey?

Yes, on a leash: Monterey City Code Section 6-10 requires all dogs leashed in public, and Section 23-8 caps the leash at six feet in City parks, except at the dog park (November 2026).

City rules keep dogs off playground structures and sport courts, and out of parks hosting permitted special events. Also closed, among others: the El Estero Park picnic area, Dennis the Menace Playground, Whispering Pines Park, Larkin Park and artificial turf.

In Monterey, uncleaned dog waste on public or private property without the owner's permission is an infraction, with fines up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second and $500 for a third.

Monterey-Salinas Transit buses allow pets only in caged carriers, with service animals exempt. Monterey Regional Airport has two pet relief areas: one before security in the Short Term (Premium) parking lot, one after security at Gate 1.