Reign Inn Newcastle

Reign Inn Newcastle is a budget motel at 309 Maitland Road in Mayfield West, straight up the main road from the city, and it has quietly become one of the more reliable dog stops in inner Newcastle. The pet policy is defined rather than vague: a small set of rooms is set aside for pets, and the management has a consistent reputation for looking after travellers who arrive with a dog.

Dogs at the Reign Inn

There are four dedicated pet-friendly rooms: the Deluxe Queen Pet Friendly and the Queen Disabled Room. Pets of any size are accepted, and cats are allowed too. Food and water bowls are provided, along with a dog towel in the room, and reviewers note the pet rooms are kept clean and pre-cooled on hot days. Because these four rooms are limited, book direct or call the motel rather than a third-party site, and confirm the pet fee at the same time, since booking channels report a per-night charge but the amount varies. Service animals are exempt from fees.

The setup

Rooms run to kitchenettes, microwaves and quiet fittings, with a seasonal outdoor pool and free Wi-Fi on site. Undercover parking puts you close to the door, which matters when the dog is on the luggage. It is a working road-trip base rather than a resort: the A1 outside the door, the University of Newcastle and John Hunter Hospital both a few minutes away.

Close by with the dogs

For the leg-stretch, the Islington Dog Off-Leash Area is a short drive down Maitland Road, and Purdue Park in Mayfield covers an on-lead walk. For coffee, Onyx Espresso Bar and Tallowood Espresso are both in the directory nearby. If the pet rooms are full, Mayfield Motel is next door in the suburb and the NRMA Stockton Beach Holiday Park takes dogs on sites across the harbour.

Max: Four pet rooms, that is it. Call the motel, get the Deluxe Queen Pet Friendly by name, and ask them to run the aircon early in summer.

More NSW options sit on the NSW stays guide, with local eats on the Mayfield West destination page.