Garden Suite, Rhuddlan

Garden Suite is a self-contained apartment in Rhuddlan on the North Wales coast, and the reason dog owners keep rebooking it is in the name. The garden is large, level and properly enclosed, so a dog can be let out to run rather than walked round the block, and there is a hot tub and a sheltered patio for the humans. It earns a 4.8/5 paw rating.

Dogs stay free, as the property does not charge a pet fee, but they are accepted on request rather than automatically, so ask before you book. The apartment is open-plan, with the bedroom area, living space and a well-equipped kitchen in one room and a separate bathroom, which suits a couple or a small family rather than a group. It is worth knowing that the garden opens directly onto the bedroom area, so a muddy dog can be indoors and on the bedding in seconds; there is a polite notice about it, and some owners bring a spare fitted sheet.

Rhuddlan itself is quiet, with the castle and a couple of dog-friendly pubs a five-minute walk away, and it works as a base for the whole coast: Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno and Conwy are all short drives, with beaches at the end of most of them.

The caveats are about privacy rather than the dog welcome. The apartment sits alongside the owners' home, and guests have found conversations and the owners' own dogs audible from the garden, which takes the edge off the hot tub; the bed being in the main living space and thin sound insulation come up too. Cleanliness is generally praised, though arrival standards have slipped on occasion, and August pricing has been called steep for the size.

Garden Suite suits a couple or small family with dogs who want a secure garden and a hot tub within easy reach of the North Wales seaside towns, and who do not mind a compact, open-plan space with neighbours close by.