Cove View, Hope Cove

Cove View is a holiday house in Hope Cove, a small former fishing village on the South Devon coast a few miles west of Salcombe. The house looks out over the water, and the setting does a lot of the work for dog owners: the South West Coast Path runs through the village, Inner Hope and Outer Hope both have beaches, and the walks out over Bolt Tail towards Bolberry Down start close by.

The interior is what guests notice first. It is spacious, comfortably furnished and properly equipped, down to decent crockery and glassware rather than the chipped odds and ends self-catering often supplies, and it feels like a home rather than a let. Dogs seem to settle quickly as a result - guests travelling with one describe their dog as relaxed and at ease in the house, which is not something every holiday let manages.

Cleanliness is rated highly, with only minor points raised. The house takes one dog per booking, and because the whole property is yours there are no shared entrances or corridors to work around.

The one thing to plan for is the front terrace. It faces the view and is a pleasant place to sit, but it is open to the front rather than enclosed, so it is not somewhere a dog can be left loose. Guests have suggested a gate would make it dog-safe, and until there is one you will want a lead to hand every time you step out that way.

Cove View earns a 4.6/5 paw rating. It suits a couple or small family with one dog who want a quiet coastal village, a proper sea view and walking straight from the door, and it is not the right choice if you need a secure enclosed garden for an escape-prone dog.