Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Marbella and the Costa del Sol

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Beaches

From 1 June to 15 October, and over Holy Week, dogs are banned from Marbella's beaches apart from two marked dog sections: El Pinillo, east of the centre near the Arco de Marbella, and Ventura del Mar in Nueva Andalucía by the El Rodeo urbanisation, a 250 m strip of dark sand and stones next to Puerto Banús. Outside those dates the seasonal ban doesn't apply. Along the coast, Playa del Castillo in Fuengirola is a fenced year-round dog beach below Sohail Castle, where dogs over 20 kg wear a muzzle, and Piedra Paloma in Casares is a 400 m year-round dog beach west of Estepona.

Transport

Marbella's urban buses, run by Avanza, publish a rule of no animals except assistance dogs. The town floated a change in 2022 and hasn't published one since, so plan on taxis or a hire car. The Avanza intercity coaches from Málaga airport carry pets only in the hold in a carrier. There is no train to Marbella. Renfe's Cercanías C-1 line runs from Málaga airport to Fuengirola and takes a dog of any size free on a lead and muzzle, one per passenger, and from Fuengirola it's a 30 km taxi.

Dogs at breakfast

Rare here. A clear no at Puente Romano, El Fuerte, Hotel Don Pepe, METT, the Anantara and the Westin La Quinta. ME Marbella and Only YOU Málaga allow dogs in food-service areas on a lead beside the owner, which is the nearest thing to a yes on this list. Kimpton, Nobu, La Fonda, La Zambra and SO/ Sotogrande don't publish a breakfast rule, so ask.

Weight limits

Puente Romano, El Fuerte, Hotel Don Pepe and METT cap at 5 kg and Boho Club says small dogs only. La Zambra takes 9 kg, La Fonda 10 kg, the Westin La Quinta and SO/ Sotogrande 12 kg, Nobu 20 kg, the Anantara 25 kg. Kimpton Los Monteros and ME Marbella publish no limit. For two dogs, ME Marbella, the Anantara and Only YOU Málaga are the ones that will take a pair. El Fuerte, La Fonda, Puente Romano and the Westin take one.

Fees

Free at Kimpton Los Monteros and the Westin La Quinta. EUR 17 a day at El Fuerte with a welcome kit, EUR 20 a night at Puente Romano, EUR 25 a stay at Boho Club, from EUR 25 a day at ME Marbella, EUR 40 a night at SO/ Sotogrande, EUR 50 a night at La Fonda. The Anantara charges EUR 50 a night from November to May and EUR 90 from June to October. EUR 75 at La Zambra, EUR 85 at Only YOU Málaga, EUR 150 a stay at Nobu. Don Pepe and METT don't publish a figure.

Getting there

Málaga airport is about 50 km and 45 minutes by road from Marbella. No UK airline flies a dog in the cabin, and Aer Lingus and Ryanair don't from Ireland, so an in-cabin arrival means a continental carrier via a hub such as Madrid, Amsterdam or Lisbon. Vueling doesn't carry pets on its UK routes. The other route is the drive down through France and Spain, or the Portsmouth or Plymouth ferry to Santander or Bilbao and a long day south.

Vets

Urvet Marbella at Calle Padre Paco Ostos 9 in the town centre runs 24 hours a day, every day, on +34 619 447 034. Marbella's tourism office lists close to thirty clinics across the municipality if you need a daytime one nearer your hotel.

Heat and breed rules

July and August sit above 30°C and the paving on the Paseo Marítimo burns paws by late morning, so walk early and late. Spain lists potentially dangerous breeds by law and requires a muzzle and a short lead in public for them, and the Marbella dog beaches restrict them to the boardwalk, so check your breed before you book.

Best walks

The Paseo Marítimo from Marbella's Playa de la Fontanilla west along the Golden Mile to Puerto Banús, about 7 km of flat paving with the sea on one side. The Senda Litoral boardwalk east from Los Monteros past Río Real and Las Chapas towards Cabopino and its dunes. El Pinillo dog beach by the Arco de Marbella and Ventura del Mar by El Rodeo for the sand in summer. The Represa park and the old town's Alameda for a short evening loop, and the quiet golf-valley lanes around Benahavís for the inland hotels.

When to go

Mid-October to May. The beaches reopen to dogs on 16 October and daytime highs stay in the mid to high teens through the winter, which is walking weather for a dog when most of Europe isn't. March to May is the sweet spot before the June ban. From 1 June to 15 October you're limited to the two dog sections and the sea is the only relief from heat that runs past 30°C, so if you must come in summer, pick Kimpton Los Monteros or ME Marbella for the dog beaches nearby and walk before nine.