Meadway House, Colwyn Bay

Meadway House is a big four-star holiday house in Rhos-on-Sea, on the Conwy coast just outside Colwyn Bay, and it is built for the kind of trip where three generations and a dog turn up at once. The sea is over the road, the promenade runs for miles in both directions, and the house has a secure back garden so the dog can be let out without a lead.

The house takes one dog per booking. That is a firm limit rather than a guideline, so parties travelling with two dogs will need to look elsewhere.

Owners who bring a dog here tend to talk about the walking. Angel Bay is within strolling distance, the seafront runs through to Llandudno, and one of the nearby beaches allows dogs. The nearest pub is a short walk, though dogs are restricted to the beer garden there. Inside, the house takes the strain out of a wet-dog holiday: a log burner, a huge kitchen, a downstairs bedroom with its own bathroom and enough space that a dog is not underfoot in a party of ten or more. The games room is the feature guests mention most, and the owner is quick to respond when something breaks.

The gripes are about upkeep rather than the dog side. Guests have reported cobwebs, a slow-draining sink, dated furniture in places and patchy upstairs wi-fi, and old dog mess from an earlier stay has been reported in the patio garden, which is worth a look round before you let your own dog out. The rear patio has no outside light either, which makes late-evening garden trips awkward in winter. Mattress comfort divides opinion.

At 4.7/5 it suits large family groups with one dog who want a coastal base with real walking on the doorstep, and who will forgive a few rough edges in exchange for the space.