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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.

Checking in at this 18-room hotel we met some of the most friendly, unstuffy staff in any hotel. Interestingly some of the junior managers were being trained on fire procedures for the hotel, including the need to stress that a fire at a building of this size requires more than one fire engine. A sobering thought is that there was a fatal fire in a hotel in nearby Newquay a few days later. Four people died, and at first only one engine arrived at the scene.

The hotel has free wireless access in the public areas and wired internet connections in all the rooms, and the staff had plenty of leads for guests to borrow. This is a traditional English Country House that opened as a hotel in 1996. The rooms are very attractive but the decor in some rooms was a little frayed at the edges, Housekeeping had not been staying on top of some basic cleaning tasks either - but these were promptly put right when we spoke to the staff. Overall, however, this is a comfortable hotel and one of the most relaxing that I have ever visited. We booked a special deal on one of the state rooms, which cost around £110 per night for Dinner, Bed and Breakfast. The view from the room across the lake was idyllic, and beyond the lake are the woods that form part of this hotel’s 600 acres of grounds. The staff here are professional but so laid back that nothing seems to phase them, and nobody minded when our dog used the acoustics of the grand staircase to announce his presence every morning. They even issue poop scoop bags if you need them.

The food at the Kitley House is very good and there is a lot of it so I have reviewed the country house restaurant separately. After tea we took a walk around the grounds for a look back at the hotel. The building was built in the fifteenth century and it has not been spoiled with unsightly modern additions.

The drive from the main road is a mile long, so we decided to eat at the hotel as we could not be sure how we would need to travel to find the nearest good pub. In fact the village of Yealmpton is very close by and it has two pubs serving food in the evening. My favourite is the dog friendly Volunteer (01752 880463), situated on the main A379 as it passes through the village. If I returned I would definitely spend an evening at this pub.

The real bonus at this hotel is the freedom to roam around the gardens and grounds, which extend right down to a small shingle beach. The walk passes along the side of the fishing lake past a weir and through woodland, streams and unspoiled pastures with stunning views across the valley. These extensive private grounds mean you can walk for at least two hours without crossing a road or seeing another walker. This is great when you have a dog, although you must check he is not muddy before he romps back inside the hotel. The attractions of the hotel include regular Murder Mystery Nights and of course its location lends itself admirable to weddings. This summer there were wedding bookings every weekend so you will probably need to book your stay between Sunday and Thursday.

Overall the Kitley House is highly recommended for location, ambience, location, staff and food. Many hotels promise the chance to relax and unwind, but few deliver.