The Saddle Inn, Chester

The Saddle Inn is a rock and metal themed pub with rooms a couple of minutes from Chester's city centre, and it has a straightforward reputation among dog owners: dogs are welcome and nobody makes a fuss about it. The bedrooms are decorated around bands rather than colour schemes, which gives the place far more character than most central guesthouses at this price.

No fee, weight limit or cap on numbers is published, though the pub does keep bowls for visiting dogs, and guests travelling with dogs consistently report a warm reception and say they were not charged a pet supplement. Since none of that is set out in writing, confirm the current position when you book rather than assuming it.

Staff and the owner come up repeatedly as the strong point, described as helpful, friendly and happy to accommodate. Food is a genuine draw too, with home-cooked pub cooking and a well-regarded breakfast, and the bar downstairs is somewhere to settle in for an evening rather than a token counter.

Location is the other reason to book. Grosvenor Street sits inside the city walls, so the walls walk, the Roodee and the riverside are all within easy reach, and Chester is unusually good for walking a dog straight from the door. There is no on-site parking; the nearest car park is around two minutes away and charges roughly nine pounds for 24 hours.

Two caveats matter for anyone with a dog. The bedrooms are up several flights of steep stairs, which is hard work with an older or heavy dog, and the rooms are not soundproofed, so music from the pub carries and late nights can be loud. A dog that settles easily will be fine; a nervous one may not.

Best suited to dog owners who want character, a central Chester base and a proper pub underneath them, and who do not mind stairs or a bit of noise.