Travelodge Colchester Feering

Travelodge Colchester Feering is a roadside hotel on the northbound A12 at Feering, between Kelvedon and Marks Tey, and it is built for the kind of trip where the dog is in the back of the car and you need somewhere uncomplicated to stop. Pets are specifically allowed, up to two per booking, at £25 per pet for the stay rather than per night, which on a two- or three-night break makes it one of the cheaper chain options for a dog.

Guests travelling with a dog rate it highly, and the detail worth knowing is that a ground-floor room makes a real difference here: no lift or stairs between the dog and the car park, and a short walk out for the last outing of the evening. Rooms are described as spacious and quiet, staff as friendly, and the hotel scores 8.5/10 overall across its guest reviews.

The A12 position is the whole proposition and the whole caveat. It puts Colchester, Coggeshall and the Blackwater estuary within a short drive and the Essex coast within about an hour, but this is a stop on a trunk road rather than a place to walk out of the front door, and the nearest proper dog walk needs the car. Pets cannot be left unattended in the room at any point, so plan meals and day trips around taking the dog with you or having someone stay behind.

Nothing here is luxurious. It is a budget roadside hotel, the rooms are plain, and there is the occasional grumble about the shower running lukewarm. But the pet terms are stated clearly, the price is honest and the ground-floor rooms suit a dog well. For a break in the drive to or from the Essex coast, or a cheap base for Colchester with a dog along, it earns a 4.5/5 paw rating.