Charles Hope, Hove

Charles Hope Brighton & Hove is a modern serviced-apartment complex in Hove, and for a dog owner it has a lot going for it on paper: full apartments rather than hotel rooms, green areas within the development for a quick walk, and a location about 15 minutes on foot from the seafront in one of the most dog-friendly stretches of the south coast. Dogs are explicitly welcome at a charge of £35 per pet per stay, and service animals are welcomed too.

Guests who brought dogs describe comfortable, easy stays in high-specification apartments that are quiet, clean and well equipped, with helpful guest-services staff on the phone when something was needed. Several make the point that Hove itself is easy going with dogs, and that being able to step out into the development's own grounds before a longer walk takes the pressure off arrivals and evenings.

Set against that, the service is inconsistent enough that it needs saying. Reviews from across the property, including from guests travelling with pets, report apartments found unlocked and accessible on arrival, units handed over unclean, and basics missing at check-in: no towels, no toilet paper, no hand or body wash, no bin liners. Check-in itself is a recurring sore point, with several guests describing long, stressful arrivals, unanswered contact attempts and complaints that went unacknowledged afterwards. There is also ongoing construction around the development, which can be noisy.

Parking is limited and books out, which matters more with a dog, because unloading bags from a visitor space with animals in the car is harder than it sounds. This is a good-value, well-appointed base for exploring Brighton and Hove with a dog, but it is an apartment operation rather than a staffed hotel, and it is worth confirming what will actually be waiting in the apartment before you travel.