Sandpiper Cottages

Sandpiper Cottages is a row of self contained beachfront cottages on the Tasman Highway at Douglas River, a small coastal settlement on Tasmania's east coast between Bicheno and St Helens. This is a beach holiday place rather than a road-trip stopover: guests book for the direct beach access, the secluded stretch of sand below the cottages and the sound of the surf. The feedback keeps circling the same themes, comfy beds, clean cabins, cosy interiors and a welcome basket waiting on arrival.

Dogs at the cottages

Per the cottages' own website, this is a proudly pet friendly property: the owners state they just love dogs and welcome well behaved dogs on holidays, and there is a dedicated doggy stuff page on the site covering the practicalities for guests. Two resident Border Collies live on the property, so your dog will have company at the fence line if not a playmate. Because the policy comes straight from the venue rather than a booking platform, it is one of the more reliable pet welcomes on this stretch of coast.

The practical limits are worth knowing before you book. Dogs stay on a lead outdoors, since the grounds open toward the bush and the highway, and house rules ask that dogs stay off the furniture and beds. The per-stay pet cap is two dogs, so multi-dog households should confirm arrangements with the hosts early.

While you're out there

The beach at your doorstep is the main event and it is largely yours: Douglas River sits between the busier hubs, so you can walk the sand and the river mouth without crossing another pack of holidaymakers. Regulars time their walks to the tide, when the wet sand near the rocky outcrops stretches out flat and open for a proper run. Just south of the property, the Denison Rivulet meets the sea and wildlife moves through at dusk, so keep the lead short around sunset.

For day trips, St Helens and Georges Bay are north up the highway, with the Paddy's Island off lead dog beach on the bay's edge and the Georges Bay multi user track for an easy on-lead walk. Southbound, Bicheno has its own penguin parade and boat ramp antics.

If the cottages are booked out, the published Penguin Beachfront Apartments on the north west coast give you the same beachfront self contained formula in a different town, and the full list of dog friendly stays in Tasmania covers the rest of the east coast.