Royal Beacon Hotel, Exmouth

The Royal Beacon Hotel sits in an elevated position on The Beacon, the Georgian terrace above Exmouth that looks south over the bay, with the seafront a few minutes downhill. It is a traditional hotel rather than a boutique conversion, and for dog owners the draw is a staffed base within easy walking distance of a beach that allows dogs on marked stretches in summer and along its full length out of season.

Dogs are taken in specific rooms only, so the booking has to be flagged in advance and reception handles availability directly. The charge is GBP 20 per night for the first dog, with a further GBP 10 for a second. Two things outside the pet policy shape a dog trip here: the hotel no longer serves lunch or dinner, so evening meals mean the walk into town, and the limited on-site parking has to be booked ahead at GBP 10 per night. A GBP 100 pre-authorisation per room is taken at check-in.

Staff are the most consistent theme among guests who brought a dog, described as helpful and willing to go out of their way, and rooms have come stocked with a bowl, blanket and treats without being asked. Against that, dog owners report being put in the smaller, less scenic rooms rather than the large sea-facing ones, which is a poor trade at a nightly supplement. Check-in has occasionally lost track of a dog booking made through a third-party site, so carry the confirmation.

The building shows its age. Carpets in the dog-friendly rooms carry marks that earlier canine guests plausibly left, and because dogs are concentrated in a handful of rooms, barking from next door carries. Front-desk warmth is not uniform from one shift to the next, and the sharper reviews describe general tiredness and a dog fouling the front porch alongside it.

Best suited to owners of one settled dog who want a traditional seafront hotel with someone on reception, and who will forgive dated rooms for the walk down to the beach and the estuary path.