Bank House Pitlochry

Bank House is the dog-friendly half of a hotel in the middle of Pitlochry, and the arrangement is unusual enough to be worth understanding before you book. Dogs stay in Bank House, a separate building from the main hotel, and there is no charge for them. The main hotel is not dog friendly, though Bank House guests are welcome to use it - which in practice means the pool, the spa, the gym and the breakfast room are yours, but the dog does not come with you.

That separation is what dog owners rate most. A building given over to guests with dogs means nobody is edging round you in a corridor and nobody minds a bark, and it gives the dog somewhere to settle away from the traffic of a busy hotel. The flip side is that your neighbours have dogs too, and barking has carried between rooms, so a light sleeper travelling with an anxious dog should factor that in.

Breakfast draws strong praise, and staff come up repeatedly as warm and helpful, including going out of their way over belongings left behind. Be aware that Bank House is not connected to the main hotel by an internal corridor, whatever the booking description implies: getting to breakfast means crossing a road and walking round the building, which is fine in good weather and less so in a Highland downpour. Parking is the other practical gripe, with limited spaces and none allocated to the Bank House building.

Pitlochry is one of the easiest dog bases in Highland Perthshire. The town centre, the river walk, the dam and fish ladder, and the path up Ben Vrackie all start within walking distance, and Loch Tummel and the southern Cairngorms are a short drive. With a 4.4/5 paw rating, Bank House suits dog owners who want a proper hotel stay with hotel facilities and are content to leave the dog in the room while they use them.