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I wrote about Teignmouth as a place to stay recently, it is a nice laid back small resort with a great vibe. But one thing Teignmouth does not have is a dog friendly hotel - two hotels are listed by other online travel guides as being pet friendly but I contacted each of them, and they confirmed that the hotels do not accept pets. Just on the other side of the river Teign from Teignmouth is Shaldon, another pretty small resort, and there is a dog friendly small hotel here. The Glenside Hotel is in Ringmoor Road, Shaldon. Tel 01626 872448.

There is also an excellent art Gallery in Teignmouth called gallery 8. This gallery, in Teign Street, shows work by a co-operative of 22 local artists, with a wide range of exhibits including ceramics, wood turned objects and jewellery: tel 07762 167768. Here we discovered the paintings of Amanda Hyde, a local painter based in Torquay. She has a ‘naive style with a touch of seriousness’ - her use of strong colours is striking, see the photo. You can contact Amanda on 01802 293731 / 07981 851 546 .

I have written up quite a lot of information about Torquay, which is clearly the largest resort in Torbay, Devon. Torquay has all the amenities of a major town, and a large shopping centre. We stayed in Torquay in an excellent small dog friendly hotel, but the nightlife atmosphere in Torquay is downmarket and tacky. Another time I would recommend staying in one of the smaller resorts: I have posted some information on Babbacombe, another place I recommend as a base is Totnes. Read more »

If the hustle and bustle of Torquay is not to your taste, then Babbacombe may appeal to you. This village is only two miles from the middle of Torquay and has two excellent beaches. The main beach is served by the Babbacombe Cliff Railway, making the ascent and descent easier. The smaller beach is dog friendly but the car park is very small: you could use the cliff railway and walk along the path from the main beach to get to the dog friendly area. The village centre is large enough to be interesting without becoming tacky, and there are several upmarket fish and chip shops - all boasting to serve the very best fish, of course. The Babbacombe model village is a big attraction for this area, this is a long established and well maintained miniature replica of buildings, people and vehicles depicting England’s past, present and future.

Babbacombe also has a relaxed dog friendly hotel with free WiFi internet access: the Downs Hotel also has stunning views over Lyme Bay. The hotel website is at www.downshotel.co.uk, or call them on 01803 328543

I reviewed our recent stay in a very good dog friendly hotel in Torquay, Devon, where we spent five days exploring the Torbay area. On leaving Torquay we continued only about sixty miles further down the coast to the Kitley House Hotel, six miles outside Plymouth. This hotel, like the Hillcroft, came up when we searched for ‘dog friendly hotels with WiFi’. The Kitley website features a photo of a dog seated in front of the grand fireplace that dominates the entrance hall. The hotel makes a big point of its dog friendly approach, and four-legged visitors with a goodie bag and personal welcome letter. Read more »

The Lake Country House Hotel is located in Powys near the village of Llangammarch Wells, in fifty acres of parkland, with sweeping lawns, rhododendron lined pathways and riverside walks. Excellent for dogs to walk and roam around the grounds, this is an attractive hotel that keeps a welcome in the hillside for you and your dog in your own room only and there is a charge of £6 per night for dog guests. Dogs are not accepted in the reception areas. http://www.lakecountryhouse.com Read more »

You are probably very experienced at surfing for the best price on flights for your next vacation but it is a fact that most of us simply contact the hotel of our choice and ask for a room. But there is a big market in cut price rooms at some of the very best hotels around the world. How to find those deals involves just three easy steps. First, check the hotel website or the site for the parent group which will show all their brands on the same web page. For example, Le Meridien is part of the Starwood Hotels group: sister chains include Sheraton, Westin, St Regis and Four Seasons. Often you may find some good seasonal special offers on the company website, this will give you an idea of the benchmark price so that you can look around for a lower price room rate. Remember to check whether the room price includes breakfast!

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Here are some more WiFi hotels where you can take your dog with you. This time I have been checking hotels in Gloucestershire. This is the English county where you have the highest chance of seeing a member of the Royal Family, the county is rural and typifies the image of Britain that most visitors from other countries are seeking. Read more »

If you want to visit more than one city in Spain then you will find out that this is a big country. The driving distance between major Spanish towns is more than one day’s travel, for example the train journey from Madrid to Barcelona takes anything from five hours to nine hours depending on the train service you use. However if you fly between the two cities the flying time is under one hour and because this is a domestic flight, you do not have to check in hours in advance so you can travel from Madrid and check in at any of your favourite Hotels in Barcelona in less than half a day.
Once you arrive in either destination you will be spoiled for choice. Hotels in Madrid include some of the best in Spain , like the Ritz - which has special discounted rates from EUR 419 upwards. The hotel is situated in Plaza De La Lealtad 5 28014 Madrid, convenient for exploring the Old Quarter area. Read more »

Here are some dog friendly restaurants with rooms located in rural Wales.

Tyddyn Llan is a true restaurant with rooms, using only the highest quality seasonal ingredients, many of which arrive daily from local suppliers including fish caught on the Welsh coastline. Dogs are accepted by prior arrangement. There is no WiFi here. The hotel is located close to Snowdonia, with the Roman City of Chester 35 miles away. At an equal distance to the west are the Mawddach and Dyfi estuaries leading to fine sandy beaches and rocky coves. http://www.tyddynllan.co.uk

Plas Bodegroes is an established restaurant with rooms, in its own secluded grounds. It is on the wild Llyn Peninsula, on the far north west of Wales, a mile from the seaside resort of Pwllheli, and well located for the North Wales countryside. Dogs are welcome, there is no WiFi internet access but you really will want to spend all your time in the beautiful gardens or the Welsh Hills. The rooms and the building look so good that I have included pictures of both. http://www.bodegroes.co.uk

I have been researching more Restaurants with Rooms and here are some which are also dog friendly:

The Salty Monk is a 16C Restaurant with Rooms, located in the unspoilt natural beauty of Devon two miles from the sea close to Sidmouth. The hotel offers English Cuisine with a commitment to use only the freshest ingredients, supplied wherever possible from the West Country. Seafood is delivered daily from Brixham and select cuts of meat or game come from the butcher’s herd. http://www.saltymonk.co.uk/

The Museum Inn, near Blandford Forum in Dorset, is located in my favourite English county. This is a pub/restaurant with rooms, and dogs are welcome in the stable rooms, where there is direct access to the yard. Of course they are also welcome in the pub area. As you can see from the photo this is exactly how a traditional English country pub should look. http://www.museuminn.co.uk