The Angel & Blue Pig

The Angel & Blue Pig is a historic coaching-inn style hotel on Lymington's High Street, with rooms above a busy pub and restaurant, and it is a genuinely easy place to bring a dog. Dogs are allowed in the bar and the beer garden as well as the bedrooms, so your dog can come down to dinner with you rather than waiting upstairs.

Guests who have stayed with their dogs are warm about it. One owner said the hotel treated their dog beautifully, another found the room already set up for her when they arrived, and a couple in a deluxe room reported plenty of space for their dog as well as themselves. The staff come up again and again: friendly, helpful and professional, and relaxed about four-legged guests.

The building is old, and the rooms show it. Guests describe them as quirky, with good bedding and towels, though some are a little dated. Despite sitting over a pub, the hotel is said to be quiet at night. Breakfast and dinner both get good reports, and parking is included, which makes arriving by car with a dog and all its kit far simpler on a high street.

The location is the other big draw. You are right in the middle of the town, with shops and cafes on the doorstep, and the ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight is close by if you fancy a day trip.

There are drawbacks. Some rooms run warm in summer, with windows that barely open, and one guest found fans helpful but noisy. Storage in at least one deluxe room was very limited for a longer stay, and the windows have drawn complaints about cleanliness. The pet fee is charged per dog, per night, so it adds up over a week.

For a town-centre break where your dog is welcome at the bar as well as in the room, it is a strong choice, especially for couples who want good food and an easy walk out of the front door.