We stayed at a very good dog friendly hotel in Devon and I have reviewed the accommodation and service already. The hotel also stands out for the quality of the food, so I here is a dedicated review.

A Devon Cream tea was included in our package, and we took this on arrival. I normally steer clear of cream teas as they often disappoint, but this one exceeded expectations. The freshly made scones were still warm, the jam tasted home made and the clotted cream was superb. Strawberries on the side completed the picture: dog owners can take tea in the bar or reception area, those without dogs can also use the restaurant at tea time. Read more »

If you have an early morning flight it is often much more convenient to stay close to the airport on the night before you fly, and leave your car at the Hotel or Bed and Breakfast. Heathrow airport is located in a built up area so the off-airport accommodation is more limited than it is in the area around Gatwick. If you are not familiar with the Gatwick area, just look out of the plane window next time and see how many green field are around! Many of the on-airport hotels at Heathrow offer parking while you are away, but the overall costs will be high. The Ibis charges guests £6 per day to for car parking during their vacation. Official Heathrow Airport Car Parking costs £10 upwards per day. But the big advantage for travellers to Heathrow is that the Piccadilly Line passes through some very pleasant suburbs close to the airport where you can find cheaper accommodation and quite often you will be able to leave your car in streets with no parking restrictions while you area away. Read more »

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

The image of Torquay to most of us is an established but rather staid resort, mainly due to images of retired people living in the area and notorious fictional hotels like Fawlty Towers. The reality is that Torquay is a large bustling resort and, sadly, the efforts at marketing the Torbay area seems to have attracted a down market crowd. The centre of Torquay is now full of chav infested bars, although our dog friendly hotel in Torquay was excellent - and offered free WiFi Internet - we spent as little time as possible in Torquay centre. The other main resorts in Torbay are Paignton and Brixham. These are also well located as touring centres, but they also have a fair sprinkling of amusement arcades and chip shops - if that is what you want, then that is your choice. Brixham does have a beautiful harbour area, contrasting in its solitude with the busy town. Above the harbour is Berry Head, which is a beautiful green clifftop with views across Torbay to the the South Hams in the other direction. There is a hotel in this area, the Quayside Hotel, which is far enough away from the hustle and bustle to enjoy the best of Brixham’s offerings.

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 »