Dog Friendly Waterfront Resort in Door County

When we were looking on a place to stay for our most recent trip to Door County with the in-laws there were two priorities, dog-friendly and on the waterfront. We were initially looking into private rentals but did not find anything that was both up to our quality standards and within our budget. We ultimately found the Shallows Resort in Egg Harbor which fit both those criteria. We assumed that  unlike a private rental we may loose some of the tranquility of a private rental space and surely have to keep Memphis on a tight leash, but we were wrong on both counts. The shallows was the perfect resort for us and our pampered pooch.

Beautiful Waterfront Setting

As previously mentioned, staying on the water was a top priority for us. With Door County being on a peninsula and all, if you aren’t on the water you are seriously missing out. The Shallows waterfront space did not disappoint. It is a large waterfront area and our room’s porch had a front row view to it. We could walk straight out to it from our back door.  There is a small dock and an area where you can wade right into the water if you so choose. And on the other side of the Dock is where you can launch the kayaks. The very best part were the views we enjoyed at the end of the night looking out onto the water; one of a beautiful orange sunset and the other as an impending summer thunderstorm came rolling in. Both equally beautiful.

Dog Friendly

Whenever we can, we love to bring our dog along with us on our travels. This was particularly important to us in Door County where he would love the hikes and some Lake Michigan swims. For an additional pet fee of $40 a day, the Shallows Resort allows you to bring your well behaved pet along. They did ask that we not leave the dog in the room unattended. Out on the grounds they were really casual about the dogs and did not mind if a well behaved pet was allowed off leash to sit by it’s owner or go for a swim. I am sure that if someone were to abuse this by letting a dog who could not handle it off leash they would have to put stop to it so please do so with care. Even we made conscious choices about when to let him off, like if people were out barbecuing. Memphis can be a fast food thief so we did not want to risk it. But as long as you know your dog’s abilities it is the perfect place to bring your pooch.

People Friendly

One of my husbands favorite and memorable moments was meeting an older gentleman on the first day, who he believed to be the groundskeeper. They conversed every morning on the best fishing spots, where to hire a boat, about the resort and views. One mention that there was no original flavor cream cheese and the gentleman was running off immediately to supply a fresh batch of original flavor cream cheese. He commented regularly on our well behaved dog and was extremely informative throughout our trip giving us a real hassle free experience. It was only until the last day when we said our goodbyes that Ryan found out that this older gentleman was not the groundskeeper, but in fact the humble owner of the entire resort! He was very accommodating to each and every one of his customers, several of whom we had spoke to had been returning every year, some for over 30 years!We received incredible customer service, with extremely polite and friendly staff.

Great Amenities

As if having a waterfront isn’t enough of a draw, the resort offers several other amenities. Our favorite being the modest sized pool and hot tub. You would have to walk out into the Lake pretty far to be deep enough to swim so the pool is the best place for a dip and is right along the lake anyways. They also have several Kayaks that you can use free of charge as a part of your stay. All we had to do was sign them out and we were on our way. They also have a walking trail and a tennis court which I’ll be honest we didn’t even get a chance to try out as we were too busy enjoying everything else. All the more reason to book a trip back I suppose.

Cozy Lodgings

Our rooms had all the most important features in a hotel room, clean bathrooms, comfy beds and enough space for all of us. They also had a t.v. which we didn’t have much use for as we were out and about all day and enjoying the amenities and the sunsets views at night. We did get a good amount of use out of the fridge in the room which hosted all our wines and cheese we brought back each day. Our favorite and most used part was definitely the porch though since it looked out on the water it was the most picked spot to relax.

Centrally Located

You couldn’t ask for a better location to stay than Egg Harbor, where the Shallows Resort is located. It is high enough up the peninsula to be close to the other towns where most of the tourist activities are located but still not too far from Sturgeon Bay which is the only city with a Walmart , Walgreens or medical center  in case of emergency or other necessity. Egg Harbor itself boasts a beautiful beach, fun shops and yummy restaurants so you don’t actually need to go far for the best Door County has to offer. For even more Door County has to offer check out our top fifteen activities in Door County post.

The Shallows Resort turned out to be an outstanding Door County vacation rental for us. Our dog Memphis could roam around while we enjoyed the waterfront views from our porch; with a glass of wine of course. We enjoyed use of the pool and kayaks and appreciated the hospitality of the owners. It was the perfect place for us stay and fully enjoy Door County.