Oban Apartments

Oban Apartments is a set of self-catering flats a short walk from the centre of Oban, the seafront and the ferry terminal. For dog owners the location does a lot of the work: the town is compact and flat, the Esplanade runs north along the bay, and Ganavan Sands is a couple of miles up the coast for a proper beach walk. Dogs are welcome, and guests travelling with them rate the apartments themselves highly, describing spacious, modern, clean and quiet flats with almost everything in town within walking distance.

There is one recurring problem, and it is worth being direct about because it comes up repeatedly from dog owners in particular. An additional pet charge is applied that is not made clear at the time of booking. Guests describe a booking confirmation that flags only that an extra payment may be due, with the actual amount arriving later alongside the check-in details and payable in cash on arrival. Several dog owners who understood the cleaning fee they had already paid to be inclusive found the total cost higher than they had budgeted for. Nothing suggests any doubt about whether dogs are allowed, because they plainly are, but the cost is not transparent up front, and anyone booking with a dog should ask for the pet fee in writing before confirming. That is what holds the paw rating at 4.2/5 on an otherwise well-regarded property.

The other practical note is parking, which is expensive in central Oban and not included. Some guests use a supermarket car park a few minutes' walk away instead. Internal lighting has been described as uncomfortably bright, a minor thing that a lamp fixes.

Best suited to a couple with one dog using Oban as a base for the Argyll coast and the island ferries, who are happy to settle a pet fee locally provided they have confirmed the amount in advance.