I stayed at El Matador, and the property itself was very nice and easy to find. We arrived around 3:00 p.m. and checked in at the front desk. When I presented my service dog’s badge, I was told they did not accept pets. I explained that my dog is not a pet but a service dog, and I offered the badge as the identification I had with me. I was then told that many people buy badges online and that I needed some other type of papers, which immediately made me feel questioned and uncomfortable.
Another staff member joined the conversation and said that if we stayed, my service dog would have to remain with me at all times and could not be left alone in the unit, saying, “After all, he is a service dog and should be with you at all times.” By the time I reached the room, I had already received an email explaining the rules about not leaving him alone.
I replied that we had purchased six tickets through their booking agent for activities my service dog could not safely attend. I was also unable to swim or use the hot tub. I offered to pay for a sitter but felt this placed an unfair burden on me. The sitter cost an extra $170, and leaving my service dog with a stranger made me very uncomfortable.
Although the property was nice, the way the service dog situation was handled made the stay stressful and took away from our trip. I travel often and have left my service dog safely in rooms when an activity was unsafe for him. Because of this experience, I will not book here again and recomm