Ringwood Hall Hotel & Spa

Ringwood Hall is a Georgian country house hotel at Brimington on the edge of Chesterfield, set in gardens that guests consistently single out, with a restaurant, a bar and a separate spa in the grounds. It is a large and slightly grand old building carrying the wear that goes with that, and it takes dogs - but where it puts them is the thing to understand before booking.

Dog-friendly rooms are in the coach-house block rather than the main hotel. For some dog owners that is a plus: ground level, its own entrance, no walking a dog through a busy lobby and up a staircase in a building with no lift. For others it has been a disappointment, because the coach-house rooms are visibly a tier below the main house, and some have been reported as damp, over-warm and carrying a strong pet smell despite an additional per-night charge for pet cleaning. Guests who booked a particular room and then mentioned a dog have also found themselves moved out to the annexe. If the room matters as much as the dog does, ask what you are actually being given.

Set against that, the welcome for the dogs themselves is warm, and dog owners do come back for repeat stays. The grounds are good for a stretch before dinner, the staff are widely described as friendly and efficient, and the buffet breakfast gets steady praise. The restaurant has a designated dog-friendly section, though it is not always seated as such, so it is worth confirming when you book a table that you are in the right part of the room.

No written pet policy is published for the property, so the fee, the number of dogs and any size limit all need settling directly with the hotel. Ringwood Hall suits a dog owner who wants space, grounds and a proper dinner more than a pristine room, and who will ask specific questions about the coach-house accommodation before committing. The spa, incidentally, is charged separately and is not included in the room rate.