Humans have been taking vacations for centuries, usually because they are tired from ignoring my instructions.
Cats have had the better system all along. We rest when necessary, move only when the destination justifies it, and expect every room to contain food, soft furnishings, and at least one defensible observation post.
Still, some cats enjoy traveling—or have humans whose relocation, road trip, or extended holiday requires feline supervision. For them, I reviewed resort policies around the world and found ten places that explicitly welcome cats.
This distinction matters. “Pet-friendly” often means there is a water bowl near the door and a marketing photograph of a golden retriever. I have read the fine print. These properties actually say cats.
TLDR
- My top pick is Karuizawa Prince Hotel West in Japan, where the cat cottage includes towers, wall steps, scratching equipment, a litter setup, and other evidence of intelligent management.
- Amara Sanctuary Sentosa in Singapore has a cat-specific Pampered Meows package with furniture, meals, a fountain, litter supplies, treats, and toys.
- Best Friends Roadhouse in Utah offers designated cats-only rooms and built-in pet nooks near a major animal sanctuary.
- The remaining finalists span Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Japan, Spain, Portugal, and California.
- Policies, fees, room types, airline rules, and border requirements can change. Confirm everything directly before allowing a human to press “book.”
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How I Ranked the Evidence
I have not personally slept on these beds. This is an editorial ranking based on the properties’ official published information accessed July 12, 2026.
I awarded points for four things: an explicit welcome for cats, cat-specific equipment, a room layout that offers privacy or vertical space, and a policy clear enough that a human might follow it without three additional meetings.
I deducted points for vague wording, heavy restrictions, and any program designed around dogs with “also cats” added in smaller type.
1. Karuizawa Prince Hotel West — Karuizawa, Japan
Why a cat would approve: A proper cat cottage with a cat tower, scratching post, wall-mounted cat steps, four staggered platforms, a cat house or cage, bed, bowls, litter box, litter, deodorizing spray, and even a pet-focused vacuum.
Karuizawa Prince Hotel West did something extraordinary: it designed a resort stay around how cats actually use space. The cat room is separate from the living room and bedroom, and the climbing equipment provides height, choice, and several places from which to judge the staff.
The official package includes one cat’s stay. The resort sits in a wooded mountain destination roughly associated with calm, fresh air, and humans wearing expensive knitwear. I support all three.
Gretchen’s verdict: The rare property that understands a floor is merely the bottom shelf of a room.
Human homework: Use the resort’s dedicated cat-stay booking path and confirm current pet documentation, occupancy limits, and cottage availability before arranging travel to Japan.
Official cat cottage and amenities
2. Amara Sanctuary Sentosa — Singapore
Why a cat would approve: The Pampered Meows package is for cats specifically, not pets in the abstract.
The resort’s Deluxe Room comes with a cat climber, rattan pet bed, open-top litter box and litter, scratch box, water fountain, separate bowls, and a garden view for bird surveillance. The package also lists a feline meal and a welcome box containing wet and dry food, treats, wipes, and a toy.
The published offer accommodates up to two cats, although the package baseline is two humans and one cat. Public-area access has limits, so this is best treated as a luxurious room-centered staycation rather than a plan to tour the swimming pool. Cats do not need pool tours.
Gretchen’s verdict: They wrote “Meows” on the package and then backed it up with a fountain and litter box. Strong governance.
Human homework: Book the exact Pampered Meows offer; the resort says cats will not be admitted under the dog package.
Official Pampered Meows package
3. Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile — Kanab, Utah
Why a cat would approve: Two designated cats-only rooms, built-in sleeping cubbies, pet-introduction doors, slide-out pet beds, and an institution that says “canine and feline lodgers” without needing applause.
The Roadhouse is five miles from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and was built for people traveling with animals. Select rooms include nooks for sleeping and snuggling; suites add pet houses and practical kitchenettes. The hotel also provides pet welcomes, cleaning supplies, beds, treats, and other useful items.
Kanab is a strong road-trip base for southern Utah scenery. Whether a particular cat wants to participate in that road trip is a private constitutional matter.
Gretchen’s verdict: Cats-only rooms. At last, a quiet floor with standards.
Human homework: Request one of the designated cat rooms directly. If you are interested in a Sanctuary animal sleepover, read the separate lodging rules; those visits cannot be combined with your own pet in the same stay.
Official rooms and cats-only room details · Official pet amenities
4. Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort — Bangkok, Thailand
Why a cat would approve: A dedicated room setup that explicitly includes a litter box and accessories, plus a pet bed, bowls, toy, wipes, and welcome kit.
This riverside resort accepts one dog or cat up to 10 kilograms per room. Its published pet information names outdoor garden areas and an outdoor bar-and-lounge area as pet-friendly spaces, subject to restraint and supervision rules.
The cat-specific litter setup moves this well above the hotels that hand every species the same biscuit and call the matter settled.
Gretchen’s verdict: River view, garden access, private facilities. Bangkok has correctly identified my minimum viable product.
Human homework: Confirm the designated room, current nightly pet charge, vaccination requirements, and exactly where a secured carrier is required.
Official resort page and cat policy · Official pet-policy brochure
5. Anantara Angkor Resort — Siem Reap, Cambodia
Why a cat would approve: The pet package includes a plush bed, food and water bowls, welcome kit, and a litter box with litter specifically for cats.
The intimate resort has only 39 suites and sits near Angkor Wat. Its official offer allows up to two dogs or cats in selected suite types and asks for a current vaccination certificate plus information about the pet before arrival.
This could suit a settled, carrier-comfortable cat whose human wants a quiet suite base. It is not permission to carry a cat around an archaeological site like a furry tour guide.
Gretchen’s verdict: A small resort, a large temple complex, and my own litter box. Purrfection.
Human homework: Ask the resort for the current cat weight limit, restricted areas, supervision rules, and Cambodia’s entry requirements before booking flights.
Official Paw’s Perfect Getaway
6. Anantara Kalutara Resort — Kalutara, Sri Lanka
Why a cat would approve: Dedicated pet-friendly rooms, branded bed and bowls, a welcome kit, toys, in-room pet dining, outdoor play areas, a local pet guide, and published pet-sitting services.
The resort sits between the Indian Ocean and the Kalu Ganga River estuary. Its current Paws & Paradise offer permits dogs or cats and requires advance booking and health documentation.
Pet sitting is a particularly useful inclusion. It gives humans a chance to visit spaces where animals are restricted while the cat remains under arranged care rather than being abandoned beside a minibar with an apology.
Gretchen’s verdict: In-room dining and staff coverage. I see they understand delegation.
Human homework: Verify whether the sitting service accepts cats, what advance notice it needs, when a pet may be left in the room, and the current surcharge.
Official Paws & Paradise package
7. Hilton Okinawa Sesoko Resort — Okinawa, Japan
Why a cat would approve: A formal Pet-Friendly Room Package whose terms explicitly welcome dogs and cats staying with their humans.
The designated room is on the first floor, and the published rules set size and carrier limits. That specificity is less glamorous than a toy-filled welcome hamper, but it prevents the unpleasant arrival-desk conversation in which a human discovers “pet” was being used as a synonym for “dog.”
Sesoko Island supplies the coastal-resort part. Your cat supplies the demand that all doors remain closed and all balcony access remain securely blocked.
Gretchen’s verdict: Clear paperwork is a luxury amenity. Ask any cat who has watched a human improvise.
Human homework: Confirm that the current room package is available for cats, along with the latest weight, kennel, vaccination, and room-access rules.
Official Pet-Friendly Room terms
8. Paradise Point Resort & Spa — San Diego, California
Why a cat would approve: The resort’s own policy explicitly covers guests traveling with cats or dogs, and its ground-floor bungalow layout avoids the drama of a 19th-floor elevator commute.
Paradise Point occupies a 44-acre island setting on Mission Bay. The property promotes accessible bungalow rooms, broad grounds, and waterfront resort life. It is less cat-customized than the leaders, but the combination of explicit cat acceptance and low-rise accommodations earns it a place.
Gretchen’s verdict: A private bungalow near water I am not required to enter. Sensible.
Human homework: Ask which bungalow category accepts cats, the current fee, whether cats may ever be left alone, and which public areas are off-limits.
Official Pets in Paradise policy
9. Kimpton Aysla Mallorca — Mallorca, Spain
Why a cat would approve: The official hotel page currently says all pets are allowed, with no pet fee, damage deposit, weight limit, or numerical limit listed.
Kimpton’s inclusive policy is refreshingly broad, and Aysla Mallorca supplies the resort setting: Mediterranean light, spa energy, and enough calm surfaces for a cat to improve by sitting on them.
The important caveat is that an open-ended policy is not the same as cat-specific equipment. Bring the familiar carrier, litter, food, bowls, bedding, and hiding option your cat already trusts unless the hotel confirms it can provide them.
Gretchen’s verdict: No fee and no weight limit. I appreciate a resort that declines to price the guest of honor by the kilogram.
Human homework: Put “traveling with a cat” in the reservation notes and get written confirmation of the room setup and restricted areas.
Official Kimpton Aysla Mallorca pet details
10. Pedras Salgadas Spa & Nature Park — Bornes de Aguiar, Portugal
Why a cat would approve: The resort explicitly permits cats as well as dogs in designated accommodations and says it provides pet-friendly amenities.
The nature-park setting and private bungalow or eco-house style are attractive for a cat who values quiet over lobby networking. The resort’s published rules limit guests to one dog or cat, with a weight ceiling, and exclude pets from a number of public facilities.
This is tenth because the wording is clear but the cat-specific equipment is less detailed than at the properties above it.
Gretchen’s verdict: Trees, privacy, and limited public obligations. A respectable retreat for an introvert with whiskers.
Human homework: Confirm the current pet-friendly unit, weight limit, fee, required documents, and whether a carrier is mandatory outside the room.
Official resort pet information
Before You Present the Carrier
A resort reservation is only one layer of the plan. Your cat’s temperament, health, carrier training, route, airline rules, ground transport, and destination-country requirements matter more than any welcome kit.
The American Veterinary Medical Association advises helping a pet become comfortable with the travel crate or carrier before a trip. For international travel from the United States, USDA APHIS says destination rules vary, can change, and may require an accredited veterinarian, vaccinations, tests, treatments, an import permit, or an endorsed health certificate. The process can take weeks or months.
In practical human language:
- Ask your veterinarian whether this trip is appropriate for this particular cat.
- Check the destination and every transit country, not just the resort.
- Confirm the airline’s cat and carrier rules directly.
- Get the resort’s cat acceptance, room type, fee, and restrictions in writing.
- Bring familiar food, medication, litter, bedding, identification, and a secure carrier.
- On arrival, inspect doors, windows, balconies, hiding gaps, and housekeeping procedures before opening the carrier.
USDA APHIS pet-travel overview · AVMA travel-with-pets brochure
The Final Inspection
The best cat-friendly resort is not automatically the fanciest one. It is the place that understands your cat is a specific animal, not an accessory in a travel photograph.
For a confident traveler, the cat cottage in Karuizawa is difficult to beat. For a room-centered luxury stay, Amara’s Pampered Meows package has excellent credentials. For an American road trip, Best Friends Roadhouse appears to have done the most serious feline thinking.
For many cats, of course, the ideal vacation remains home: familiar windows, familiar smells, and a qualified sitter who understands that dinner at 5:02 is a hostile act.
Which resort should receive my first in-person inspection: the Japanese cat cottage, the Singapore staycation, or the cats-only room in Utah? Cast one vote. I will consider the outcome and then make my own decision.
— Gretchen Michaels Cat Corner Editor-in-Chief