The George Hotel & Brasserie, Cranbrook

The George is a historic coaching inn in the middle of Cranbrook, and dogs get an easy welcome here rather than a grudging one. Guests who bring them put it plainly - dogs are more than welcome - and it comes up alongside the staff as a reason people book again. It is a proper old building in the centre of a Wealden town, with its own parking, which in a town this size matters more than it sounds.

What the hotel does not do is publish the small print. There is no stated pet fee, no size or breed limit and no list of which rooms take dogs, so the sensible move is to confirm all of that directly when you book rather than assume. What guests do describe consistently is a place where the staff make the arrangements work, and a breakfast cooked to order rather than laid out as a buffet, which is a more comfortable way to eat with a dog under the table.

Cranbrook suits a dog well. There are footpaths straight out of the town to explore, and the hotel is a sensible base for the gardens and houses this part of Kent is known for, Sissinghurst among them. There is good eating immediately around the hotel too, including a Greek restaurant directly across the road that guests rate highly.

The caveats are the ones that come with a building this old: sloping floors, and bathrooms that have been described as tired and knocked about in places. Rooms facing the front have still been quiet despite the street. With a 4.4/5 paw rating, The George suits dog owners who want character and a genuinely warm welcome ahead of modern fittings, and who are happy to ring ahead and pin down the pet arrangements.