If you read my blog regularly, you've probably figured out that dog friendly vacations and great dog friendly hotels are my world! I love sharing the adventures we go on with our dogs, Icy and Phoebe. Today I'd like to share some dog friendly fun in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire!
Waterville Valley, New Hampshire is a Great Dog Friendly Vacation Destination
Traveling With Dogs Takes Planning
When we first started traveling with the dogs and I had to plan dog friendly getaways, it helped me a lot to read about how other pet parents found great places to visit with dogs. It isn't always easy to find great pet friendly hotels and activities. We've been traveling with our dogs for several years, and now we're in the pet travel groove! We have shared many of our wonderful dog friendly adventures on this blog, and we'll continue to do so to help others plan their own great dog friendly vacations!
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| We stopped for a photo on a bridge along this beautiful dog friendly trail in Waterville Valley, NH |
Our latest travel adventure with Icy and Phoebe was a trip to the Waterville Valley, New Hampshire ski resort. No, the dogs didn't do any skiing, I did! New Hampshire is one of six states that make up New England, and it's one of my favorite New England states to visit. The other states that make up the New England region in the Northeastern United States are; Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. All these states are beautiful in every season and each one has something special to offer. However, we love New Hampshire the best, in both Winter and Summer. Waterville Valley is one of the best dog friendly vacations we've been on, so we go back as often as we can.
Waterville Valley resort has many fun things to offer
🐶 Of course, the very best thing about Waterville Valley for us is that they are dog friendly!
🐶 In the middle of the resort is a charming little town square, with a few restaurants and stores around it. There's also a live web cam in the middle of the square, so you can sneak a peek at the town square action anytime. There's a live web cam at the base of the ski area's mountain too. We're such geeks, we love checking out the live webcams for weeks before we go, to see how the snow looks and how crowded it is at the mountain! Click here to see the Waterville Valley live webcams, called "Mountain Cams" (I Love that!).
⛷ One of the beautiful cross country ski trails runs right behind town square. It allows both foot traffic and (leashed) DOGS! The trail is gorgeous and has a few bridges over babbling brooks as well as a really cool tunnel that goes underneath the main road. We've had some fabulous long walks with the dogs on this trail. It's actually one of the things that keeps us going back!
⛷ The ski resort offers both cross country and downhill (Alpine) skiing. This is great for us, because I downhill ski but my husband cross country skis. We take turns skiing and watching the dogs so it works out perfectly for us! Believe me, it's not easy to find a ski resort that has both types of skiing, and is dog friendly.
🐶 Within the resort, there are a few pet friendly apartments for rent but you have to book early as they fill up fast. There's only one pet friendly hotel in the resort, but it's a real dive and typically has awful (well deserved) TripAdvisor reviews. You can read more about our Trip to Waterville Valley two years ago when we stayed there. It was one of the worst hotel stays I've had! What a shame, they could do so much more with that piece of prime Waterville Valley real estate.
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| Seeing dog friendly signs like this one on vacation makes me smile! |
The first time we went to Waterville Valley and I saw this trail marker it made my heart sing! I'm so used to seeing No Dogs Allowed signs in so many places, it's refreshing to see a beautiful vacation resort that actually welcomes dogs! A ski resort that has both alpine and cross country skiing and it's dog friendly!? Um... Yes, Please!
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| No need to leave the dog home, bring her along on that fabulous ski vacation! |
We have fun hiking for an hour or two on this cross country ski trail that allows dogs. It's one of my favorite things to do at the resort, and needless to say the dogs love it!
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| Into the Tunnel of Love with Phoebe! |
Planning a dog friendly vacation takes time and research
It isn't always easy finding the right accommodations for both you and your dog. On this trip to Waterville Valley we didn't plan early enough. As I said earlier, there is only one pet friendly hotel in the resort and it's awful. I will never stay there again. I checked the resort's private vacation rentals to find an apartment or condo that would accept dogs. There were several pet friendly accommodations but only a few were still available. Most of them are larger and geared towards families. We didn't need a place that sleeps 6+ so there was little available.
However, after much searching we happened upon the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Plymouth New Hampshire. This hotel is owned by Marriott Hotels and is about 18 miles from the Waterville Valley ski area. It seemed like an OK option at the time, not right in the resort but it was feasible. Well, it turned out the be a fabulous find!
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| Phoebe was very happy and comfy in our Fairfield Inn and Suites hotel room! |
The Plymouth, NH Fairfield Inn and Suites hotel is fairly new and totally updated. It was super clean and the staff was really nice, especially the General Manager. The rooms have a microwave, fridge, and coffee maker. The bathroom was wonderful, clean and spacious with plenty of hot water in the shower! They didn't hit us with a million rules about what our dogs can't do at the hotel, they simply welcomed us.
The icing on the cake, and something we didn't know about beforehand, is that this hotel offers discounted ski lift tickets for Waterville Valley! I paid only $41 for a Mid-Week full day lift ticket. The regular price of a Mid-Week lift ticket was $79! That is a fabulous savings, and well worth the 18 mile drive to the ski area.
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| Dog Approved! Icy and Phoebe loved our room at the Fairfield Inn and Suites! They were so comfortable and happy there. |
Waterville Valley is as beautiful in Summer as it is in the Winter. I'm already planning our trip back this Summer. I look forward to doing lots of hiking with the dogs up there. Icy and Phoebe, Get Ready for more New Hampshire adventures!
What is one of your favorite pet friendly vacation destinations? Tell us in the comments!
What is one of your favorite pet friendly vacation destinations? Tell us in the comments!
28 comments:
When I read your posts about travelling I always get jealous as I wish I could do some travelling with Layla and praying one day I will be able to. You have got me so prepared when it comes to packing, etc with all your great information.
I like reading how more and more hotels and locations are allowing dogs, but you're right it does take some planning. I've researched quite a few dog friendly hotels and some of what they offer is serious 5 star standards! I love that we discovered a few dog friendly restaurants not too far from where we live. We've tried two and it was great to go out for dinner and have Jack sit next to us on the couch!
What a fabulous resort trip - Waterville Valley sounds awesome! I think the pic of Phoebe entering the tunnel is adorable - such a sweet face. I've heard such wonderful things about NH, it's definitely on our list of places to visit next year!
I can relate to wanting to travel with your dogs, but also, being able to find a place, whether it be a hotel or motel, that is not only dog friendly, but a place you would actually want to stay. I feel that just because it's dog friendly, it doesn't mean it can't be a nice and clean as well. It does look like you had a fun time skiing with the dogs though! I wouldn't mind giving that a trying!
Aw I grew up in New England (MA) and my family used to venture to New Hampshire very summer for vacation. It's been years now since I've been there, though. We'd like to get a few camping trips in this summer and New Hampshire is for sure on our list of potential places to visit.
Wow! That sounds like a super cool place to visit. Of course, I'd kill myself on skis but I'd love the town square! We are searching some dog friendly places around Texas to share.
I'm glad that you found such a great place to stay! I know that Icy was in her element with all that snow, and it looks like Phoebe had fun too.
Gotta have a plan. Gotta have a list. Gotta figure out where veterinary hospitals are. Gotta not forget the dogs ;-)
wow - you got quite the deal on that lift ticket. I love Marriott, used to stay there all the time on the dance competition circuit. I didn't know Fairfield was pet friendly, I'll definitely be looking them up on my next show trip.
Wow, this looks wonderful need a bag carrier for Phoebe ;-) Not that I am jealous or anything.
I want to visit this place right now and you need to do a Pin for this with one of the gorgeous pictures.
Thank you for a visit to a wonderful part of the world.
I'm so glad to have found this post! We are planning a 'staycation' this year. Usually, we head to Florida. I'm hoping to convince hubby to do a long weekend - New Hampshire looks like the perfect place. Thank you
I've never been snow skiing, but now can't even try with my bad knees
I love your travels, and it sure looks like Icy and Phoebe are happy travelers, too! We have a niece in NH and she loves it! So happy to hear they are dog-friendly as well! Pinning to share!
I've stayed at that Fairfield Inn (we live about 45 minutes from Plymouth)! It is very nice. We went to a concert in Plymouth and stayed there and had such a nice time. We used to camp with our dogs, but we've never traveled with them to motels or anything. Once we got up to four dogs it was impossible, and now we only have one, but his fear of strangers makes travel out of the question. Maybe someday again! So glad you've been enjoying my home state so much. ♥
I'm so glad you enjoy my travel posts and find them helpful! I hope you and Layla can travel together, maybe start with a short 1 night stay somewhere.
I love that many more hotels are "getting it", that pets are family and people want to take their dogs & cats along on family vacations. We haven't gone totally 5 star yet, but I'd love to do that with the dogs.
It's a terrific place! I love that photo of Phoebe going into the tunnel, we called it her Tunnel of Love LOL! New Hampshire is beautiful. We are very outdoorsy and we love to hike, bike, ski, anything outdoors so NH is perfect for us!
You're right about dog friendly hotels but things have really changed the last few years. More and more hotels have come to see how valuable it is to create a lovely pet friendly place to stay. Many hotels that accept pets have renovated those rooms and the grounds to accommodate pets. I hope to see that trend continue.
Oh definitely, NH has great camping and hiking areas. MA is beautiful too, but I think it's a lot more build up. NH still has lots of open spaces and public lands.
LOL! I'm glad I can still ski, although I stick to the Novice trails for the most part. I look forward to seeing new dog friendly posts about Texas on your blog.
We're so happy we found this hotel, we will definitely go back there soon. Both dogs had a blast, they are great travelers!
Yes, good planning is super important. Knowing where Veterinary hospitals are is definitely key as well, I always try to find that out beforehand. And yes, not forgetting the dogs is a key component to a great dog friendly trip LOL!!!
We were so thrilled about the lift ticket discount, that was definitely a highlight. We love Marriott too, but this is our first time at Fairfield Inn and Suites and they did not disappoint!
It is a wonderful little resort, Winter & Summer. Phoebe doesn't want to be carried in a bag, she prefers to walk like a big girl LOL! But, the first night was frigid and a bag to carry her to & from the potty area would have helped a lot. Her tiny feet got really frozen a few times & she was lifting her paw up )- :
NH is a great choice for a long weekend, especially if you & your dog love the outdoors. I highly recommend it.
I understand. If there's one sport that is tough on the knees it's skiing, believe me. I'm so happy I can still do it at all.
We love our travels too, it's one of the highlights in life for us to travel with the dogs! We are blessed with 2 dogs that love car rides and love travel adventures. Thanks so much for Pinning!
Oh cool! You're lucky to have lived in NH, we just love it there. We live on Long Island and love heading up North to get away from the insane crowds. It's not very dog friendly here either.
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