8 Putsborough, Byron Woolacombe

8 Putsborough is one of the apartments in the Byron Woolacombe development, a few minutes' walk above Woolacombe Beach, and the position is the main reason to bring a dog here. Being able to walk down to the sand rather than drive and hunt for a parking space is worth a great deal in summer. Woolacombe's beach is long, and while parts of the main sands carry seasonal dog restrictions through the summer months, there is year-round walking at the Mortehoe end and along the coast path above it.

Dogs cost £35 each per stay and the apartment takes a maximum of two. The flat itself is at the smarter end of self-catering: clean, modern, properly equipped, with a good bathroom, reliable WiFi and a welcome pack of tea, coffee, milk and the basics. Reception staff earn warm reports for being quick and helpful, and the building has a pool and a gym, though both close at 6pm.

Two things are worth knowing before you book with a dog. The first is that there is no grass immediately outside - the development sits above the village, so every toilet trip means the walk down the hill and back up again, several times a day. The second is that this is a flat in a shared building rather than a standalone cottage, and because the development welcomes dogs throughout, guests staying here have reported dogs barking back and forth between neighbouring balconies, along with general noise carrying from adjoining flats. If your dog reacts to other dogs, or you were picturing a quiet balcony, that is the trade-off that comes with somewhere this openly dog-friendly.

The building also runs warm and has no air conditioning, which is worth factoring in for a thick-coated dog in July, and free parking is tight for a party arriving in two cars. For a dog that likes sand and sea air, though, the walk-to-the-beach position carries the 4.2/5 paw rating a long way.