Acorn Cottage, Redberth

Acorn Cottage sits on a small Pembrokeshire holding at Redberth, a few minutes inland from Tenby and Saundersfoot, and it puts more thought into arriving dogs than most self-catering cottages manage. Dogs are met with their own box, a bed, toys and treats laid out before you get there, and the extras carry on for the humans with wine, cakes, fresh milk and a well-stocked kitchen.

The number of dogs allowed and any charge are not published anywhere, so confirm both when you book. What the cottage does offer is a genuinely dog-shaped setup: open-plan living space that works for adults and dogs together, an enclosed back yard, and staff based on site who guests describe as friendly and quick to turn up when something needs fixing.

The animals are the thing that makes this place either perfect or unsuitable, depending on your dog. There are pigs, goats and llamas on the holding, and a tour with feeding is part of the experience. For a curious, steady dog that is a highlight; for one that fixates on livestock it is a reason to look elsewhere.

Two practical caveats. The back yard is laid with slate rather than grass, which guests with dogs have asked to see softened, so a dog that likes to stretch out on a lawn will not find one here. And the dog walks are not on the property, they start a short way up the road, so every walk begins with a few minutes of tarmac. The hot tub has drawn the occasional temperature complaint on arrival, and there has been a report of a previous party leaving dog mess on the stone seating area, so a quick look round the garden before you let a dog out is sensible.

Tenby beach and Saundersfoot are both ten to fifteen minutes by car. For a dog owner who wants a peaceful, well-equipped base with farm animals as part of the appeal, Acorn Cottage earns a 4.7/5 paw rating.