Clements Cottage, Paignton

Clements Cottage sits a couple of minutes from Paignton harbour on the English Riviera, and it is a cottage that dog owners keep coming back to. The location does most of the work: the harbour, the beach, pubs and a shop are all a short walk away, Roundham Head is around the corner for a proper run, and Goodrington sands, about ten minutes on foot, allows dogs all year round. It holds a 4.6/5 paw rating.

Two dogs can stay, for a pet fee of £25 per stay. What lifts it above a place that merely tolerates dogs is the kit that is already there when you arrive: bowls, a dog towel and a blanket to throw over the sofa are all provided, which saves packing them and makes it obvious the owners expect a dog rather than merely permit one. There is a small enclosed patio for a quick let-out, and the owners keep in touch before arrival and respond to anything that needs sorting.

The honest problem is the changeover clean, and it comes up too often to gloss over. Guests have arrived to a strong smell of dogs through the cottage, dog hair and sand left on the sofa, carpets that needed more than a hoover, and even the vacuum cleaner itself smelling of dog when they used it. Plenty of others found it clean and comfortable, so this reads as an inconsistent turnaround rather than a permanently grubby house, but if you are sensitive to it, open the windows on arrival and tell the owners early. They have a good record of taking feedback well.

A few other quirks are worth knowing. The only bathroom is downstairs, which is awkward in the night and harder work for anyone less mobile; there are low beams to mind your head on; and the cottage fronts a main road, so there is some passing noise. Damp in the main bedroom has also been reported.

Clements Cottage suits dog owners who want a well-placed, dog-savvy base for the Riviera's dog-friendly beaches, do not need a garden, and will forgive a cottage that is comfortably worn in exchange for being a two-minute walk from the harbour.