Samuels Cottage, Lanreath

Samuels Cottage is a large self-catering house in the middle of Lanreath, a quiet village in south-east Cornwall, and it is set up for groups travelling with several dogs rather than one. Up to four pets are allowed, and parties regularly bring three or four without the house feeling crowded. There is a stair gate at the bottom of the stairs, because dogs are not permitted upstairs, and owners whose dogs already sleep downstairs at home tend to find that arrangement helpful rather than restrictive.

The ground-floor space is what makes it work: a big, genuinely well-equipped kitchen, plenty of seating, a downstairs toilet and a games room with a pool table. The garden is large and fenced, so dogs are secure once they are out there, and the village around it is easy-going about dogs. The community shop and post office cover most essentials, and the local pub is next door.

The garden needs a clear warning, though, because it is the one thing dog owners consistently raise. It rises away from the house in levels: two steps up to a raised cobbled path, then eleven steep steps to the grassed area at the top, with no proper handrail. Part of that upper level is a raised seating terrace with an unprotected edge that drops around four feet onto cobbles, and one visiting dog fell from it and was hurt. Others have independently asked for a wall or railing there, noted that the cobbles are slippery when wet, and reported that their dogs disliked walking on them. Anyone bringing an older dog, a puppy or a dog that bolts should look at the outside space carefully before booking.

Two smaller points come up as well. The house adjoins the pub's beer garden, so dogs that react to people will have something to react to, and at least one party arrived to find the garden had not been cleared of the previous guests' dog mess at changeover. Beaches are the compensation, with Whitsand Bay's four miles of sand, Lantic Bay and the coast around Looe all within a short drive. Samuels Cottage earns 4.4/5 for dogs: plenty of space and a genuine welcome for a multi-dog party, with an outside area that demands supervision.