The King's Arms Dorchester

The King's Arms is a historic pub-hotel on High East Street in the middle of Dorchester, and it takes dogs on published terms rather than case by case. Dogs stay in the first-floor rooms, arranged with the hotel in advance, and there is a goody bag waiting when you get there.

The fee is £20 per dog for the whole stay rather than per night, which makes a longer break considerably cheaper than a nightly charge would. Dogs are welcome in the bar, the garden and the terrace as well as the bedrooms, and the full restaurant menu is served in the bar and the old smoking room, so you can eat with the dog at your feet instead of booking a table without them. The restaurant proper is off limits, which is worth knowing if a formal dining room was part of the plan. Dogs must not be left alone in a bedroom or bathroom at any time unless they are in a secure crate, and damage caused by a dog left unaccompanied is charged for.

Guests bringing dogs describe the welcome as genuinely pub-style and relaxed, and the hotel earns a 4.2/5 paw rating against an overall guest score of 9.3/10. The honest caveat is the building itself. It is a historic property with no air conditioning, and rooms get hot in a summer heatwave. A fan is provided, but a thick-coated dog in July is a real consideration, and a shoulder-season booking suits both of you better.

Dorchester works well as a base for combining a town and a proper walk. Maiden Castle, the Iron Age hillfort with wide open year-round dog walking, is a few minutes out of town. Thorncombe Wood and Hardy's birthplace sit to the east, and the Jurassic Coast at Weymouth and West Bay is around half an hour away. The high street has dog-friendly cafes and a country-market feel.

Best suited to a couple or small family with one or two settled dogs who want a characterful market-town base and a pub where the dog is part of the evening. Less suited to a peak-summer stay, or to a dog that cannot be crated if you want to head out without them.