Ellenborough Park

Ellenborough Park is a five-star country house hotel just outside Cheltenham, on the edge of the racecourse, and on paper it is one of the more seriously dog-oriented luxury hotels in the Cotswolds. The hotel sets aside a good number of dog-friendly rooms, including a handful of Pooch Bedrooms that come with their own enclosed back garden, and dogs staying over are looked after with a bed, bowls and treats, plus a dog-grooming Paw Spa on site.

The practical details are worth getting straight before you book. Up to two dogs can share a room, with no size limit, for a charge of around £30 per dog, per night. Dogs are only allowed in certain room categories, not the luxury rooms in the main house, so it is essential to book a specifically dog-friendly room and to tell the hotel directly that you are bringing a dog, especially if you book through another website. Indoors, dogs need to be on a lead and are not allowed on the furniture.

Where dogs can go is more limited than the glossy billing suggests. They are welcome in the Atrium and the Horse Box Brasserie and out across the grounds, but the grand Great Hall and the main restaurant are kept dog-free, and the Great Hall is often given over to afternoon tea during the day. Owners hoping to relax with their dog in the hotel's most beautiful spaces may find the dog-friendly areas a step down from the five-star surroundings elsewhere.

For all that, the staff are friendly and helpful, breakfast is well regarded, and the estate itself gives lovely walking on the doorstep, with the wider Cotswolds close by. It is best suited to dog owners who want genuine luxury and are happy to work around the room and access rules rather than expecting their dog everywhere. On the strength of guest experience so far it earns a 3.9/5 paw rating, held back not by a lack of facilities but by how restricted and occasionally confusing the dog arrangements can feel in practice.