
If your family includes one, or more, furry member, then this article is for you — because it’s really nice to go on holiday with your whole family, and in the UK that’s easy to do: there are lots of dog friendly hotels throughout the country. Many hotels accept well-behaved dogs with open arms (and some even take naughty ones!) with welcomes that might include food and water bowls, treats, and a comfortable bed. Some of our favourite dog friendly hotels in the UK even have dog biscuits behind the bar, or on reception, most offer conveniently located outdoor space and the promise of a good fuss too.
For the Album

- Those brave enough to venture into central London with a dog, should remember that plenty of dogs actually live there, and that the Royal Parks are a dog’s dream. Dogs who deserve a treat in a different stratosphere from the chuckable/edible variety, can be accommodated at ultra-grand Claridge’s in Mayfair which has to be one of the ultimate dog friendly hotels in the UK. Super-luxurious and glamorous, with opportunities for see-and-be-seen walkies in Green Park or Hyde Park.
- Swinton Park looks more like a castle than a stately home, with towers, turrets and crenelated battlements, huge windows and sweeping parkland surrounds — 250 acres in all, part of 20,000 belonging to the whole estate. Inside are 32 large rooms and suites, plus two restaurants, and an assortment of reception rooms and lounges. Expect oil pantings in gilt frames and long corridors clad with tapestries. Onsite activities are broad, and include pony trekking,a cooking school, fishing, golf,, falconry, wine appreciation, and croquet; plus there’s an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, and a spa and games room. And an assortment of dog friendly rooms mean there's something for every furry family.
For a Rural Retreat

- Forss House is an atmospheric country house, built in 1810, in 20 acres of relatively remote Scottish woodland. This is the perfect launchpad for fishing, walking, stalking and shooting, and other outdoor pursuits. There are 14 rooms and suites to the hotel, a good selection of which are dog friendly, plus communal areas with welcoming fireplaces and a great selection of whisky.
- The Grosvenor Stockbridge is a new hotel with plenty of dog-friendly garden rooms. Surrounded by some of the best fly-fishing in the UK, it's popular with the country set looking to spend days on the River Test or shooting in the surrounding countryside. Evenings are spent enjoying the delicious food and drink The Grosvenor has to offer and sampling the cocktails in the stunning new bar.
For an Adventure

- Bodmin Jail Hotel is actually within the historic walls of Bodmin Jail, and the 70 rooms and suites really are in the old cells — though thoroughly and sleekly converted and extended, to include indulgent bathrooms and luxury linens. There’s a smart restaurant, and a more relaxed tavern, plus a gym. And there’s plenty of space for families, and lots of opportunity for creating memories! Dogs are accommodated on the ground floor, and staff will set you up with food and water bowls, a bed, and an extra sausage at breakfast.
For Walkies

- Right under the Snowdonia’s nose, the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel is an historic mountaineers’ base, with 16 rooms in a range of comfortable configurations. Hearty dinners are announced to guests with a gong, and the breakfasts are designed to set you up for a good climb. One of the walls in the bar is made of halved tree trunks, all polished up, and there is home-made lemonade in summer and mulled wine in winter. Popular with self-walkers as well as dog walkers, the hotel is the definition of homely with old-fashioned but spotless rooms. Dogs are welcome here for a very modest £5 per day.
- Idyllically located in the charming New Forest, The Bell Inn is a small, but perfectly formed inn. Its 28 rooms and suites are comfortably decorated, and eight of them, on the ground floor, welcome dogs. There’s also a buzzy pub bar, and a restaurant specialising in locally sourced ingredients. Well priced, and a great family getaway.
- The second Bell Inn on our list is a small owner-run pub with rooms in the tiny Cotswolds village of Langford. It’s also ideal for walkers, with open fireplaces, thick stone walls, and dark, cosy tones. The pub food is excellent, seasonal and local, and you can eat in the dining room, by the fire, or in the beer garden.
For Country House Chic

- The Linthwaite House Hotel is a slick, but comfortable Edwardian country house conversion, overlooking Lake Windermere and the Lakeland Fells. Its 30 rooms are chic, contemporary and comfortable, decorated with plenty of art and colour; its smart stand-alone suites, are just up the hill from the main house, and have cathedral ceilings and windows all the way up to them, private terraces and log fires (some come with private outdoor hot tubs). Linthwaite also has an award-winning restaurant. Perfect for families, romantics, walkers and fisher-folk alike. There are three dog friendly rooms here, all on the ground floor with direct access to the gardens.
For a Spa Break
- Cowley Manor is a devilishly hip, grown up Cotswolds retreat for urbanites. It is hard to imagine anyone turning up in tweed with a grinning tongue-lolling muddy spaniel, designer dogs only at this super-spoiling, Grade II Listed retreat. Cowley has 55 acres, two pools, a gym and award-winning modernist spa, a sun-trap of a terrace, a ‘lifestyle shop’, and a classic British cuisine in the restaurant. Dogs are welcome in seven rooms (all in the stables) and are provided with bed, water bowl and treats.
- Mar Hall, near Glasgow, is a dog friendly hotel beloved of Glasgow footballer’s dogs. This imposing mansion turned golf and spa hotel a good twenty minutes from the centre of town, with great views over the River Clyde and good dog walking. There’s also a spa with an extensive therapy list, 53 rooms and suites, and both formal and informal dining options.
For the Beach!

- The Nare is a hotel located right up against a sandy stretch of Cornish coastline close to the Eden project. Its 36 rooms and suites are decorated as if this were still a luxurious private-feeling home, with Persian rugs, antiques, and heritage prints. There’s also a croquet lawn, a spa-with-a-view, indoor and outdoor pools, and two restaurants. Great for families, and dogs — a nightly table d’hote doggy menu is included in the nightly charge!
- The Seaview, in the village of Seaview -—one of the loveliest on the north coast of the Isle of Wight — has views across the Solent and a delightful variety of seaside houses of all shapes and colours opposite. There is a cosy bar full of sea-doggery where owners and dogs can get extremely comfortable. Bedrooms are comfortable and simply furnished. Some dogs like knowing that they are never more than 50 yards from plunging into the sea.
For Families

- Dog friendly and family friendly, the Bedruthan Hotel is a Cornish treasure, with spectacular views along Mawgan Porth on the north coast. It isn’t a beauty from the outside, but the views of the coastline through its many floor-to-ceiling windows are properly breath-taking. And there are facilities for all: three pools, a spa, two restaurants and plenty to do.
- Now more than 350 years old, but with fresh-as-a-daisy decor, The Gin Trap Inn is a fantastic little coaching inn on the North Norfolk coast. Its 13 rooms and suites, and three separate, two bedroom cottages, are all individually designed and decorated to make the most of their original features, but with contemporary ideas about light, colour and comfort. The pub bit of the inn is excellent, offering great food, a great pub garden, complete with an awesome climbing frame, and a cosy inside space, with oil paintings and great lighting.
For Romantics

- The Whittling House is a restaurant with rooms (ten of them), close to the beach, near Alnwick on the Northumberland coast. Each room is uniquely decorated, with a cosy but contemporary blend of furniture and fabrics, and a colour scheme that wouldn’t be out of place in an interiors magazine. The restaurant is definitely the main event, though; it’s buzzing and convivial, with a great menu of seasonal British dishes and plenty of seafood, plus local ales and spirits. There’s a friendly bar too. Doggy arrivals receive their own beds in the rooms.
For Pub Dogs

- The West Arms Hotel in Wrexham, North Wales is a wonderfully preserved 16th century inn in the foothills of the Berwyn Hills. The 16 rooms are cosy and unique, decorated with a smattering of antiques and art - and all have contemporary bathrooms. Expect warm fires in inglenooks for dogs to stretch out in front of after a long walk in the Berwyn Hills, and a good, seasonal pub menu.
- The Royal Oak is a charming, traditional inn, in picture-perfect Tetbury. There are just six rooms and suites, decorated with a stylish eye for both traditional and contemporary design: think exposed stone, pale wood floors, and simple, contemporary furnishings. The pub serves traditional pub food at a good price. Dogs stay on the ground floor for free.
- The Masons Arms is another pub with rooms upstairs, and cottages attached — these sleep up to six. The exterior is whitewashed and traditional, overlooking the Winter Valley, only three miles from Lake Windermere. The decor is rustic, but contemporary, with stripped wood floors and chunky wooden furniture in the seven rooms, and cosy fireplaces and mis-matched chairs in the pub itself. There’s a great menu of pub classics.
For Great Value
- Strattons Hotel in Swaffam blends modern and traditional in a comfy mix. The former family home of Les and Vanessa Scott, the ten guestrooms are all individually decorated with funky furniture and prints. Plus they serve award winning food. Doggy visitors should look out for the potentially alarming carved bird and shaggy sofa in the entrance hall. And try the afternoon tea.
- The Ship Inn in Rye is an historic pub with rooms in a fantastic spot in central Rye. There are just ten rooms: simple, light and comfortable, and a good selection of them are dog-friendly, as is the pub. Rye is a great place for foodies, and The Ship Inn makes the most of the local foodie culture in their sourcing, both for the restaurant and the pub. They also have an excellent list of English wines. And you’re close to the beach.
- There’s another Ship Inn on our list, this time at the other end of the country in Fife. This Ship Inn has just six rooms, two of which are dog-friendly, plus a restaurant, and it’s home to the UK’s only Beach Cricket Club — it has its own pitch on the beach and everything!
Still not sure where to book?