Dog Friendly City Guide: Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu rewards the owner who does the paperwork. Hawaii is free of rabies, and the state guards that status closely, so a dog flying in has months of preparation behind it. What waits is a warm city on the south shore of Oahu, with the crater of Diamond Head standing over Waikiki. The city keeps dogs to the parks it has opened to them, and that list has grown fast: off leash parks from Waikiki to Makiki, a volunteer run bark park in the shadow of Diamond Head, and, since February 2026, another 36 parks open to leashed dogs, Kailua's beach among them. Plan around that list and the midday heat, and Honolulu makes a fine week with a dog.

Getting There With a Dog

Every dog arriving in Hawaii, from the mainland as much as from abroad, has to meet the rules of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture's Animal Quarantine Station. The state calls itself the only rabies free state in the nation, and a dog that misses any requirement can be held in quarantine for up to 120 days. The way round it is the 5 Day or Less programme, which allows release at the airport the same day. It needs proof of two rabies vaccinations and a passing OIE-FAVN blood test from one of the approved laboratories (Kansas State, Auburn, the University of Missouri, or the Department of Defense laboratory for those entitled to it), and the dog may not arrive until 30 days after the passing test and 30 days after its latest rabies jab. The dog must be microchipped before the blood test is taken, and the state warns that the laboratories are taking one to two months to return results, so start early.

The documents, with the form AQS-279, must reach the station at least ten days before the dog lands. At Daniel K. Inouye International Airport the inspection runs from 8:30am to 4:30pm, and the state advises arriving by 3:30pm, because a dog not at the facility by 4:30pm is held overnight. Direct airport release in Honolulu costs $185, rising to $244 if the documents arrive late. The Honolulu checklist has every step. Dogs arriving from the British Isles, Australia, Guam and New Zealand, which Hawaii exempts from rabies quarantine, follow a checklist of their own on the same page.

From abroad, the federal rules of the CDC apply as well. A dog that has been only in dog rabies free or low risk countries for six months needs a receipt for the CDC Dog Import Form, a microchip and to be at least six months old; time in a high risk country brings stricter rules.

Where to Stay

Five hotels in the city are inspected and ranked, and you can see them side by side on our ranked dog friendly hotels in Honolulu.

One stands far above the rest. SurfJack Hotel on Lewers Street holds an A+, and its own banner says it plainly: any dog, any size, stays free. Its 112 rooms pay homage to Waikiki's mid century heyday, and downstairs are Mahina & Sun's, the restaurant, and the Swim Club, where locals and guests gather by the pool for cocktails and nightly film screenings. Dogs are welcome almost everywhere: in most rooms, in the bar and the restaurant, on the terrace and in the lounge, with a garden and a space set aside for dogs. There is no weight limit, a bed, bowls and free treats are provided, dog food is on sale, and staff can arrange a dog walker or sitter. Bags are waiting across from the front desk. The hotel has its own dog, too: Jack comes down to the Swim Club at 3pm every Tuesday to meet the guests.

Four more carry lower ranks. Wayfinder Waikiki, ranked D, has 227 rooms on Ala Wai Boulevard, a 70 foot salt water pool with a poolside bar, and a generous welcome downstairs: dogs may join you in the bar, the restaurant, the lounge and on the terrace, with no weight limit and up to two dogs in a room. The fee is $35 per dog per day, with a refundable $200 damage deposit. Lotus Honolulu at Diamond Head, also a D, is a small hotel of 51 rooms on Kalakaua Avenue, with a garden and terrace open to dogs. It takes up to two dogs of up to 50 pounds, and a settled dog may be left in the room. The fee is $50 a day, and a refundable security deposit is taken. Prince Waikiki, a D, welcomes dogs of up to 20 pounds in its lounge and lets them be left in the room, for $250 a stay, and Hotel La Croix, ranked F, takes dogs of up to 35 pounds for $100 a week.

Eat and Drink

In Kakaako, Aloha Beer brews in the neighbourhood's historic brewing district on Queen Street, with 13 styles on tap and a beer garden it describes as dog friendly. There is brunch at the weekend, trivia on Wednesday nights and live music on Saturdays.

Istanbul is a mother and daughter restaurant where chefs Nili and Ahu cook modern Turkish and Anatolian food with produce from local growers, with seating indoors and out, lunch and dinner, and a Turkish brunch at the weekend. Its own page puts it in three words: all pets welcome.

In Waikiki, the simplest table with a dog is at your own hotel if you stay at the SurfJack. Its restaurant, Mahina & Sun's, cooks what the hotel calls a progressive yet comforting menu drawn from Hawaii's own palate, and the hotel told us dogs are welcome in the restaurant and the bar as well as on the terrace.

Walks and Parks

Honolulu's parks take dogs only where the city says so, and its dog parks page lists every one. Ala Wai Neighborhood Park has an off leash dog area and is also on the list of parks where leashed dogs may walk, and the Ala Wai Promenade beside the canal is on the leashed list too.

Under the crater, the Clark Hatch Bark Park at Diamond Head has been open since 1997. It was founded by the philanthropist Clark Hatch and is run by a charity, People & Pet Park, which keeps it free to the public through donations. There are shady trees, a water fountain, plenty of benches and a view of Lēʻahi, as Diamond Head is called in Hawaiian.

Punahou Square in Makiki opened as the city's eleventh off leash park in January 2026, with much of the western end of the roughly half acre park fenced for dogs under the shade of a large Moreton Bay fig. It closes on Tuesday mornings for maintenance. Mother Waldron Neighborhood Park is on the city's off leash list too, and has had its dog park since February 2020.

For a longer leashed walk, Ke'ehi Lagoon is among the 36 parks the city opened to leashed dogs in February 2026. The same list includes Kailua Beach Park on the windward side, the best way to give a dog a day by the sea.

A Day Out

Start early at the Bark Park under Diamond Head, before the sun climbs, and let the dog run in the shade of the trees. Then go on to Istanbul for lunch, a run at Mother Waldron and an afternoon in the beer garden at Aloha Beer. If it is a Tuesday, be back at the SurfJack by 3pm to meet Jack at the Swim Club, then stay on for dinner at Mahina & Sun's. Give the second day to the windward coast: drive to Kailua and walk the beach park on the lead.

Good to Know

The City's rules for dogs in parks apply everywhere a dog is allowed. On the lead, the leash may be no longer than eight feet, the handler must be 18 or over and carry bags, and the dog must wear a current Hawaii dog licence tag. In the off leash parks, no handler may bring more than two dogs, dogs in heat are not allowed, food and treats are banned, holes must be filled, and you must carry a lead and keep the dog in sight at all times. Dogs may go only into the parks on the city's lists, so check before you set out; the median strip at Kapiolani Park and the Ala Wai Promenade are among them. Walk early and late, carry water, and ask before taking a dog indoors anywhere you eat.