Rosedale, Brixham (3-Bed Detached Cottage)

Rosedale is a detached three-bedroom cottage tucked into a quiet residential pocket on the southern side of Brixham, and it comes at dogs from about the most reassuring angle there is: the owners keep two of their own. The result is a place set up for dogs rather than merely tolerant of them - a private, secure garden that guests travelling with dogs pick out as the thing that makes the stay work, off-street parking, and a detached layout with no shared corridors or neighbouring walls to negotiate on the way in and out.

The house rules are relaxed but specific: dogs can go upstairs, they are asked to stay off the beds unless you have brought your own throws, and the number and breed need agreeing when you book. None of that is unusual for a self-catering cottage, but the booking-stage conversation matters more here than most, and it is worth settling at the enquiry stage rather than on arrival.

Guests describe the cottage as beautifully finished and unusually well equipped for self-catering, with hosts who put real thought into the welcome. It earns a 4.5 out of 5 paw rating.

Brixham suits the format. The harbour, the town and the working fish quay are a short drive, while Berry Head's clifftop nature reserve and the South West Coast Path put proper walks within a few minutes. A good spread of south Devon - Paignton, Torquay, Dartmouth - sits inside half an hour by car.

Best suited to a family or couple with one or two dogs who want a self-contained base with a garden the dog can go straight out into, and who are comfortable with a property where damage and any extra cleaning are chargeable.