Ocean Retreat Norfolk, Trimingham

Ocean Retreat Norfolk is a small guest house on the coast road at Trimingham, set between Cromer and Mundesley with the sea directly in front and the clifftop path a short walk away. It is a bed and breakfast in the older sense: a handful of rooms in a converted post house, a public bar at the back, breakfast cooked to order, and owners who are visibly proud of the place.

Dogs are taken, but the terms are worth pinning down before you arrive. The property charges £15 a night for a small or medium dog and £20 for a large one, and guests travelling with dogs have found that charge is not always flagged on the booking route they used, so it can land as a surprise at check-in. Confirm the dog rate and that the room you have booked is one that takes dogs when you reserve, whichever site you book through.

The bigger practical point is the building. Bedrooms are upstairs and the staircase is steep enough that a dog unwilling to be carried up and down becomes a real problem, and dog owners have cut stays short over it. This is a house that suits a small, confident, stair-happy dog and works badly for a large, elderly or nervous one. Guests also report an animal smell in the house on arrival, and air freshener working hard to cover one downstairs, so housekeeping around pets looks inconsistent rather than reliable.

What is genuinely good here is the setting and the hosts. The sea views from the front rooms are the reason to come, breakfast gets consistent praise, parking is free, and the beach and clifftop walks at Trimingham and Mundesley are on the doorstep. Some bookings share a bathroom and the bar downstairs can carry noise into the evening, so it is not a quiet-at-all-costs choice.

At 3.7/5 on paws, Ocean Retreat Norfolk suits owners of a small dog who want a sea-view breakfast stop on this stretch of the north Norfolk coast and will happily sort the dog charge out in advance. Anyone with a big dog, or anyone who needs a ground-floor room, should look elsewhere.