Devon, England

Dog friendly hotels in Devon

We will include here Dog Friendly Hotels in Devon that our correspondents report on. Giving our usual bone rating, with six being the highest award.

Buckerell Village

Deer Park Country Hotel in Buckerell Village, Devon . This is my favourite place in the world. I have been here a few times and I love it so much. I start crying when we are going up the drive! The hotel is set in beautiful grounds (80 acres I think). You can have a really good romp around, there is even a river and an otter trail. I have never seen an otter but I think that might be because I’m too noisy!

There are a couple of water bowls around outside and plenty of bins. In the room there is always a bed and bowl especially for me. There are also some biscuits which always makes me feel really welcome. The rooms are nice and large so plenty of room for my bed without the humans tripping over me. The only downside to the rooms is they can be quite hot for a black dog. Mum always leaves the window open for me. We like to stay in the garden rooms as it means easy access in case I need to nip to the loo in the night and also they are very quiet and peaceful. It is only a short walk across the grounds to the main part of the hotel to the bar.

Overall Excellent

The only place I am not allowed is the restaurant. However, the staff are happy to set up a table in the bar so I could join in too. Quite often after a long day of lots of fun I am quite happy to curl up in my room and let the humans go to the restaurant on their own. The other thing to say is that there are wellingtons on hand for the humans, towels for me, dog biscuits on hand for when I feel like a treat and blankets to cover all the sofas in the lounge and bar so I can curl up next to my humans like I do at home.

And to top it all off there is a pamper hut just for us dogs! It really is the finest luxury for a dog and I couldn’t ask for anything more. For that reason this hotel gets 6 bones – I would give it more if there were more available!! Cinders

Exeter

Hotel du Vin Exeter – I really like this hotel. Mum says it is a bit annoying if I need to go to the loo in the night, but I don’t need to go too often. It is a city centre hotel so there isn’t a lot of space for me to go to the loo outside, but there are plenty of bins and there are water bowls in reception and the bar for us dogs. There is always a bowl and bed in my room just for me and the rooms are quite spacious and quiet if you are a nervous dog. It is an old eye hospital and mum says it is so quiet because it’s an old building and the walls are nice and thick. Dogs are allowed in the bar and in the summer the restaurant has tables outside that dogs are welcome to sit at.

All of the staff make a fuss of me which is really nice too. There are no dog biscuits available which I was a bit cross at. But then I was given a whole plate of bacon to myself at breakfast so that more than made up for it!
The hotel has lots of floors so it can mean going in a lift to get to your room. I find this really fun though so don’t mind a bit. This hotel is 5 minutes from an 8 mile walk along the river to a village called Topsham which is really good fun. The only reason this hotel doesn’t get the full 6 bones rating is the lack of toilet facilities so this hotel gets 5 bones out of 6. Cinders

Sidmouth

Woodlands Hotel, Sidmouth . I did not have a very good experience. I felt like a second class citizen! They say they are dog friendly but they aren’t really.  I was excited when we arrived, because the owner of the hotel was a lovely Labrador. We were shown to our room. I was told under no circumstances was I allowed on the furniture which isn’t a problem, but the hotel didn’t provide me with a bed or bowl so where did they expect me to sleep?! Good job Mum brought my bed with us. 

I was allowed in the bar so we asked if we could eat breakfast in the bar, so that I didn’t have to be left in the room on my own. We were told this wasn’t possible and not only that I wasn’t allowed in the room on my own so would have to sit in the car at breakfast. 

I popped out to the outside facilities to do my business which was ok. There was a nice patch of grass, but when my humans asked where there was a bin to get rid of my waste we were told we would have to take it away with us. All in all not a great experience. However fortunately Mum and Dad found a lovely restaurant called Jukes down the road for dinner where they had a variety of different dog biscuits and lots of cuddles available so I was happy in the end!

I give this hotel only 1 bone out of six. I was allowed in the bar and they did have some grass outside for me to have a good sniff around. Cinders

Chagford

Three Crowns – Chagford – Whilst this was good, there were little things that made it more difficult. On the good side there was enough room for our beds and bowl in the room. You can sit with their humans while they eat and there is a nice courtyard if you can get them to sit outside with you for eating, which is very nice. However, the car park is small and even if you have a space booked you can find someone in it. The alternative is round the corner a little distance away so not somewhere you want to sit without them.

Going for walks is nice as it’s a lovely place but initially you are along the roads and have to walk a little way to find any grass or a bin. It does make going out in the night if you prefer grass a little difficult. The staff were welcoming but we did need to take our own beds and bowls. We give it three bones.