The Gladstone, Capelulo

The Gladstone is a traditional inn above the shore at Capelulo, in the Dwygyfylchi valley just outside Penmaenmawr, and it is about as dog-forward as a pub with rooms gets. Dogs are not confined to a couple of designated bedrooms or kept out of the bar. They come in, they settle on the sofas, and they are in the dining room at breakfast. Guests travelling with dogs describe arriving to find the whole place already set up for them.

Several dog owners report that there is no charge for bringing a dog and no restriction on where it can go, and that staff treat the dogs as guests in their own right rather than as something to be accommodated. It is worth confirming the current terms when you book, since the property's booking listing does not publish a written pet policy, but the picture from guests is consistent.

The setting helps. The inn looks north across the water towards Anglesey and Puffin Island, with a main road and the railway line running between it and the sea, far enough away not to spoil the view. The seafront is a fifteen-minute walk or a couple of minutes by car, there is ample on-site parking, and both the Conwy coast and the northern edge of Eryri are within easy reach. It is also a common overnight stop for the Holyhead ferry, roughly half an hour away.

The honest caveats are about the building rather than the welcome. Some bedrooms are dated, and guests have flagged mould on a bathroom ceiling, a rusting radiator and a flaking bath panel; hot water can be slow to arrive. The dog-friendliness also cuts both ways. A handful of visitors without dogs have said the place was simply too dog-friendly for them, pointing to dogs on the bar sofas and in the dining room. For anyone arriving with a dog, that is the strongest possible endorsement.

Best suited to dog owners who want a proper pub atmosphere, a sea view and a bedroom upstairs, and who will forgive some dated fittings for a welcome this unreserved.