Seaview House Bed & Breakfast

Seaview House is a small, owner-run bed and breakfast on Curran Road in Larne, a short hop from the harbour, and it is a genuinely easy place to arrive at with a dog. The position is the main draw for pet owners: guests coming off a late crossing can get to the door quickly rather than driving on with a tired animal in the back, and there is open shoreline within easy reach for a stretch before bed.

Dogs are welcome, and the B&B says so on its own website as well as on its booking listing. Beyond that it sets out no detail on fees, sizes or how many dogs it will take, so those are worth settling directly at the time of booking.

What comes through most consistently is the hosting. Guests travelling with dogs and without single out the owner's warmth, a willingness to work around awkward arrival times - small-hours ferry arrivals are handled without fuss - and breakfasts adapted to whatever someone needs, from gluten-free to soya. Dog owners describe the same welcome, and the host's own fondness for dogs comes up as part of why the stay went well.

Larne sits at the northern end of the Antrim Coast Road, so the address works for more than just the boat. The coast road south towards Glenarm and the Glens of Antrim is among the better dog-walking drives in Northern Ireland, and the rooms themselves are modern, quiet and kept spotlessly clean.

Two things to weigh. Rooms run up to the second floor and guests mention carrying bags up, so expect stairs with a crate or an elderly dog. And it sits a little further from the town's shops than the address suggests, which makes it a better self-sufficient overnight stop than a base for a long stay.

Best suited to dog owners routing through Larne for a crossing, or using the town for the Antrim coast, who want somewhere clean, quiet and warmly hosted for a night or two rather than a full-service hotel.