Gallery Apartment, Stratford Upon Avon

Gallery Apartment is a first-floor flat on Greenhill Street, about eight minutes' walk from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon, and it takes dogs without making a production of it. That matters in a town where most central accommodation does not. Guests travelling with dogs describe the booking as straightforward and the welcome as relaxed rather than grudging.

Be clear-eyed about the outdoor space, because reviews disagree on it. There is a small area off the kitchen that some dog owners found genuinely useful, while others arrived expecting a garden and found no proper back space for a dog at all. Treat this as a city-centre flat rather than a house with grounds. What compensates is the patch of grass with a waste bin almost directly opposite, by the hotel across the road, which turns the last walk of the night into a thirty-second job rather than a trek.

The flat itself is well kept, with reviewers calling out spotless cleaning, good-quality bedding and towels, and tea and coffee provided. The owner has a reputation for flexibility, including moving a booking when guests fell ill days before arrival. Restaurants of most kinds are on the doorstep, and the riverside paths along the Avon and the meadows past the theatre give a dog a proper stretch a few minutes from the door.

The location cuts both ways. Being above a busy street means noise, and guests have been kept awake by people shouting outside the takeaway below at night, which is worth knowing if your dog is unsettled by sound. The mattress is on the soft side. No pet fee, dog limit or size restriction is published, so confirm those with the owner before booking. At 4.4/5, Gallery Apartment is best suited to a short Stratford city break with a small, settled dog, rather than to anyone who needs a garden.