5 Geranium, Oakdene Forest Park

5 Geranium is a self-contained holiday home on Oakdene Forest Park at St Leonards, a wooded holiday park on the western edge of the New Forest just outside Ringwood. It suits dog owners who want the run of a park rather than a hotel corridor: the lodge has its own decked terrace and parking, and the woodland surrounding the site is walkable straight from the door.

Dogs are welcome for £30 per dog, per stay - a flat charge for the whole visit rather than a nightly one, which keeps the cost predictable on a longer break. Most of the dog-friendly credit goes to the park itself. Owners travelling with pets report that almost everything on site accepts dogs, that the walking routes through the surrounding woodland are the main draw, and that general and dog-waste bins sit close enough to the accommodation to be genuinely convenient.

The lodge is described as clean, warm and well equipped, with two toilets, an open-plan kitchen and dining table, board games and parking for two cars. Guests with dogs single out the terrace as a safe spot for a dog to potter about, and the position on the park - close to reception and the entertainment building but in a quiet corner - as the reason it works with dogs and children at the same time.

The facilities are shared with the wider park: indoor and outdoor pools, a gym, sauna and steam room, a restaurant, shop and playground. That cuts both ways. This is a holiday park rather than a secluded cottage, with an arcade and an entertainment venue on site, so a dog that finds crowds and noise stressful may be happier somewhere quieter. The on-site shop also draws consistent comments on pricing, so stock up in Ringwood on the way in. For a New Forest base with facilities on the doorstep and a modest pet charge, 5 Geranium earns a 4.7/5 paw rating.