Fisher Cottage

Fisher Cottage is a renovated two-bedroom cottage in Hornsea, the small East Yorkshire seaside town where Hornsea Mere sits a few streets back from a long sandy beach. It is a self-catering house rather than a hotel, and it has become a favourite with dog owners, plenty of whom come back for a second or third stay.

The garden is the main draw. It is enclosed and looks out across the Mere, and guests with dogs repeatedly describe it as a safe place to let a dog out. Access is worth understanding before you book, though: the garden is reached through a side gate rather than straight from the living room, and it has been described as shared access rather than entirely private, so every late-night trip out means coats, shoes and a gate. The side entrance does have an upside, leading round to a utility area where a muddy dog can be dried off before coming in.

Inside, the quarry-tiled floors and underfloor heating suit dogs well - warm to lie on and easy to wipe down - and guests describe the cottage as spotless, well equipped and cosy, with a log burner and a cake waiting on arrival. The neighbours come up again and again as friendly and full of local walking tips.

The location does a lot of the work. Town, shops, a large supermarket and a park are all within a few minutes on foot, the beach is around ten to twenty minutes' walk, and the Trans Pennine Trail starts close by. Cafes and pubs around town are relaxed about dogs.

Two complaints recur. The cottage sits on a busy road, and traffic noise from early morning has spoiled the stay for some guests. And the lounge is small and fairly dark, with no tumble dryer and no downstairs radiators, so in wet winter weather there is little space to dry coats and dog towels, which has been enough to cut at least one winter stay short.

Fisher Cottage suits a couple or small family with a dog who want a comfortable coastal base with walks from the door, ideally outside the wettest months, and who are not light sleepers.