Caravan - 3 Bedrooms, Sleeps 8, Kinmel Bay

This three-bedroom static caravan sleeps eight on a holiday park at Kinmel Bay, on the north Wales coast between Rhyl and Towyn, and it takes dogs. The most useful feature for an owner is the balcony, which is gated, so a dog can be let out for air without a lead and without the risk of a bolt across the park. The van is easy to find and check-in is simple.

The location does most of the work. Towyn's market and funfair are a few minutes away on foot, the beach and the long promenade towards Rhyl are close, and the coast road puts Colwyn Bay, the Little Orme and the Clwydian hills within a short drive when you want a proper walk rather than a stroll.

The caveat that matters most for anyone travelling with a dog concerns the park rather than the caravan. The van itself welcomes dogs, but access around the surrounding holiday park is restricted, and dog owners have found the areas open to them limited. It is worth establishing exactly where a dog can and cannot go before you book, particularly if you were counting on using the park's own facilities.

Condition is the other thing to weigh honestly, because feedback splits sharply. Some stays have been excellent - clean, peaceful and good value for a large family. Others describe an older van with broken blinds, marked and smelly soft furnishings, bedding that needed changing, a shower seal in poor condition and debris left on the worktops, along with a check-in delayed by several hours because the van was not ready. Facilities have not always matched what was listed.

A 3.6/5 paw rating reflects that spread. It works as a cheap, spacious base for a family with a dog who intend to spend their days on the beach and in Towyn rather than on the park, and who will look the van over on arrival and raise anything that is not right straight away. Anyone wanting a consistently high standard should book elsewhere.