Homewood Scottie Suites

If you don't find the right hotel accommodations, vacationing with fur kids can be just as stressful as having to board them if you're like me and are plagued by anxiety any time you have to leave the furry ones behind. So when Scottie Dad and I decided to have a weekend getaway and go visit friends in Charleston, South Carolina (who recently welcomed to their home a fur kid of their own!), we got to work researching dog-friendly hotels.

One chain of hotels we don't often consider, despite the fact Scottie Dad has a plethora of points, is Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Historically, we have not found many hotels in that chain to be pet-friendly and, if they are, the fees tend to be a bit outrageous. Yet, we somehow stumbled upon Homewood Suites in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina - just a few miles outside the city of Charleston. I have to admit: I owe all the credit to Scottie Dad for this great find.

The room was plenty for our small family. There was a living room and kitchen, then behind another door was the bedroom and bathroom. Heather and Mr. K slept snuggled up in their Scottie beds in the bedroom with us. And during the day, I could rest assured knowing they could roam free and not be bothered, thanks to a magnet the hotel provides that lets the staff know there are family pets inside. Surprisingly, nearly every room on our floor had the magnet displayed. It was encouraging to see so many pets vacationing with their families! Even more surprising: we never encountered any of our temporary neighbors or heard a bark from behind closed doors.

Although there weren't any pet perks (besides the comfort and pleasure of having Heather and Mr. K right there with us!) offered by the hotel itself, the location pretty much makes up for that. Not only was the area pretty quiet but this Homewood Suites is located in a cute shopping plaza which was complete with restaurants galore - where we saw a Labrador Retriever pup eating lunch with his Mom and Dad, a pet spa and boutique (more on that later!), and a V-E-T office. How comforting is it to know that help is literally a few steps away in the case anything happened?

The nonrefundable pet fee for Homewood Suites in Mt. Pleasant was $75. When compared to the cost of keeping Heather and Mr. K at their favorite boarding facility Pet Paradise (which typically runs me $105 a night for both Scotties to sit pretty in the presidential suite), it doesn't look so bad! Although, I think there's a strong possibility Mr. K might actually prefer to be boarded there as it comes with an abundance of play time, an ice cream treat and did I mention lots of new fur-iends? Heather, on the other hand, definitely prefers to stay by her Scottie Mom's side.

Stay tuned for more stories and lots of fantastic photos from our weekend getaway in Charleston!