A dog-friendly hotel in Shanklin: what to expect when you bring your dog to The Fig Tree

By Karen Cormack

If you have searched for dog friendly hotels on the Isle of Wight, you will have found plenty of lists. What they rarely tell you is what a stay is actually like: which rooms you can have, where your dog is welcome inside, how far it is to the sand, and what happens at breakfast. So here is the honest version, from the two of us who run the place.

The Fig Tree is a dog friendly hotel on the Isle of Wight: a 23-room boutique hotel on Queen’s Road in Shanklin, a few minutes above the beach. My sister Wendy and I run it, and we have always taken the view that a dog is part of the family that books the room. Our tagline is “Arrive as guests, leave as friends”, and we mean the four-legged ones too.

Which rooms can dogs stay in?

Small, well-behaved dogs are welcome in selected rooms, at £30 per pet per stay. It is one charge for the whole visit, not a nightly fee, and it covers the extra cleaning we do after a dog has stayed.

Because it is a set of rooms rather than the whole hotel, the single most useful thing you can do is tell us about your dog when you book. Say how many dogs are coming and roughly how big they are, and we will put you in a room that suits. That way we are not guessing, and we can tell you straight away what is free for your dates.

Every room has an ensuite shower room, tea and coffee facilities, a flat-screen television, a safe, a hairdryer, an iron and ironing board, and free high-speed Wi-Fi throughout. Our suites have private balconies and sea views. The larger rooms and balcony suites sleep up to three people, which is handy if you are a family travelling with a dog.

Where is your dog welcome inside the hotel?

This is the question we are asked most, and it is where hotels differ the most. Some let dogs in the bedroom and nowhere else, others open the whole ground floor. Rather than give you a vague answer, we would rather give you ours in person: tell us you are bringing a dog when you book, or ring us before you do, and we will tell you exactly which parts of the hotel your dog can join you in. Then you know before you set off, and there are no awkward moments in a doorway.

Whatever the answer, we ask that dogs are kept on a lead in the corridors and on the stairs, and that you use the lift with them rather than letting them run ahead. The lift serves every floor and the building is step-free from the front door, so an older dog with stiff hips does not need to manage stairs at all.

How far is the beach?

About five minutes on foot. You leave the hotel, head downhill, and you are on the Esplanade with the sand in front of you. In the early morning, before the deckchairs come out, it is one of the best places on the island to let a dog stretch out.

Shanklin beach does have seasonal rules about where dogs can go during the summer, and they are enforced. We would rather not print dates that might have changed by the time you read this, so ask us when you book and we will tell you the current position and point you to the nearest stretch of sand that is open to dogs year round. The Isle of Wight Council publishes the current notice, and the signs at the top of the beach carry it too, so you can check for yourself on the day.

Where are the best walks from the front door?

Shanklin is a dog friendly town in the practical sense: you do not need the car for a full day of walking.

• Shanklin Chine is a wooded gorge running from the Old Village down to the beach, with a stream, ferns and a path that stays cool on a hot afternoon. Ask us before you set off, or check with the Chine directly, for the current position on dogs and the entry charge.
• The Old Village is thatched cottages, a couple of pubs with outside tables, and the start of several footpaths inland.
• The coastal path runs in both directions. North takes you along the cliff top to Sandown; south climbs towards Luccombe and, if you have the legs, on to Ventnor.
• The downs behind the town are open chalk grassland with long views over the bay, and they are the ground our Vectis Revealed walking weekend climbs. There are sheep in places, so leads on where the signs ask.

Come back muddy. Ask us on the day and we will sort out somewhere to rinse a wet dog down and something to dry them with, because we would far rather do that than have you worrying about the carpet.

Can your dog join you for breakfast?

Breakfast is served from 8am to 10am in the restaurant and is included in all our room rates, so there is nothing extra to pay for it. Tell us you are bringing a dog and we will let you know how breakfast will work for the two of you, so nobody is left hovering at the door wondering.

We do not serve dinner. Breakfast is the only meal we cook, and for the evening you have Shanklin Old Village and the seafront, which between them hold more restaurants and pubs than a town this size has any right to, a good number of them dog-friendly. Ask at reception and we will tell you which ones on the day, because policies change and we would rather you did not walk to a table you cannot sit at.

What should you bring?

Pack for your dog the way you would pack for a child.

• Their own bed or a blanket that smells of home. It settles most dogs in a strange room faster than anything else.
• Food, a bowl for water, and their usual treats.
• A towel for wet walks, and a spare lead.
• Poo bags. There are bins along the Esplanade and in the town.
• Any medication, plus your vet’s number.
• A tick remover. The downs and the Chine are lovely and they are also tick country in summer.

Do ask what we already put in the room for dogs when you book, and you can leave at home anything we have covered.

Our house rules for dogs

We keep these short because most of them are simply what a considerate owner would do anyway.

• Dogs should not be left alone in the room. A dog in a strange building, hearing strange footsteps, will usually bark, and that is unfair on the dog and on the guest next door. If you think you will need to slip out at some point, talk to us first and we will help you work something out.
• Beds and soft furnishings: ask us at check-in and we will tell you where your dog can settle and where we would rather they did not.
• Leads on in all shared areas.
• Clean up in the garden and on the paths around the hotel.
• If your dog damages anything, tell us. We will be reasonable about it, and it is far easier to sort out on the day than after you have gone home.

Getting here with a dog

Travelling to the Isle of Wight with dogs is easier than people expect. Three crossings serve us, and all of them carry dogs.

• Red Funnel, Southampton to East Cowes: 60 minutes by car ferry, 23 minutes on the Red Jet on foot, then about 35 minutes to Shanklin.
• Wightlink, Portsmouth to Fishbourne: 45 minutes, about 22 sailings daily, then about 25 minutes to us.
• Wightlink, Lymington to Yarmouth: 40 minutes through the New Forest, then about 40 minutes across the island.

Book direct with us and we can arrange a discounted crossing on any of them. Each operator sets its own rules about where your dog travels on board, so check when you book, or ask us and we will help you find out.

Once you arrive, we have fifteen free parking spaces, so there is no circling the streets with a dog panting in the back. The nearest public EV charging point is on Queen’s Road, a short walk from the door. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 11am, and if you are landing earlier we can hold your luggage while you take the dog straight down to the beach. Our frequently asked questions cover the rest of the practicalities.

How to book a dog-friendly room

Book direct and add a note about your dog, or telephone 01983 241 010 and speak to one of us. You can also email [email protected]. Booking direct gets you the best rate, the ferry discount, and the certainty that you have dog friendly accommodation on the Isle of Wight rather than hoping a third-party site passed the message on.

If you are buying a break for someone who never goes anywhere without their dog, we sell gift vouchers too.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to bring a dog to The Fig Tree? £30 per pet per stay, however many nights you are with us. It is added to your room bill.

Are all your rooms dog-friendly? No. Dogs are welcome in selected rooms only, so please tell us about your dog when you book and we will allocate one of those rooms. Ring or email us and we will tell you what is free for your dates.

Can I take my dog on Shanklin beach? Yes, though there are seasonal restrictions on parts of the beach during the summer months. Ask us, or check the council’s current notice, and we will point you to the nearest dog-friendly stretch.

Can I leave my dog in the room while I go out for dinner? We ask that dogs are not left alone in the room. If your evening plans make that difficult, speak to us and we will help you work something out.

Is breakfast included, and do you serve dinner? Breakfast is included in all our room rates and served from 8am to 10am. We do not serve dinner, so evenings are in Shanklin Old Village or along the seafront, where plenty of places welcome dogs.

Is the hotel suitable for an older dog? Yes. There is a lift to every floor and the building is step-free from the entrance, so an elderly dog can avoid stairs entirely.

Are there dog-friendly pubs and restaurants nearby? Several, in the Old Village and along the seafront. We keep a current list at reception, because policies change and we would rather give you today’s answer than last year’s.