Dukes Bath

Dukes Bath occupies a grand Georgian townhouse on Great Pulteney Street, one of the handsomest streets in the city, and it accepts well-behaved dogs in all of its bedrooms rather than restricting them to a couple of rooms at the back. That is worth something in central Bath, where the smarter hotels often either say no or tuck the pet rooms out of the way.

The position is the strongest argument for bringing a dog here. Henrietta Park is just off the street, with Sydney Gardens and the Kennet and Avon canal towpath at the far end of it, and the whole Georgian centre is walkable, so exercising a dog between sights needs no planning at all. Reception staff draw warm praise from guests travelling with dogs, and as a traditional city hotel with shared corridors and public rooms it suits a calm, settled dog rather than a boisterous one.

The sticking point is cost. A pet charge applies on top of the room rate and is not published in advance, which has caught dog owners out: it has been reported at £50 for a two-night stay, and felt to be steep against room rates that are already at the top end for the city. Ask for the current pet charge when you book and add it to the total before you commit, rather than meeting it at check-in.

Feedback on the rooms themselves is more mixed. The location and the staff earn consistent praise, while the decor has been described as tired and not quite living up to the premium room descriptions. Dukes Bath earns a 4.0 out of 5 paw rating: a well-placed, dog-accepting base in the middle of Bath for owners who want to walk everywhere, provided the pet charge is agreed up front and you are not expecting a recently refurbished room.