Thank you all so much for sharing in our excitement over Leslie and Ross’ engagement! Our family is obviously thrilled about their upcoming wedding and we loved reading your kind comments and well wishes. Thank you!
Dog Friendly Florida Beach Weekend
On Saturday, Ryan and I said goodbye to my family in Jacksonville and drove a little more than an hour south to kick off our own little beach weekend!
A little while ago, a blog reader reached out to me when I briefly blogged about Ponce Inlet dog beach. Amy, the tourism and marketing manager for Flagler County Chamber of Commerce & Affiliates, emailed me to tell me all about the Palm Coast and the fun, dog-friendly activities, restaurants and lodging in the area.
As you guys obviously know, Ryan and I are basically obsessed with Sadie and love to go on adventures with her whenever possible. A trip to dog-friendly Flagler Beach immediately went on our summer “must do” list!
Early Saturday afternoon, Ryan and I checked into Si Como No Inn, a family owned and operated quirky beach inn located right across the street from Beverly Beach.
Amy was kind enough to organize a complimentary one-night stay at the dog friendly inn for us and Sadie immediately felt at home!
I had such a nice time chatting with the owner of the inn who clearly loves living in Flagler County. She gave us tons of suggestions for dog-friendly restaurants and activities.
We wasted no time changing into our bathing suits, leashing up Sadie and grabbing some of the boogie boards that the inn has available for guests to use before heading across the street to the beach.
Beautiful cinnamon-colored sand!
We set up our chairs and read on the beach until it was playtime!
Ryan ran back to the inn to grab a surf board, determined to get Sadie to surf for the first time in her life!
After a few practice runs on the sand, they were ready to conquer the waves!
Sadie’s enthusiasm was absolutely adorable. She’s a water dog through and through!
Ryan tried to help her up onto the board but despite their best efforts, Sadie isn’t going to be a pro doggie surfer anytime in the foreseeable future.
At least they had fun!
Once Sadie was back on shore with me, we watched Ryan have fun with the surf board and the boogie board before it was my turn to hit the waves!
I love boogie boarding and if the waves are good enough, I could spend hours playing around in the ocean. It’s a blast!
Whenever Ryan or I are in the ocean and Sadie is on shore, she gets a little stressed out. She wants to be in the water at all times, but watching Sadie while also trying to catch some waves isn’t really feasible so she’s stuck with one of us on the beach while the other person plays in the ocean.
Doesn’t she look thrilled?
Once we were back on shore together, Sadie was much happier and enjoyed playing around in the sun and surf!
After our day on the beach, we worked up quite an appetite and walked back to our room to shower and get ready for dinner.
Dinner at Johnny D’s
Johnny D’s Beach Bar and Grill came highly recommended by both Amy and the owner of Si Como No Inn and since the outdoor restaurant was dog friendly, Sadie got to come along!
Sadie clearly wasted no time making herself right at home.
Her table manners could use some work.
But I love her anyway.
Once our waitress came to take our order, we made Sadie hang out in the grass beside our table. (Our waitress was kind enough to bring her a bowl of water!)
After reading reviews on Trip Advisor, Ryan and I knew that the pizza at Johnny D’s was a local favorite, so we ordered a pizza topped with olives, onion, garlic and Italian sausage to share.
We also shared a bowl of chili and a big chef’s salad.
Everything was delicious and we drove back to the inn feeling full and happy!
Before calling it a night, we made sure to take advantage of some of the yard games that were available for guests to use.
There were also tiki huts, grills and fire pits for bonfires on property that guests could use and Ryan and I agreed that a trip to the inn with a group of our friends would be so fun. Coming in from a day at the beach to sip drinks and grill outside by the tiki hut would be a blast!
Eventually our day in the sun caught up to us and we retreated to our room to sleep!
Kayaking and Stand Up Paddle Boarding
We didn’t sleep for too long and were up around 7:30 a.m. to take advantage of the kayaks and stand up paddle boards on site before the heat of the day set in.
We figured Sadie might be able to be still enough to come on a kayaking adventure with us, so I hopped in and Sadie jumped in with me before Ryan pushed us off the shore and started paddling.
Sadie served as our little captain and stayed at the front of the kayak, scoping out the little crabs on the beach. We tried to head out into more open waters, but the tide wasn’t high enough for our kayak to make it through, so we turned around and headed back.
Since we know Sadie well enough to know that she wouldn’t last one minute on a standup paddle board, we dropped her back off at our room before giving the paddle boards a go.
They were so much fun! I like stand up paddle boarding about 10 times more than kayaking. They require balance but not nearly as much balance as I anticipated and Ryan and I had a great time paddling out into the deeper waters where we saw manatees!!! It was so, so cool. We also saw a small gator, crabs and fish.
Ryan, Sadie and I all had a fabulous time during our fun, dog friendly beach weekend!
Questions of the Morning
- Do you ever travel with your pet?
- Any recommendations for fun pet friendly hotels or restaurants?
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Love seeing all of these dog-friendly recommendations! Sadie looks so cute at the table. Funny story: this morning and all last night, my dog (black lab) was laying on my pillow and pawing me. He was totally up in my personal space – reminded me of Sadie 😉
Yes, we absolutely do travel with our pet. Lots of times it’s just to friends houses that also have dogs. However, we’ve stayed at a few dog-friendly hotels. My tip would be to find any hotel you want and then check to see if it allows dogs. We’re always surprised with how many hotels allow dogs around here.
Sadie looks so tiny compared to Ryan in some of the pics! Sounds like an amazing little trip!
Whenever people meet her for the first time after only seeing her on the blog, they always comment on how tiny she is in person! 🙂 She’s only 38 pounds!
looks SO fun!! we don’t travel with zoey… we leave her with my in-laws who have another dog + her brother. traveling with zoey actually would stress me out.. she’s can only be on a leash so the thought of her getting out without one scares me! looks like sadie had lots of fun at the beach though 🙂 hehe
I love how you mentioned that Sadie’s table manners need work….Our Vizsla LOVES sitting at the dinner table with us and when we have company over they just laugh at how human like she is!
It always makes me smile just how alike all vizslas seem to be! 😀
Sadie looks like she’s having a blast! What a fun getaway for your little family of three! 😉 I’ve always wanted to try paddleboarding….looks like fun.
We have a cat and we never travel with her. Cats need time to feel the hotel as home. I remember moving to a new apartment was nightmair she is somewhere hidden and ready to fight and bite if you try to bring her out!
Awww! Sadie is a little surfer doggie! She looked like she had a lot of fun! I love it when you take pictures of your pets and it really looks like are smiling 🙂 I’ve been wanting to try stand up paddle boarding for a while, it’s a great workout!
Awww Sadie looks like she’s having the time of her life! She must have been excited to get to go on a trip with you guys :). Her table manners are a bit rusty haha! So cute!
This is awesome. I have 4 dogs so it’s very hard to travel with them…I think if we went somewhere within driving distance that is this pet friendly it would be doable and fun!
Oh so much fun! I kayaked and paddle boarded last year for the first time and LOVED it! And I was surprised too, because I thought I wouldn’t have the balance to be able to stand up on the paddle board but it’s really not that difficult. Glad you all had a great mini-trip 🙂
This looks so fun! I’d love to go on a pet friendly vaca like this! It’s hard to travel without her.
This looks like an amazing little vaca 🙂 We have never traveled with our pet but now I sure want to!
Sadie is so adorable! I absolutely love how Florida is so dog friendly. The first time I saw a dog in a bar I was seriously confused, but within minutes you better believe I was over on the floor petting it and playing with it all afternoon. PS congratulations to Leslie and Ross! I forgot to comment on the proposal post but they are a gorgeous couple and thank you for sharing their story!
That looks so fun! Looks like Sadie had a blast with her parents!
Looks like it was a great weekend…Sadie DOES look like she’s pouting in that one pic on the beach! She was upset she couldn’t play with both of you in the water! So so cute!!
Sadie is just adorable! Now whenever I see a Vizsla I assume it’ll be just as friendly and hilarious as Sadie. 🙂
OMG, so fun!! Our Vizsla is a little water bug too! I love it!
What a fun doggie friendly weekend. I love taking Sasha, my 10 pound mini doxie, with me whenever I can. Dogs are the best companions. Sadie looked like she had a GREAT time!
I am so jealous of this mini vacation! I wish we had a place close by with dog friendly beaches! My dog loves the water and loves being with his mom and dad so he would just have the best time! Sadie’s face in those pictures reads this is the best weekend of my life! Oh and I love stand up paddle boarding!
Sadie’s expression in the picture of you and her on the beach is SO great. Looks like our pup every time we leave her in a gated room so that we can go get things accomplished. 😛 Sounds like a fantastic weekend–I’d love to be able to travel with our pup when she gets older!
what an awesome weekend! I LOVE Flagler! We stayed at The White Orchid bed and breakfast for 3 days last year for our anniversary. It was pretty much perfect and I am dying to go back. We ran/walked past Johnny D’s, but didn’t eat there. I’ll definitely have to give them a try next time! Thanks for sharing Julie 🙂
How fun! I absolutely love that picture of Sadie sitting in your lap at the table. She obviously loves her momma! 😉
I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sadie is clearly human. 🙂
We’re currently on a cross country road trip with our bulldog, Tortuga, and have loved staying at La Quinta Inns. They’re all 100% pet friendly with no extra pet fee (which can often make “pet friendly” turn into “not-so-wallet-friendly”!) They also have free continental breakfasts!
It looks like a fabulous weekend, but I’m actually terrified on your behalf…Gators? Manatees? Ahhh! Sea life freaks me out for some reason. I don’t mind seeing dolphins and little fish, but anything else needs to be far, far away for me to enjoy it.
How fun! QUESTION, your pictures look great! What kind of Camera were you using? I have an Canon S95… but my pictures come out tinted red… It bugs me, so I don’t really use it! If you have the same Camera, what setting were you on? Love all the fun pictures of you and Sadie 🙂
I took most of the pics (with the exception of the kayaking and paddle boarding pics) with my Nikon D3000. I typically use the action mode for Sadie pics! The kayaking and paddle boarding pics were taken with my Canon s90! 🙂
We love traveling with our dogs! Colorado as a whole is super dog friendly! We couldn’t believe it when we moved here. Almost every apartment complex is dog-friendly! I wish I could take my dogs to the beach like that though — I don’t trust either of them off-leash!
Looks like a great trip! I’ve never been to the Flagler beaches–growing up closer to the Gulf Coast, I tend to prefer the Gulf to the Atlantic side of the state, but Flagler looks great! I might need to venture to the other side of Florida!
That looks like so much fun!! I love boogie boarding and have always wanted to kayak and paddle board. I want to paddle board more than kayak lol. Always bring the dog, but this year she can’t go with my family, due to old age and bad hips, so I’m staying back with her 🙂 I hope one day when I have a dog of my own to bring it everywhere I go to adventure 🙂 I know that Oregon has a chain of animal friendly hotels through it, and I can’t remember the name for the life of me :/
Wow sounds like a great time!! I wish more places were dog friendly around here – but unfortunatly our city seems to really not be friendly when it comes to dogs!
Oh my goodness, how FUN! Our dogs would be in heaven on a trip like this…as would my husband and me.
That beach looks gorgeous! Ps. Cute swimsuit- where’s it from?
Thank you, Joelle! It’s French Connection but I got it on RueLaLa.
sadie is just absolutely adorable! she looks like she had a blast! i would love to take my dogs (a dachshund and a terrier/lab mix puppy) on a puppy-friendly vacation. 🙂
We are planning on taking our dog with us to a bed and breakfast for the labor day weekend! The B&B has little cottages for the guests so it’s not the standard share a big house type of situation. Plus they only charge you $10 a night extra for the pup! We are going out in the mountains in Virginia so Sasha is going to have a blasts hiking and hanging out in all the greenery!
Cottages sound fun! What is the name of the place? We live in MD and are always trying to find dog friendly places close by.
It is called “The Country Bumpkins Bed and Breakfast” here is the link: http://thecountrybumpkins.net/
Looks like you guys had a blast! Where did you get your swimsuit from…it’s cute!
Thanks! It’s French Connection.
I WISH so badly that there were more dog-friendly attractions near us. We have a gorgeous river valley, but that’s pretty much it. I love the idea that people went out of their way to build and design something for animals to enjoy.
Those pictures of Sadie surfing are the CUTEST thing ever!! My Sadie would have probably been terrified ;).
I think it’s great that they have dog friendly hotels, so then you don’t have to leave your pet at home. Sadie looks like she had a blast, and I’m sure she was super excited to join in on the fun! 😉
we travel with Roxy to our vacation house in Vero Beach FL (from Rhode Island….it’s a long trip!). We’ve never brought her on a plane, so we drive every time, however she loves the car so that’s not an issue. It is always hard to find a pet friendly hotel along the way to stay overnight! I know a lot of people don’t like having animals around, but I am such an animal person I don’t understand why they can’t be allowed in restaurants, stores, hotels, etc…
I know you understand how hard it is to leave your “baby” behind! All they want to do is come along for the fun! =)
Looks like a great weekend… I want to try paddle boarding sooo badly! Looks like a blast (and a fun workout)
Aw Sadie got her own little doggy vacay! When my grandparents had a beach house in Cape Hatteras we used to take our dog down there and she loved it! I know Residence Inns are all pet-friendly and they’re everywhere.
That looks like such a fun getaway! We don’t have a pet, but good to know for the future 🙂
I’ve been a ting to give stand up paddle boarding a try. Can’t believe all the animals you guys saw!
And a late congrats to your sister! I knew this would be coming at some point on the blog 🙂
This looks incredible! I love bringing my Golden, Tucker places, and this would be RIGHT up his alley! Stand up paddle Boarding is a new favorite of mine as well. Very fun and a nice little workout while you’re out there 😉
We live on Cape Cod and they are not so dog friendly. Recently, many of the restaurants have made outdoor seating options so you can bring a dog. Hey- I’ll take it!
The picture of you and Sadie on the beach is absolutely HILARIOUS! You can tell all she wanted to do was hop right back into the water!
I haven’t traveled with my dog yet but I’d like to. He is a ball of energy and would have fun.
I just love the expressions Sadie makes! Lol she is adorable.
I love the pictures of Sadie surfing, how cool! The trip sounds awesome. I would love more dog friendly beaches on LI. There is hardly any!
I’ve never commented before, but I just wanted to let you know that you’re my favorite blog to read! I especially love Sadie posts. I was having a really crappy morning, but seeing Sadie smiling (I’m a firm believer that even dogs smile) and having a great time with you guys turned my whole day around! Love her!
Austin, TX is a great dog friendly city! If you guys ever decide to take a road trip, many many restaurants have patios for the dogs, with water bowls and treats!
We travel with our Husky’s all the time! NC has a lot of per friendly beaches, The Outer Banks, Emerald Isle and Topsail Beach to name a few. You can 4 wheel drive out to Ft Fisher on Carolina Beach and take your dog too!
I’m glad you both we able to have fun with Sadie. I find taking pets along for activities is fun since you get to bond even more. It’s like all of us readers get to live vicariously through you and your posts 🙂
You’re so lucky to have such a cute dog!