Savoy 5, Ayr

Savoy 5 is a four-star guest house on Racecourse Road in Ayr, a few minutes from the beach and the town centre, and dogs are part of the furniture here rather than an awkward exception. Guests arriving with dogs describe a straightforwardly warm reception from the staff, who come up more often in reviews than anything else about the place.

The dog welcome runs further than a permission slip. Bowls are provided, dogs are welcome in the breakfast room alongside their owners, and there is even a sausage on the menu for them. The one firm rule is that pets must not be left unattended in the room, so this is a stay for people who plan to take the dog with them rather than leave it behind while they go out for the day.

Rooms are consistently described as spotless and recently refurbished, with comfortable beds and generously sized bathrooms. Breakfast is a help-yourself buffet with a cooked or continental choice and hot drinks on tap, and evening meals get good notices too, which is useful when you have a dog with you and would rather not go hunting for a dog-friendly table in town.

Ayr's beach is a short walk away and gives you a long, open stretch for morning walks, with the town centre in the other direction. Racecourse Road is a main road, so front-facing rooms pick up traffic noise, which is worth mentioning if you have a dog that reacts to it.

The caveats are the ordinary ones for a busy guest house. Parking is limited and gets tight when the house is full, and the Wi-Fi is patchy. Because this is a genuinely dog-friendly property, other people's dogs are around too, and guests have been woken by barking from neighbouring rooms in the early morning - the trade-off you accept anywhere dogs are made this welcome. For dog owners who want a comfortable, well-run base in Ayr with breakfast included and the beach on the doorstep, it earns a 4.6/5 paw rating.