Medusa Hotel

Medusa Hotel is a boutique hotel on the Darlinghurst side of Sydney's east, a row of restored terraces wrapped around a central courtyard. It welcomes dogs overnight, which is rare for this part of the city, but the offer is specific: dogs stay in the Courtyard Cove rooms and nowhere else, so the booking you make decides whether your dog comes along.

Dogs at the Medusa

The FAQ is clear on the essentials. Dogs are welcome and cats are not accepted. Dog-friendly stays are set aside in the Courtyard Cove rooms specifically, and the hotel asks for prior notice so a pet-friendly room can be arranged, which effectively means calling or emailing ahead rather than just booking online. The published FAQ does not spell out a weight limit or a set fee, and a 2025 guest review notes a large English Setter stayed comfortably, but confirm any size limit and current charges directly when you book. The courtyard gives dogs a patch of ground on site, and the small scale of the hotel means quiet dogs have an easy time of it.

The neighbourhood

The position is the other half of the pitch. Darlinghurst and Potts Point sit within a short walk, with footpath dining along Victoria Street and the Macleay Street strip. Fitzroy Gardens at Potts Point is an on-leash-only urban pocket around the El Alamein Fountain, good for a shaded stroll rather than a run. For a proper off-leash window, Beare Park on the Elizabeth Bay waterfront permits dogs off lead before 9am and after 4pm, so an early morning or evening walk fits the tide of city life. Paddington's fenced dog park is a short drive if your dog needs to burn energy without a lead.

Close by with the dogs

In the same suburb, Chapter E is the local coffee stop and Rosebank Park is a small green for a leg stretch. Over the border in Paddington, the Neal Macrossan fenced dog park is the secure-run option.

More options are on the New South Wales pet friendly stays guide and the Darlinghurst destination page.