Pet-Friendly Family Hotels in Ostend

Ostend works for a family with a dog because the town is built around space: a long promenade, a wide sandy beach and a compact centre that is easy to walk. The three hotels on this list all accept pets, and each also has something for the children or the parents, from a pool and playground at C-Hotels Andromeda to an indoor play area at Upstairs Hotel and a sauna and spa bath at The Ostendian. Two of the three are on the beachfront, which makes the early and late walks with the dog much easier.

Location is the first thing to weigh with a dog, and two of these hotels have the best possible one. Upstairs Hotel offers beachfront access and a terrace with sea views, just steps from Oostende Beach, and its rooms have balconies. C-Hotels Andromeda, a four-star rated 9.0, also stands on the beachfront, with rooms that can have sea views or private terraces. For a family, this means the first walk of the day and the last one before bed can happen on the promenade, without crossing the town with a lead in one hand and a child in the other.

Children are not forgotten in favour of the dog. C-Hotels Andromeda gives guests free access to a 110-square-metre swimming pool, a spa bath and a fitness area, and adds a playground, a game room and family suites, the most complete offer of the three. Upstairs Hotel, rated 8.9 from almost 4,000 reviews, has a games room, an indoor play area and tennis facilities, which helps on the windy days that the North Sea coast knows well. Either way, one adult can take the dog out while the other stays with the children at the hotel.

The Ostendian is the third option, and the one I would pick for a family that wants to explore beyond the beach. This four-star, rated 9.2, the highest score of the three, offers family rooms with balconies and city views, air-conditioning, a sun terrace, a bar, a sauna and a spa bath. Its bike rental is the real advantage: Ostend and the coast around it are flat, and cycling along the shore is one of the easiest ways for a family to get around, with the dog walking alongside on quieter stretches.

A few practical points shape a stay with a pet in Ostend. Belgian coastal towns, Ostend included, limit where dogs may go on the beach during the summer season, so the promenade and the beach zones open to dogs matter more than the hotel alone. Outside the main summer weeks, the beach is easier to share with a dog. I would also tell the hotel about the dog when booking, since all three accept pets but none publishes its exact conditions in the information I have. A room with a balcony or a terrace, which all three hotels offer, also gives the dog a little outdoor space.