Pet and dog friendly hotels in San Diego, California

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

Most San Diego hotels we list with known pet fee terms charge once per stay: 16 of the 26 whose fee terms we hold (November 2026), from $50 to $150, median $75. Three charge per night instead, $20 to $35 (median $25). At those medians, the nightly fee passes the per-stay one from the fourth night, so long trips favor per-stay hotels.

The $150 top per-stay fee applies at InterContinental San Diego by IHG, at Hotel del Coronado, Curio Collection by Hilton and at Residence Inn by Marriott San Diego Downtown/Gaslamp Quarter.

Seven hotels state no pet fee, and five of them are Motel 6 locations. The other two are EZ 8 Motel Old Town, whose $82 from-price is the lowest of the 146 hotels we list, and Ocean Beach Hotel, from $236 a night, above the $223 median.

Three hotels state a pet deposit, per IHG's pages for them. It is $150 at Candlewood Suites San Diego by IHG and $95 at Hotel Indigo San Diego Del Mar by IHG. The deposit is $84.51 at Holiday Inn Express and Suites La Jolla - Windansea Beach, and IHG Hotel. A fee or deposit we do not show does not mean there is none. Pet policies change. Confirm with the hotel when you book.

Which San Diego hotels allow large dogs, cats or two pets?

Of the 27 San Diego hotels that state a weight limit (November 2026), 18 set it at 75 lb, the highest stated. All but one of those 18 are Hilton brands, per Hilton's pages for them. The exception is La Quinta by Wyndham San Diego Mission Bay.

The tightest limits are 15 lb at Porto Vista Hotel Downtown San Diego and 40 lb at Hotel del Coronado, Curio Collection by Hilton and at Sheraton San Diego Resort. Five more set 50 lb, among them The Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter and Omni San Diego Hotel at the Ballpark. Comfort Inn San Diego - SeaWorld Area sets 51 lb.

Of the 146 hotels we list, 17 state that they accept cats as well as dogs. Seven state dogs only, among them Sheraton San Diego Resort, Handlery Hotel San Diego and Hampton Inn San Diego Mission Valley. The other hotels do not state a rule for cats.

Each of the 21 San Diego hotels that state a maximum number of pets per room allows two or more. Among them, La Quinta by Wyndham San Diego Mission Bay, Hampton Inn San Diego Mission Valley and Candlewood Suites San Diego by IHG all allow two.

Which San Diego beaches allow dogs?

Along the City of San Diego's beaches and Mission Bay, only Dog Beach in North Ocean Beach and Fiesta Island let licensed dogs off leash at any time (city Parks and Recreation rules, November 2026). On every other city ocean beach, and on adjacent parks and sidewalks, dogs are banned from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., leashed or not.

In the rest of Mission Bay Park, dogs are barred from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April 1 to October 31, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the rest of the year. Outside those hours they must be leashed.

Fiesta Island is leash-optional across its shoreline and interior, with a 5.2-mile asphalt path for dog walkers. Two California Least Tern nesting sites stay gated year-round, and buffer zones around them close from April 15 through September 15. Dog Beach sits at the west end of the San Diego River Floodway.

• Coronado, North Beach Dog Run: dogs stay leashed until they reach the beach, per the San Diego Tourism Authority.
• Del Mar North Beach: off leash under voice control from the day after Labor Day through June 15. From June 16 through Labor Day, leashed except from dawn to 8 a.m., and no dogs on Del Mar's Main Beach at any time.
• Torrey Pines State Beach and Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve: no dogs, per California State Parks.
• Silver Strand State Beach: dogs only in the parking lots and the RV campground, not on the beach or the bayside.

Where can you take a dog in San Diego away from the beach?

The City of San Diego has more than 20 designated off-leash dog areas, per its Parks and Recreation department (November 2026). Everywhere else in city parks, including trails and canyons, dogs must be on a leash no longer than 8 feet.

In City of San Diego parks, dogs stay leashed until they are inside the posted boundary of an off-leash area such as Nate's Point or Capehart Park, and owners must clean up after them. The City of San Diego also warns that poison oak spreads from dogs to humans, and that a leash protects dogs from rattlesnakes, ticks and traffic.

• Balboa Park: Nate's Point, a large, flat, fenced lawn on the south side of the Cabrillo Bridge, and Morley Field are both on the city's list of approved leash-free locations.
• Capehart Park, Pacific Beach: a 1-acre leash-free park with fenced pens for small and large dogs and water stations.
• Mission Trails Regional Park: dogs on a leash under 8 feet.
• Cabrillo National Monument: pets only on the Coastal Trail, on a leash of no more than six feet, and never in the tidepools or at the lighthouse.
• Old Town San Diego State Historic Park: dogs in outdoor areas such as the plaza, not inside museums or buildings.
• Events: the San Diego Tourism Authority lists City Cruises' annual Pet Day on the Bay in May and the Unleashed Surf Dog competition in Imperial Beach in summer.