Quest St Kilda Road

Quest St Kilda Road is an apartment hotel on the St Kilda Road boulevard at 478 St Kilda Road, and unlike most city properties it will actually take your dog overnight. Up to two pets are permitted per booking, food and water bowls come with the room, and the apartment layout gives you a kitchenette, laundry and a door you can close, which beats walking a dog out of a standard hotel corridor at 6am.

Dogs at Quest St Kilda Road

Dogs and cats are both accepted, with no size restriction specified. Expect a per pet nightly fee of roughly AU$50, plus a refundable deposit held on your card at check in, and note that service animals are exempt from fees. Pet friendly rooms are designated and limited, so contact the property before booking to lock in a pet unit for your dates rather than turning up with a dog unannounced.

Room types run from studios with kitchenettes up to one and two bedroom apartments with full kitchens and in-room laundry. Guests regularly call out the comfortable beds, quiet rooms and welcoming staff, and there is a disability accessible room among the options. For anyone in town for a week of work or a move-in period with a dog in tow, the self contained setup makes longer stays practical.

Max: Bowls in the room and a quiet floor to sleep on. The deposit stung less than leaving me at a boarding kennel.

The location for dog walks

This stretch of St Kilda Road is one of the leafier parts of inner Melbourne, with tram stops at the door for the run into the CBD. Fawkner Park starts a few minutes' walk away, with wide lawns and big fig trees and generous off leash areas on its western and southern sides. Albert Park Lake and the Royal Botanic Gardens are close too, though dogs are not allowed inside the gardens themselves, so save that route for a solo stroll.

Getting there and parking

From the city, head south down St Kilda Road past the Shrine; the property is on the tram lines 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67 and 72 routes. On-site parking is available for a fee, and Check-in is standard afternoon. The M1 and Nepean Highway give straightforward driving access from the south-east suburbs.

Make a day of it

Start with an off lead session at the Fawkner Park Dog Off Leash Area, then walk it off along the Yarra River Short City Loop. When the day winds up, Caretaker's Cottage pours for humans with dogs welcome out the front. Browse more options in our Victoria dog friendly stays guide and on the Melbourne destination page.