Cola's Tonne, Salcombe

Cola's Tonne is a smart, well-finished cottage in Malborough, a couple of miles inland from Salcombe, and it makes a good South Hams base provided you know what the outdoor space actually amounts to before you arrive.

That is the point guests with dogs raise again and again. The description of a garden sets an expectation the property does not meet: what there is comes to a small decked patio at the rear and a shared front drive. Parties travelling with dogs have said plainly that there is nowhere on the plot for a dog to relieve itself, that the front drive cannot be used off-lead because it is shared, and that the gate onto it gets left open by other guests however carefully you shut it. Some have felt the dog-friendly billing was not borne out in practice. If you are booking on the strength of enclosed outdoor space, this is not the cottage for it.

Set that aside and the rest is well liked. Guests describe a spacious, clean and comfortable interior with an open-plan upstairs opening onto the patio, two bedrooms both en suite, comfortable beds and a well-stocked kitchen, and several have rebooked for the following year. Dogs seem content indoors, with one recurring practical note: the open stairs tempt a small dog up and down, so a travel stair gate is worth packing. A few guests would like the usual welcome extras - milk, tea, oven gloves - and were surprised to be asked to strip the beds after a full week.

Cola's Tonne earns a 4.5/5 paw rating. It suits a couple, or two couples, with a settled dog who will be out walking the coast and the Salcombe estuary all day and want somewhere smart and quiet to come back to - not a party who need to open a door and let the dog out into a secure garden.