Mayfield, Gosport

Mayfield is a two-bedroom terraced town house in Gosport that sleeps up to six, and it is kitted out for dogs more deliberately than most self-catering lets of its size. Dog towels and bowls are provided as standard, so the kit you would normally pack takes up no room in the car. It is a whole house with its own front door, and the town centre and everyday amenities are within walking distance.

That practical welcome is the reason to book it, and it comes with a trade-off guests raise often enough to be worth stating plainly: the house can smell of dog when you walk in, particularly in the downstairs bedroom and living room. If you are travelling with your own dog you may not mind, and some say they stopped noticing after the first day, but anyone sensitive to it should go in knowing. Reports on cleanliness are mixed alongside this, with the kitchen mentioned as needing more attention than it had been given.

Parking is the other honest caveat. Mayfield Road is a terraced street with no allocated space, so you take what is free. That is normal for the area, but a nuisance if you arrive late with a car full of dogs and luggage.

Gosport itself is a practical base for the Solent. The waterfront and the passenger ferry across to Portsmouth are close by, Stokes Bay gives you a long shingle shore with room to walk, and Alver Valley Country Park has open green space inside the town boundary. At 4.4/5 on paws, Mayfield is a sensible choice for a group who want space, a house already equipped for dogs and easy access to the coast, and who will take a slightly worn-in feel over paying more for polish.