The Christopher Hotel

The Christopher Hotel sits on Eton High Street, a few minutes' walk over the Thames bridge from Windsor town centre, and it is one of those places where the dog side is clearly not an afterthought. It is a former coaching inn with a pub by reception and a courtyard, and several of the rooms sit around that courtyard with their own external doors rather than opening onto an internal corridor.

Those courtyard rooms are the reason to book here with a dog. Being able to step straight outside without crossing the hotel makes a real difference to a nervous dog, and guests travelling with dogs mention exactly that. The welcome goes further than the room: dogs are greeted rather than tolerated, staff have found practical solutions such as a fridge in the room for dog food, and dogs have been handed something from the kitchen at breakfast.

The rules are light. Dogs are booked in advance into designated dog-friendly rooms, the charge is £20 for the whole stay rather than per night, and the only real restriction is that dogs cannot be left alone in the bedroom while you are off the premises. Breakfast draws consistent praise from dog owners, and the location works: Eton High Street is walkable and Windsor is over the bridge.

The one genuine gripe is parking. The car park is small and tight to get into, though the payoff is that the spaces sit right by the rooms, which is convenient when you are unloading with a dog. With a 4.7/5 paw rating, The Christopher Hotel is one of the easier recommendations for anyone bringing a dog to Windsor or Eton.