Stunning Charmouth Property with Bay Views

This large house on the hill above Charmouth is one of the more thoroughly dog-equipped holiday lets on the Dorset coast, and it does not pretend otherwise. The garden is enclosed and catches the sun, the front rooms and terrace look out over Charmouth bay, and the house is stocked with dog kit as a matter of course: a dog bed, bowls, toys and spare leads for anyone who left theirs at home.

The location is the other half of the appeal. The South West Coast Path is walkable in both directions from the door, Charmouth beach and the fossil centre are downhill, and Lyme Regis is within reach on foot for anyone prepared for the return leg. Owners with dogs describe long coastal walks straight from the property and a village that takes dogs in its stride. Inside, the house is generously provisioned - a well-stocked kitchen, family games, even tools for fossil hunting - and the host is repeatedly described as quick to sort out anything that comes up.

The caveats are worth taking seriously, and they follow directly from how dog-friendly the house is. Guests without dogs have flagged a noticeable pet odour downstairs and pet hair around the house, and one family found that unwelcome with a small child. There has also been a request that visitors be told more clearly in advance that animals regularly stay here. Changeover cleaning has drawn the odd complaint too, including bags of dog waste left outside the back door by a previous party and glassware that had not been washed properly. If you are bringing a dog, little of this will bother you; if anyone in your group is sensitive to animal allergens, this is not the house for them.

Beyond that, the kitchen and bathroom are dated rather than smart, the pillows are firm, and the position is steep enough that guests with mobility difficulties have found it hard work.

Best suited to: dog owners who want a big coastal house where the dog is genuinely part of the booking rather than an exception - and who would rather have the toy box and the enclosed garden than a spotless show home.