East Austin Hotel Review | Dog-Friendly Hotels in Austin
Hello dog-people!
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re either from Austin, looking for a good #staycation with your dog, or not from Austin but looking to visit with your dog. Well, I don’t blame you. Austin is one of the top dog-friendly cities in the United States and for good reason: from Zilker Park to Lady Bird Lake to all of the best dog-friendly spots in town, it’s harder to find a place that doesn’t allow dogs than one that does.
However, hotels tend to be a different story, which is why we are on the hunt to find the best dog-friendly hotels in Austin. First on our list is East Austin Hotel — a chic, retro hotel located just minutes from downtown in, you guessed it, East Austin. Dogs are allowed everywhere but the pool deck/pool itself and inside the restaurants. Here’s why we love it:
Rooms
We stayed in a Poolside King Room, which was conveniently located on the first floor making it easy for us to get in and out of the room with the dogs. Plus, while the rooms are private, you can watch your pups from the pool if you want to swim or tan while your pup is chilling inside (they are not allowed in the pool area).
East Austin Hotel even hooked the dogs up with a memory foam bed and a set of bowls apiece. While the bed was a tad small for Apollo, we put both of them together creating one large bed for both of them. Not that it matters since they both sleep on the bed … but if you have a big dog, we recommend nicely requesting for a second bed so you can put the two together.
Bars and Restaurants
This small hotel truly packs a punch, containing two bars and one full-service restaurant. We had the pleasure of grabbing drinks and some bites at The Pool Bar and The Upside … and I was too busy enjoying myself to remember to take pictures. Sorry not sorry, it’s most important to enjoy yourself.
The Pool Bar features tropical drinks, quick snacks and a tiki atmosphere. My favorite was the one Brooklyn is pictured with, the rotating frozen drink, a delicious passion fruit and rum mixture. Dogs are allowed at the Pool Bar as long as they do not cross into the pool area.
The Upside, East Austin Hotel’s rooftop bar and restaurant, was our favorite during the stay. Sitting on the second floor, you get a great view of East Sixth Street, making it the perfect place to grab a drink and people watch. They have a great selection of beer and signature cocktails, with ingredients from South America, the Caribbean and more. Their food menu is small, consisting of most appetizers, but there are a few options big enough for dinner. The dog-friendly patio is quite small, especially if you are looking to nab a table overlooking the street, so we recommend getting there early. It’s dogfinitely worth it.
Sixth and Waller is their full-service restaurant, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While we didn’t get a chance to try it, the menu consists of a mixture of American classics with an international flare. Everything we saw looked scrumptious and appeared very reasonably priced. Since it is a full-service restaurant, you do not need to be staying at the hotel to eat here. Do keep in mind, the dog-friendly patio is right by the pool, so it may be loud depending on what time you arrive.
Pet-Policy
Dogs of all breeds are welcome at East Austin Hotel. There will be a nightly cleaning fee to ensure the room is clean for the next non-dog guests!
All in all, we give East Austin Hotel 🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴 out of 🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴 bones! We will definitely be back for another #staycation!
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As with any hotel, if you have a special request or circumstance, never be afraid to ask. The most important thing to remember is that friendliness goes a long way, so if you ask nicely and the hotel can accommodate you, you have a much great chance to get what you need. Be friendly, clean up after your pups and be a good guest!
