The Guest House near Hay-on-Wye, Moccas

The Guest House sits at School House in Moccas, in the Wye Valley countryside west of Hereford and about twenty minutes' drive from Hay-on-Wye. It is a self-catering flat, and the setting is the strong part: quiet, rural, with walks straight from the door that dog owners rate highly.

The thing to settle before booking is the house rule that dogs are not allowed upstairs, where the bedrooms are. It is not flagged on the property's booking listing, and it has caught out more than one party arriving with a dog. A crate is put out in the downstairs entrance room instead, which is a reasonable arrangement for a larger dog used to sleeping alone, but the entrance room is reported as cold and it does not suit a small breed or a dog that will not settle away from its people. If your dog sleeps in your room at home, this will be a hard stay unless you can plan around it.

Where the property does better is the preparation itself. Bedding and a designated space are put out ahead of arrival rather than left for guests to improvise, and that effort is acknowledged even in the more critical feedback.

The wider picture is mixed. The bedrooms are comfortable and attractive and the window views get good write-ups. The kitchen and living areas are basic - no sofa, no microwave, dining chairs described as uncomfortable - and the heating has been found switched off on arrival with no information in the flat about hot water or waste. There is also an unmarked internal door in the kitchen that opens into the owners' garage, worth knowing if you have a dog who pushes through open doors.

Best suited to walkers with an easy-going, crate-trained dog who want an inexpensive rural base for Hay-on-Wye and the Golden Valley and will spend their days out. The location and the trouble taken over the dogs themselves both count in its favour, but the sleeping arrangement is what holds it to a 3.8/5 paw rating.