Kingfisher Lodge, Warminster

Kingfisher Lodge sits on a small lakeside lodge park on the edge of Warminster, with its own hot tub and an infrared sauna, and it is set up for dogs in the most practical way possible: you park at the door, you step out onto grass, and the lanes around the site make for easy walking without getting in the car. The grounds are fully enclosed, which takes some of the worry out of letting a dog out last thing at night. It earns a 4.7/5 paw rating.

Dogs are part of the site's normal trade rather than an exception, and guests arriving with two of them report no difficulty doing so. The lodge is a generous size with a lake view, there is a bar and restaurant on site that dog owners describe as friendly, and the town centre is about a fifteen-minute walk, so an evening out need not mean leaving the dog for long. Longleat is roughly ten minutes away by car, and the country lanes nearby are the ones guests use for both cycling and dog walks.

The caveat is condition, and it is a consistent one. Alongside the praise for the setting and the hot tub, guests describe the lodges and the wider site as tired: dated mattresses and sofas, decor overdue an update, and housekeeping that has not always been to standard on arrival. Water temperature, the internet and the television have all come up as unreliable. The setting is genuinely good and the fittings are not, so it is better to book expecting a comfortable, dog-friendly base than a smart one.

Nothing in the property's booking listing sets out a pet fee, a weight limit or a maximum number of dogs, so those are worth confirming directly with the site before you travel.

Best suited to dog owners heading for Longleat or the Wiltshire downs who want a hot tub, a lake view and space, and who will forgive dated interiors for the setting.