
Dog-friendly Resort on San Diego’s Shelter Island
This weekend we were invited to stay at the Kona Kai Resort & Spa in San Diego. We’ve road-tripped down to San Diego quite a few times and love how dog-friendly most of the city is, so of course Kokoro and Chibi had to come along again!

Surrounding San Diego are a couple of smaller islands that make for the perfect weekend getaway from the city. Previously we’d stayed on Coronado Island, and this time our resort was located on Shelter Island which is really close to the San Diego airport.
Kona Kai Resort is located on a quiet street on the tip of the island and is surrounded on both sides by amazing views of the ocean. The hotel just recently launched a new pet-friendly program, IslandPaws! Just in time for Kokoro and Chibi to try things out.


Kona Kai’s IslandPaws program includes:
- Special pet-friendly guestroom
- Pet bed for use each night during stay
- Pet water and food bowls for use during stay
- Special welcome amenity for Fido with treats
- Dog walking map
- Dog in-room dining options
- Special pet exercise area and clean-up bags
- Mobile grooming service
The IslandPaws program requires a $50 non-refundable daily pet fee. There is a maximum two pets per room, and pet rooms are subject to availability.

We checked in right around happy hour and had a bottle of champagne delivered to our room. Just in time to watch the sun set from our back patio!


Just a few steps outside our patio was a walking path parallel to the coast. We were lucky to be located right by the small private beach reserved specifically for hotel guests and it was the perfect spot to let the dogs romp freely for a bit. As you can see, Kokoro was absolutely thrilled about this little feature.

Check out Kona Kai Resort the next time you’re looking for a dog-friendly hotel in San Diego!