South Coast Sidmouth
The Old Kennels, Sidmouth (Farm Conversion)
Independent pet-friendly review by Four Legged Guests · updated June 2026 · paw rating built from 1 verified guest review mentioning pets
Bring your dog if
- You want a whole-property rental - no shared lobbies or corridors to navigate with your dog
- You're basing yourself in Sidmouth / the South Coast and want a pet-friendly anchor for day trips
- The wider guest experience is strong - Agoda guests rate this 9.3/10 overall
Worth knowing
- Paw rating sits on a single confirmed pet review - expect movement as more data arrives
- Pet fee and any size restrictions aren't published - confirm directly with the property before booking
How this review was built Evidence, sources, refresh cadence
- Evidence: 1 pet-mention guest review sourced from Agoda - guests who explicitly mentioned travelling with a dog. Each review is screened for pet-relevance, then judged for sentiment to compute the paw rating.
- Not a personal visit. We don't stay at every hotel we cover - we summarise patterns from real guest reviews, paraphrased and never quoted verbatim. Full standard on our editorial policy page.
- Wider context: The property has 10 Agoda guest reviews overall, averaging 9.3/10 - the paw rating reflects only the pet-mentioning subset.
- Last refreshed: June 2026. Policies and pricing drift; we re-check on a rolling basis. Confirm specifics with the property at the moment you book.
- How the paw rating works: Full detail on the methodology page, including the three verification gates and known limitations.
Pet-friendly summary
The Old Kennels is a 4-star converted-kennels cottage in the East Devon countryside near Sidmouth (Devon, EX10 0PP). It's a workable pet-friendly choice for a family or pair travelling with one well-behaved dog who'll appreciate a rural farm-conversion stay in a stunning location, and who's prepared for the rural-access caveats.
The standout positive: the location is described as 'absolutely stunning' - rural East Devon with farm character and proper countryside on the doorstep for daily dog walks.
Honest caveats from the past pet-traveller stay (Tara 9/10) - all worth knowing before booking:
- Rough access road. 'The farm could do with some signs and easier access as it was a rough road on arrival if you don't have an off-roader vehicle.' A second easier route exists but isn't signposted - ask the hosts at booking for the alternative directions, particularly if you're driving a lower-clearance vehicle.
- Bedroom doors don't fully close. 'We struggled to keep our dog out of our friends' bedroom.' If your dog is the type to wander between rooms (looking for company, nervous of being alone), plan around this with crates or baby-gates.
- Skylights are bright in the morning. 'Bring an eye mask' is the past guest's specific recommendation - the skylights are beautiful but lack shutters.
- Sykes Cottages phone responsiveness is reportedly inconsistent. Booking + check-in coordination may need persistence.
The pet policy is otherwise not heavily documented in the public Agoda listing (no published fee, weight limit or breed restrictions), so confirm at booking.
Location-wise, you're in proper East Devon countryside with the South West Coast Path within driving distance (Sidmouth, Branscombe, Beer to the south), Honiton and Otter Valley to the north, and Exeter about 25 minutes' drive. The rural setting means a car is essential for everything beyond doorstep walks.
Best suited to a family or pair with one well-behaved dog (used to inter-room door issues + happy with rural access) who'll appreciate a stunning-location farm conversion + is comfortable with the booking + property minor frictions documented above. The 4.6 out of 5 paw rating reflects a single positive but heavily-caveated pet-traveller stay - the dog-stay review pool is small at the time of writing, but the caveats are real practical considerations.
Highlights from pet-mentioning reviews
What reviewers travelling with dogs consistently noted about staying here.
- Stunning rural East Devon location
- Farm conversion character
- Caveat: rough access road (4WD or ask for alt route)
- Caveat: bedroom doors don't fully close (dog wandering)
- Caveat: skylights bright in the morning - bring eye mask
- Sykes Cottages booking-comms variable
About this hotel
A 4-star farm conversion near Sidmouth (EX10 0PP) in a stunning rural location. Honest caveats from past pet-stay: rough access road (4WD or ask hosts for alternative route), bedroom doors don't fully close (dog wandered into other rooms), bring an eye mask for the bright skylights.
