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Pet-Friendly, Dog-Friendly Hotels
Dog-Friendly Madeira Beach, Florida-Changing Tides
Dog-Friendly Madeira Beach Area, Florida-Where we visited on this trip to Florida: Changing Tides, Sweet Sage Cafe and Nina’s on The Beach Cafe
Madeira Beach, Florida: Dexter The Dog, Grandma, Eddie, and I headed to Madeira Beach, Florida for a fun dog-friendly vacation. This was going to be a trip that revolved all around Dexter and having fun. The plan was to take our time traveling from Ohio to Florida and stop along the way to enjoy some dog-friendly attractions, stay overnight and to arrive in Florida ready to enjoy the Florida sun and orange juice.
Two A.M. came bright and early, and we headed out on our dog-friendly vacation. Dexter is always a great traveler, so he’s never a worry. We stopped along the way for potty breaks and much-needed stretching. Our first overnight was in Valdosta, Georgia. We stayed at The Quality Inn South. After a much-needed meal and sleep, we were on the road again.
We arrived at our destination, Changing Tides Cottages at Madeira Beach. We were welcomed by the friendly maintenance man, Mark, and his yellow lab Eli. Changing Tides is more than a dog-friendly cottage rental company, they cater to dogs and their families. This is definitely a retreat that Dexter and I can get behind.
Watch the video
Mark and Eli walked us to our 2 bedroom cottage. I was in awe of the well-kept grounds and the amazing view of the harbor. The entire grounds were fenced in, and dogs were encouraged to be off-leash. All the cottages were shaded by impressive tropical trees and plants, and had a cute enclosed patio decorated with lights. Our quaint cottage came with a fully-equipped kitchen, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, bedding, linens, and flat screen TVs. Changing Tides also provides an onsite laundry, gas grills, complimentary kayaks, and even deep-water boat slips. If you are planning a relaxing, dog-friendly vacation, you should check out Changing Tides.
Our family of 3 stayed in the Southwest Cottage. This 2-bedroom dog-friendly cottage had a queen in one bedroom and twins in the second, with plenty of dresser and closet space and room to spare. The kitchen overlooked the living space, making it very welcoming. The cool tile floor made this Florida cottage very dog-friendly, and Dexter really enjoyed lying on the tile. The most enjoyable part of the dog-friendly cottage was the patio that overlooked the harbor. We spent every morning and evening on the patio sipping coffee and enjoying the wildlife. Dexter particularly loved the lizard hunting, although he never did catch one.
During our week’s stay, we enjoyed sitting and fishing on the community dock and chatting with our neighbors. Kathy, our host, is such an amazing woman. You can tell she takes great pride in running her cottages. She even made a point to let us all know that there was a live, wild manatee show right off the dock. The fish frequently jumped around the harbor, but never on our fishing poles. Haha! Luckily, my step-dad Ed took a charter boat to catch some Gray Snapper.
We tend to take dog-friendly day trips while vacationing, and our location was perfect for this. John’s Pass Village’s restaurants, shops, sailing and boat rentals, charter fishing and jet skis were only two blocks away, an easy walk for our family. Changing Tides is 20 minutes from St. Petersburg or Clearwater, 30 minutes from Tampa and 90 minutes from Orlando. After our day trip, we would retreat back to the beautiful property and enjoy the evening on our patio or dock.
Kathy has gone all out to ensure guests have the best stay at her property. The grounds were always maintained, and if we ever needed anything she was always accessible, as was the handyman. This is a perfect location for couples, families, and most importantly, dogs! I highly recommend Changing Tides if you are looking for a relaxing, dog-friendly cottage in Madeira Beach, Florida. If you stay, please say give Eli a scratch, and Kathy’s dog Ace a pat.
Have you visited Florida? Did your dog get to go? Let me know in the comments.
Looks like a beautiful place. I like hearing about pet friendly places, because I get really annoyed when pets aren’t allowed. A few weeks ago I was out with my 2 small dogs in a stroller, and asked if I could bring them into this particular store. They didn’t sell food so I was shocked when they said no. Seriously!
It was such a wonderful trip. We are hoping to return. Unfortunately, a lot of dog folks aren’t responsible and ruin it for those of us who are. :\
Sounds like an awesome trip! Beautiful place. I’m actually looking for a place just like this on the East coast of Florida in the next month or two. This is really great, thanks for sharing.
Love & biscuits
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Sure thing. I hope you have a great dog-friendly trip.
That looks lovely! I love when places really cater to dogs. It’s nice they’re encouraged to be off-leash.
It really is an amazing spot. Everything about Changing Tides was the best!
I love hearing about hotels etc opening their doors to dogs as it makes our holidays so much easier plus more fun sharing them with our fur babies, thanks for this post
Sure thing. Yes, vacations and holidays really need to include our dogs too. 🙂
I love the idea of taking a pet-friendly vacation with adventures that revolve around what you dog would like.
It’s the best way to vacation! I see parts of an area I would have never found otherwise. 🙂
How absolutely fun! We love visiting dog-friendly places – and some of our family lives in the Keys, so we’ll be wandering through FLA soon enough! Thanks for sharing all your finds – and sorry you didn’t catch any fish off the pier….but it did look like everyone enjoyed the fish from the chartered outing!
Thanks, Rebecca. To be honest, we didn’t fish a lot off the pier, so maybe if we get to go back we’ll spend more time. 🙂 Have fun on your trip!
What a beautiful place – it looks like a lovely holiday destination for pets too.
Thanks. It was such an amazing spot. A little piece of heaven.
It’s amazing how many places don’t allow pets. They are losing such a huge share of the market. Serves them right, though. Pets are family.
Thanks. Luckily this wonderful place was very dog-friendly. 😉
A family vacation isn’t a vacation unless the entire family gets to go! I grew up in Florida and there are many things I don’t miss but you managed to mention a few of things I do! I love Florida wildlife! It sounds like you guys had a great time 🙂
Thanks, Amber. I’m glad I was able to touch on some fond memories. 🙂
This sounds like it was a great trip! Such a beautiful location. It is great that they allow dogs to join their owners! Dexter must have enjoyed himself. I have been to Florida many times. My family lives in the Fort Meyer area. 🙂
Thanks. Dexter always seems to find joy in everything he does. We had family in Fort Meyers years ago.
Mom has never been there, but it looks very pretty. We’re glad the area is pet friendly.
Thanks, Lola. It was such a lovely place. The town, the dog-friendly accommodations, a perfect vacation.
What a gorgeous place for a vacation! I’ve bookmarked the Changing Tides and hope we can stay there sometime. How fun to be able to vacation with Dexter, too. Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful! I can’t recommend Changing Tides enough, even if you don’t have a dog. But, MUST LOVE DOGS to really get the full experience. 🙂
We didn’t have much luck with dog friendly beaches there. There were two BEAUTIFUL options in the area (and we had to pay entry).Thanks for sharing your experiences.
We found that Pass-a-grille beach & Gulfport allowed dogs on a portion of the beach. Another spot too, but it’s slipping my mind and it was really dog-friendly. Ugh
I would love to visit Florida with my dogs! My parents recently moved to Naples have told me about how dog friendly it is down there.
Just do it! 🙂 Perfect excuse having family.
I’ve been to Florida many times to stay with relatives, but their house was not dog friendly. Changing Tides sounds like a great place to visit.
Maybe visiting the family but staying somewhere else is the way to go. 🙂 Check it out!
One of our fictional detective books is set in Siesta Key, near Sarasota FL. (Dixie Hemingway) and this is one place we have always wished we could visit. We DID see it, sort of, as you can drive down Midnightpass Road using Google maps – craxy huh?
Hahaha I always use Google maps prior to booking a stay. It helps a lot.
Looks like you had a fantastic stay. I like reading about pet friendly places to stay. Loved the picture where she is looking at you cleaning the fish you caught. I am suprised she didnt try chasing the lizards – good thing that!!
Dexter loves fishing! When someone catches one, he gets a bit excited. He would have chased lizards all day if I let him. hahaha
I’m a little jealous of this wonderful trip.
🙂 Thank you.
What a fab trip! I wish there were more pet friendly spots around here!
Thanks, Jenna. I do a lot of digging before trips. 🙂
Yay! We love hearing about places that are #dogfriendly and it sounds like you hit the jackpot on your trip! We’ll most certainly keep this location in mind if we find ourselves in Florida for a vacation in the future. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks, Bryn. Yes, Changing Tides was a true gem. A must stay for dog families.
Looks beautiful and it’s great that there are some hotels that let your furry friends come in with you! 🙂 I’ve once been in Florida and it was an amazing experience. I don’t own a pet at them moment so I don’t know if they let those in or not.
Thanks, Nora. The Changing Tides was amazing. So was Florida! We had such a great trip.
I wonder if the beach was named the actual island of Madeira? That is where my parents are from, it looks like you and Dexter had a beautiful time x x
We had such a great time. I’m counting the days until our next beach adventure. New beach, same coast.
How lovely and relaxing does this look. I love that they cater to families with dogs and encourage them to run freely off the leash.
The Changing Tides is just one of the best spots for dog folks. Sitting on our porch watching lizards and hearing the water, the best!
Oh wow! I actually was born and raised here! It definitely is dog friendly! There’s a restaurant on Madeira beach called Sweet Sage and you can bring your dogs to breakfast with you. I think they even have special doggy breakfasts haha
YES! Small world. I wrote a review. We ate there 3+ times. It was our favorite place. https://raisingyourpetsnaturally.com/sweet-sage-cafe-and-boutique-review
Good for you for taking some time to play. There’s no better place than Florida. We love to take our dogs with us everywhere we go .. and sometimes it can be a real challenge to find pet friendly hotels. It’s so nice to hear from other people where they can travel and bring their furry ones along for the fun!
Thanks, Ali. Changing Tides was such a great dog-friendly accommodation. The owners, staff and other guests were so friendly. A real treat.
This place looks amazing! I would love to visit Florida someday. It’s difficult to find a pet-friendly place for vacation, so this sounds great. Lizards are definitely a plus for Dexter, haha. I don’t think he cares for the view much. 🙂
hahaha It can be a challenge to find a dog-friendly accommodation. Changing Tides was amazing and welcoming. Yes, all Dexter cared about was the lizards. Goofball.
this looks amazing! where I live it is almost impossible to find places that allow animals for holidays so this sounds ideal!
Thanks, Jade. The Changing Tides is one of my favorite places! We will be back for two weeks next year!