Hotel Shail Shikhar (Pauri)

Hotel Shail Shikhar is a 3-star hotel on Kandoliya Road in Pauri, Uttarakhand, sitting near the Circuit House at an elevation that puts the Garhwal Himalayas within eyeline. The property confirms pets are allowed, with no additional pet charges stated in their policy, making it one of the few hotels in the Pauri Garhwal region that openly acknowledges travelling guests with animals. If you are driving through Uttarakhand with a dog and need a base in Pauri, this is a documented pet-accepting option at a nightly rate starting around Rs 2,174.

The Property and Its Setting

Hotel Shail Shikhar sits on Kandoliya Road in Pauri, Uttarakhand 246001, a hill-station town in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. Pauri itself is a quieter, less-commercialised alternative to Rishikesh or Mussoorie, sitting at a higher elevation and offering views of the Himalayan snow range on clear days. The town is the administrative headquarters of Pauri Garhwal district, and the Circuit House area where the hotel is located is one of its more established neighbourhoods.

A Tripadvisor reviewer placed the hotel at approximately 3 to 4 kilometres from the main Pauri town centre, and about 2 kilometres from the Kyunkaleshwar Temple, noting that a shortcut trail to the temple begins just beside the hotel. That trail detail is worth keeping in mind if you travel with a dog who needs morning walks on varied terrain rather than just road-side pavement. The hotel does not appear to have its own enclosed garden or grounds based on the available photographs, which show standard hotel room interiors rather than outdoor spaces.

Room photographs visible on Google Maps show a semi-deluxe room setup with wooden furniture, a TV, wardrobe, writing desk, and a clean private bathroom with a geyser fixture. Rooms appear to be of a standard hill-hotel configuration. Check-in time is 2:00 pm and check-out is 11:00 am, which gives you a nine-hour window if arriving and departing on the same calendar day.

Pet Policy: What Is Confirmed

The property has confirmed that pets are allowed with no additional charges. That is the single most important confirmed detail for pet parents planning a stay here. The property has also specified that pet beds are not provided, and guests are requested to carry their own. This is a practical note worth taking seriously: pack a foldable travel mat or your dog's regular bed, because you will not find one waiting in the room.

Beyond the confirmed "pets allowed, no extra charge, bring your own bed" policy, several important details remain unknown from the available evidence. These include: whether there is a limit on the number of pets per room, whether all dog breeds and sizes are accepted, whether there are any restrictions on which areas of the hotel pets may access (lobby, dining area, parking), and whether dogs must be leashed in common areas. Before you book, a direct call to the property on 096345 72007 is strongly recommended to confirm these specifics for your particular dog and travel situation.

The in-room pet policy is described as "pets allowed" without further qualification, which we have treated as confirmation that pets may stay in the guest's room rather than being confined to a separate area. However, given that the source does not use language like "pets allowed in rooms" explicitly, confirming this on the phone before arrival is advisable, particularly if you have a large dog.

Amenities and Facilities

Google Maps lists the following confirmed amenities at Hotel Shail Shikhar: free parking, Wi-Fi, an airport shuttle service, and breakfast available at an extra charge. The free parking is relevant for pet travellers arriving by road, which is almost certainly how most guests with dogs will arrive given Pauri's location in the Garhwal hills. The nearest major rail connection is Kotdwar, roughly 110 kilometres away, and the nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun, approximately 150 kilometres from Pauri.

The hotel has a bar (mentioned in 31 Google review tags), a dining facility (39 dining review tags), and service has been specifically called out positively in 50 reviews. Room quality features in 24 reviews and bathroom quality in 9. These are the measurable signals available from the review summary; the content of individual reviews beyond the two quoted on Google Maps is not available in the supplied evidence.

One Google reviewer (Gurpreet Kaur, 3 months ago) rated the hotel 1 out of 5 overall but gave individual sub-scores of 5/5 for rooms, 5/5 for service, and 5/5 for location, describing it as a "nice experience" with staff who "make you feel comfortable." The discrepancy between the overall score and the sub-scores is unusual and unexplained. A Tripadvisor reviewer gave 4 out of 5 and provided the location context about the Kyunkaleshwar Temple trail. The overall Google rating of 3.7 from 579 reviews, alongside a Tripadvisor score of 4/5 from 9 reviews, suggests the property is functional and reasonably well-regarded for its category and price point.

Getting Here with a Dog

Pauri is most easily reached by road. From Dehradun, the drive is approximately 150 to 160 kilometres and takes roughly 4 to 5 hours depending on the route via Rishikesh and Srinagar (Garhwal). From Delhi, the journey is approximately 310 to 330 kilometres and typically takes 7 to 9 hours by road. This is a genuine mountain drive on Garhwal hill roads for the final stretch, with narrow sections and hairpin bends after you pass Srinagar Garhwal. If your dog is prone to car sickness, plan for short breaks along the way, particularly after the hills begin.

The free parking at the hotel is confirmed, which is straightforward if you arrive by private vehicle. There is no confirmed information about whether the property has a dedicated outdoor space where dogs can be taken off-lead immediately on arrival; based on the road-side location on Kandoliya Road near the Circuit House, you should expect to walk your dog on the road or use the nearby trail to Kyunkaleshwar Temple mentioned in the Tripadvisor review.

Pauri town itself is a hill station with moderate tourist infrastructure. It is not as developed as Nainital or Mussoorie, which means less traffic and crowd density, but also fewer specialist services. Travelling with a dog in a quieter Garhwal hill town has practical advantages: calmer streets, less exposure to large crowds, and lower baseline noise levels that are easier on nervous dogs. What it does not offer is easy access to a 24-hour veterinary clinic; there are veterinary services in Pauri town, but their availability and hours for emergency care are not confirmed in the supplied evidence.

What to Know Before You Book

The property has stated a clear, dog-positive base policy: pets are allowed, and no extra charge is levied. That puts Hotel Shail Shikhar in a smaller category of hotels in the Uttarakhand hills that do not penalise you for travelling with your dog. The nightly rate starting at approximately Rs 2,174 (as visible on booking platforms at the time of listing) is reasonable for a 3-star hill property with free parking and Wi-Fi included.

The confirmed gap in the policy is pet bedding: the property does not provide pet beds or sleeping mats for dogs. Pack your own. For a single night's transit stay this is a minor inconvenience; for a longer base-camp style visit, it is worth planning carefully if your dog is particular about sleeping surfaces or tends to jump on furniture.

Several policy questions remain open because the available evidence does not address them. These are not minor points for pet parents: breed and size restrictions (if any), the number of pets permitted per room, leash requirements in common areas, and whether the restaurant and bar areas are accessible to guests with dogs. Call the hotel directly on 096345 72007 before booking to get answers specific to your dog. The property website is listed as http://www.shailshikhar.com/ though at the time of listing it is not confirmed whether the pet policy is published there in full.

Booking a dog-friendly room in Pauri Garhwal is genuinely a limited-options situation; the town does not have a large inventory of hotels that explicitly accept pets. The fact that Hotel Shail Shikhar has confirmed this policy, with a specific note about pet beds, suggests a degree of awareness of what travelling with a dog actually involves. That is a better starting point than a property that simply has not thought about it.

Address: Kandoliya Road, near Circuit House, Pauri, Uttarakhand 246001
Phone: 096345 72007
Website: www.shailshikhar.com
Check-in: 2:00 pm | Check-out: 11:00 am