Foxwood Lodge Private Hot Tub Getaway

Foxwood Lodge is a self-catering lodge with a private hot tub on a small country holiday park at Eshott in Northumberland, and the site is set up to take dogs rather than merely tolerate them. The park is quiet and rural, dogs are welcome throughout the grounds on a lead, and the decked area around the hot tub is enclosed enough that guests describe it as safe for dogs and small children at the same time.

The lodge is comfortable and well presented, with a large main bedroom, a bath as well as a shower, strong heating and fox-themed touches through the decor. Entry is by lock box, so arrival is straightforward whatever time you get there, and the hosts are consistently described as quick to answer questions. Dog owners repeatedly mention the security of the plot as the thing that let them relax: the lodge is not overlooked, the field opposite has deer in it, and the whole park is quiet.

The location earns its keep. Alnwick and its garden, the harbour at Amble and the Northumberland coast are all short drives, and there is a small shop on site with a large supermarket a few minutes away. The park's own rule is that only assistance dogs go inside its buildings, so check before you plan an evening in the on-site tavern with your dog in tow.

The one thing that comes up again and again is the standard of the changeover clean, and it is dog-related. Guests have arrived to a wet-dog smell on entering, dog hair through the furniture and carpets that took repeated emptying of the vacuum to shift, hairs left on the sofa, and bedding that did not smell fresh. Others found the lodge broadly clean but still in need of a deep clean, with stained carpets. If you are sensitive to that, or your own dog reacts to another dog's scent, it is worth raising with the hosts before you arrive.

Two smaller points for dog owners. The decking around the hot tub becomes treacherously slippery on frosty mornings, to the point that dogs have struggled to stand on it, so it needs care or a mat in winter. The hot tub pump also cycles on and off through the night and is audible from the main bedroom.

Foxwood Lodge suits a couple or small family bringing a dog who want a hot tub, a secure plot and the Northumberland coast within reach, and who will check the state of the lodge on arrival. It earns a 4.5/5 paw rating.