Ocean Drive Boutique Apartment, Brean

Ocean Drive is a boutique apartment a minute or two from the sand at Brean, on the Somerset coast north of Burnham-on-Sea, and it is one of the more thoughtfully set up dog-friendly stays on this stretch. The apartment is self-contained with off-road parking, and guests get daytime use of a beach hut, which is an unusual extra and turns out to matter a great deal to anyone spending a day on the beach with a dog.

The outdoor space is a gated patio garden described repeatedly as dog safe, with the beach path a couple of minutes away and a field walk at Warren Farm in the other direction. Guests report Brean Sands itself being dog friendly all year round, which is worth confirming seasonally but is the main reason the location works for a dog holiday: miles of flat sand with no closed season to plan around.

The hosts do the small things well. Guests travelling with dogs consistently arrive to find bowls and treats put out, and provision has stretched as far as a paddling pool and a cooling mat in warm weather. There is a complimentary welcome tray with bread, milk and other essentials, and the apartment is described as immaculate by almost every account, with no suggestion of it smelling of previous dogs.

The property does ask that dogs are kept under full control throughout, because the apartments sit in a residential street rather than on a holiday park, and the person who makes the booking is held responsible for any dogs in the party. Neither is onerous, but together they mean this suits a settled, quiet dog better than a vocal one.

Practical bits: a shop, pubs and takeaways are within a ten minute walk, so a car is useful for days out but not needed once you have arrived. Best suited to couples and solo travellers with one or two dogs who want beach access on the doorstep and a comfortable, well kept base rather than a rustic one.