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 »

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 »

I listed quite a few dog friendly hotels with WiFi in England recently, this was not simply an act of devotion by me: we wanted to find a place to stay for ourselves. As an independent travel blogger I pay my own way, so I do not get these opportunities to review a hotel as a guest very often. The Hillcroft is a small ‘Boutique Hotel’ with six rooms and suites in Torquay, situated about eight minutes’ walk from the centre of Torquay. This is quite a hilly town and the Hillcroft sits above the town, as the name implies. The walk is not too taxing but I would not advise anyone who is infirm to attempt it. Read more »

In California there is a lot of attention to sustainable living and some excellent people have organised trips and activities to introduce their ideas of living in tune with the environment, especially on vacation. When you visit California you can take guided foraging trips into the canyons to find out about all the wild edible plants and fruits that are abundant and free.
On this excursion trip, led by Sunny Johnson, the haul included wild mustard, malva greens and cheeses, ice plants, blackberry new growth tops, sticky monkey flower, elderflower, wild lettuce, ceanothus berries for soap and much more. The video is fascinating and I am sure after watching it you will want to visit this part of the States so I have looked around at places to stay in the vicinity.
I found great hotel room rates at the Hilton in Woodland Hills, which is a pet friendly hotel with internet access, just six miles from Tapanga Canyon, where Sunny led the wild food hunt shown in the video. The hotel rooms are spacious and comfortable, the hotel has a large swimming pool and room rates are around $100 per night. The Hilton also operates a free shuttle bus in a three mile radius of the hotel so you can leave your car behind and reduce your carbon footprint!