I am sure you can imagine then the unease I began to feel knowing that we would soon be staying at a dog-friendly hotel in Key West. The unease obviously stemming from my mind’s projection of how Dexter would handle the undiscov- ered stimulation caused by a myriad of distractions; little humans, other canines, anything that wasn’t nailed down to the floor. I do realize that dogs often display what their parents are fearing, so I wel- comed the opportunity to work on my own issues. This was our chance for a little break from 2020 — to relax a bit in a place where we had not yet visited: paradise. The Barbary Beach House staff
proved exceptional service straight out of the gate. Text messages wishing us safe travels, inquiring as to our ETA, letting us know that our suite was being prepared for our arrival. Our suite! The sound of that just made me giddy! The drive was pleasant and quiet. Since the trip would take around seven hours, we decided that Dexter would be most comfortable sit- ting squarely in the middle of the back seat in his kennel. He was afforded a clear view of us and I was relieved of having to hold him for the entire ride (zen moment #1). I decided to keep the texting bit
going with the staff as we pulled into the parking lot and let them know we had arrived. As I got out of the car, a staff member was walking towards me, greeted me by name and asked if he could take our bags to the suite. I put Dexter’s non-retractable leash on him and reminded him to be a good boy. We entered the lobby and were again greeted by name, offered a welcome cocktail that was all-kinds-of-wonderful. Then the front desk staff member, Reed, proceeded to check us in. “Welcome, and this must be Dexter!” Imagine that — a place that welcomed my dog by name. Still not a peep from Sir Barks-A-Lot even when Reed came around and personally intro- duced himself to him (something must be going right.). Once all the check-in procedures
were taken care of, we made our way to accommodations that were wonderfully situated in a quiet corner of the second floor. Dexter stayed by my side sniffing all the sniffables along the way. Entering the
www.TheNewBarker.com
suite, I was immediately taken by the style of the room, the cleanliness, and the over- all ambience. Dexter immediately ran over to the doggie bed that was provided by the hotel and declared it “just right.” I immediately saw the sweetest little espresso machine at the kitchenette and declared it “lovely.” My husband immedi- ately saw all the luggage that was brought up for us and declared it “cool.” On the counter-height table were treats for Dexter with a special note for him, won- derful chocolate coated treats for us and champagne that bubbled as we poured it into champagne glasses. How wonderful it is to be spoiled
occasionally. I highly recommend it. We quickly unpacked and played a bit with Dexter before we ordered food from the kitchen. The Events Manager, Amy, had mentioned to me when checking in that
they were having a Halloween costume party out by the patio/pool area for all the pups who were checked in and invited us to participate. My husband and I decided that the party would probably be too much for Dexter, so they stayed in while I grabbed my camera and headed to the pool.
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Just minutes from the famed Duval Street, the new Barbary Beach House Key West was just nominated as one of USA Today’s Top 10 Best Hotels of 2020.
During Carol’s stay, the Barbary Beach House hosted a dog costume contest for guests and their dogs, including Papi the Pug (left) and Jax the Beagle (right).
THE NEW BARKER 29
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