Norton Park Hotel, Spa & Manor House

Norton Park is a four-star country hotel set in parkland at Sutton Scotney, a few miles north of Winchester, and the grounds are the reason it works so well for dogs. Rather than simply tolerating them, it puts dog-friendly tables outside the restaurant and gives owners plenty of room to walk a dog without leaving the estate.

Dogs cost £25 per pet for the whole stay rather than per night, so a two-dog party pays £50 however long they are there. That makes a long weekend better value here than at most country hotels of this class. Up to two pets are allowed per booking, and the hotel asks that they are not left unattended in rooms, so this is a place for a dog that comes along to dinner and walks rather than one that suits leaving a dog behind while you use the spa. Staff are the strongest part of the offer: owners regularly describe them making a genuine fuss of arriving dogs.

Alongside the main hotel there is a manor house, a pool and a spa, and Winchester is close enough for a day out, though it is the parkland walks straight from the door that dog owners end up praising.

The caveats are worth taking seriously, and they cluster on housekeeping rather than on the pet policy. Standard rooms are on the small side and have no air conditioning, and cleanliness is where the hotel's reviews are weakest. Dog owners in particular have reported rooms not properly prepared on arrival, and more than one has felt the room was not vacuumed to a standard that justified the pet supplement. The spa is open to non-residents, which makes it busier than a hotel spa usually is. That drags the rating to 4.1/5 despite a pet policy that is better than most.

It suits owners who want a comfortable country-hotel base near Winchester with real grounds attached, and a dog that is happy to be at their side throughout. It is worth being firm at check-in about the state of the room.