Pen Dinas, Bangor

Pen Dinas is a stone cottage at Minffordd, a small settlement in the parish of Pentir just south of Bangor, with Eryri on one side and the Menai Strait and Anglesey on the other. It is a good-value base rather than a luxury one, and what makes it work for dog owners is the enclosed garden: somewhere safe to let a dog out last thing without a lead, which is not a given in a terraced cottage.

House rules allow one well-behaved dog. Guests travelling with dogs describe it as best suited to a small or medium one - the garden is little, the rooms are cottage-sized, and the layout puts the kitchen downstairs at the bottom of a steep, narrow staircase. That staircase is the single most important thing to weigh: it is awkward for a large dog, and it has been flagged as unsuitable for anyone unsteady on their feet.

The walking is a short drive rather than out of the door. There are several nature reserves within two or three miles that dog owners rate highly, and the coast and the mountains are both within easy reach. Parking is on-site and adequate, though the drive is tight for a larger car, and the lane back up from the village is a climb on foot.

The cottage is well stocked - a proper kitchen, books, games and films for a wet afternoon - and it is quiet. It is also visibly lived-in: a tired sofa, a bathroom door that needs a new lock, a noisy kitchen floor and a strong smell of heating oil in the kitchen have all been reported. None of it spoils the stay, but the price reflects the condition.

Best suited to owners of a small or medium dog who want an inexpensive, quiet base for Bangor, Anglesey and the Eryri foothills, and who are comfortable with steep stairs and a cottage that shows its age.