Those who like high-end travel and love their pets, have a hard time separating the two. Unfortunately, many upscale accommodations won’t allow dogs. Anyone who’s tried to find a truly dog-friendly (not merely dog-tolerant) hotel realizes that in major cities throughout the U.S., the dog-friendly options aren’t abundant. However, if you look hard enough, there are more than a few nice hotels that are not only accommodating to your pet, but go the distance to offer special amenities and services for them, as up-to-par as those offered for their human counterparts. Below, five of the best:

Loews Regency Hotel
New York
212.759.4100
This Park Avenue hotel, on New York’s Upper East Side, is stately on the outside – and inside, for that matter – but it’s also got a friendly vibe, evidenced by the fact that it not only accepts, but happily embraces, your canine companions. At your request, a designer pet bed will be installed in your room, and there’s also a culinarily-sophisticated pet menu including entrees like Bow Wow Beef Tenderloin– a mixture of beef with eggs, rice and seasonings. (There’s also a salmon equivalent for cats.) Nice to know that dogs can indulge in not just a little luxury, but a little celeb elbow-rubbing too – reportedly, Elton John’s pet cocker spaniel Arthur has his own room here when the singer is on his New York appointments.

Ten Thousand Waves
Santa Fe, NM
505.992.5025
There are plenty of ethereal spa lodgings in Santa Fe, but at many of them, their earthily glazed smiles will turn into horrified glares if they see your Australian Shepherd hop out of your rental car. At Ten Thousand Waves, they provide dog beds and colorful food bowls, have some rooms with “dog-proof” courtyards so your pet can run and jump around, and pets, while not allowed in communal baths at the spa, are allowed in the spa’s private baths so you and your pet can have bath time bonding.

Hotel Palomar
San Francisco, CA
415.348.1111
This luxurious San Francisco boutique hotel is known for being very helpful to its guests, and extra-friendly to dogs. Case in point: its “Woof for Wellness” Pet Package, which includes a pail filled with sprays and potions with natural botanicals to help your dog stay calm and relaxed; a tin of turkey sausage and romano cheese biscuits; and a leopard-print dog bed for their stay. And optional in-room pet massages ensure that this is the Bay Area stay for those obsessed with their dogs.

Aqua Hotel
Miami, FL
305.538.4361
This light, bright and airy Miami Beach boutique hotel is also one of the area’s only truly pet-friendly hotels. Your Whippet might be escorted away from the Delano, but he will be happy here with an awesome welcome basket featuring, among other things, bottled water and a chew toy that he can bring back to one of the local dog parks. The front desk makes a point to be well-versed in all the area dog parks and will pick one that’s most suitable to your dog’s personality.

The Ritz-Carlton
Marina del Rey, CA
310.823.1700
This gorgeous waterside Ritz is in a class by itself in the area– from its waterfront pool and spa, to the goose-down comforters, marble bathrooms, and classic/modern architectural mix in the large rooms. The Five Diamond property could probably get by with a no-pets policy, but they banish any expected snootiness by welcoming pets. Here, they take it to one of the highest levels of service. The concierge recommends waterfront walking trails suitable for you and your pet, and the hotel will plan an afternoon of human-pet bonding for you, even giving you take-along human and dog food to make a little picnic outdoors.

~Stephen Milioti