Lancaster Crescent, Tattershall Lakes

This is a private three-bedroom caravan with its own hot tub on Tattershall Lakes Country Park in Lincolnshire, and the format is what makes it work for dogs. You park directly in front, the decking runs most of the length of the van with a patch of grass beside it, and there are no shared corridors or reception areas to walk a dog through. For owners who have brought dogs, the decking and the lake walks are where the dog spends the trip.

The walking is the strongest part of the offer. Paths run right round the park and the lakes, and other guests on site are used to dogs and children moving about. The park also keeps a dog-friendly pub with its own dog menu, so an evening out need not mean leaving anyone behind. Some other facilities are closed to dogs on hygiene grounds, worth weighing before you buy the paid activity passes: walking the lakes costs nothing.

Check the breed rules before you book. Size is not the issue and the park says any dog that fits through the door is welcome, but it turns away XL Bullies, Pit Bull Terriers and the other types named in the Dangerous Dogs Act, along with any dog legally required to be muzzled. Dogs must also stay tethered on the park and cannot be left alone in the van.

The caveats are real and need saying. Cleanliness is the recurring complaint, and some of it is dog-specific: a strong dog smell in the van, pet hair left from previous stays, hairs in the fridge, and crockery needing a re-wash on arrival. Consumables are hit and miss too, with arrivals finding no toilet roll or washing-up liquid despite them being listed. The park also sits close to an active airbase and guests report loud training flights several times a day, which most people shrug off but a noise-reactive dog will hear.

At 4.4/5 on paws, this one suits robust, easy-going dogs whose owners want a hot tub, lake walks from the door and parking at the step, and who will pack cleaning wipes and do a quick clean-down on arrival.