Grand Hotel Llandudno

The Grand Hotel occupies a hard-to-beat position at the western end of Llandudno's promenade, beside the pier and under the Great Orme, and it is one of the few large seafront hotels in the town that takes dogs as routine trade rather than as an exception. It is also a big, old, budget-priced hotel, and those two facts pull against each other in ways worth understanding before booking.

What works for dog owners works well. There is a designated dog-friendly section at breakfast, so nobody has to choose between eating and leaving a dog in the room, and the front-of-house team has a real reputation for making a fuss of visiting dogs - the breakfast sausage appears to be something of an institution. Guests returning year after year with the same dog mention being remembered, which counts for something in a hotel this size. The Orme, the promenade and the West Shore are all walkable from the door.

The reservations are just as consistent. Room allocation is the practical one: a fifth-floor room here is a long way from the pavement when a dog needs to go out, and guests with dogs have found themselves up there, so ask for a low floor when you book. A charge applies for dogs but the amount is not published on the booking listing, and guests have arrived without being told - some describe a refundable deposit, others a flat per-dog nightly charge - so confirm the figure with the hotel directly rather than assuming.

The wider caveat is the building itself. This is a two-star hotel at two-star prices, and opinion splits sharply between guests who found it clean, friendly and good value and those who found their room dated, dingy or overdue for decorating, with noise from function rooms and neighbouring rooms a recurring complaint. Paying to upgrade has not reliably fixed it.

Best for dog owners who want a seafront base in Llandudno at a modest price, care more about walking the Orme with their dog than about the decor, and remember to ask for a low floor.