Kerbenetty Harbour Cottage

Kerbenetty Harbour Cottage sits in a small, secluded harbour village on Cornwall's Roseland coast, tucked away from the busier tourist towns but within a drive of St Mawes, Truro and the coves and beaches of the south coast. It is let as a whole cottage right by the water, and the position is what almost every guest, dog owner or not, remembers most.

For travelling dogs the appeal is the setting. Owners describe dogs happily watching harbour life from the patio, easy access to a nearby dog-and-people-friendly pub, coastal walks straight from the door, and beaches in the surrounding coves that dogs can use outside the summer restrictions. The cottage welcomes up to two pets per booking and has hosted groups travelling with a pair without fuss, and guests with dogs return specifically for the location and the character of the place.

Several caveats matter here, and some are dog-specific. The cottage is on three levels with steep, wonky stairs - steep enough that owners of older dogs have ended up walking them round the outside rather than up them, so it suits a fit dog far better than an elderly or unsteady one. The patio wall is low and passers-by come close, so a reactive or escape-prone dog needs watching outside. Parking is tight and awkward for anything but a small car. The owners ask that dogs are kept out of the living room, and the booking terms carry a per-dog cleaning charge, so budget for an extra fee and confirm the current amount when you book.

Condition is the recurring complaint, and it is the thing to weigh up before booking. Guests across several stays describe a lingering damp and doggy smell in the living-room carpets and soft furnishings, mouldy cushions stored away in a cupboard, and fittings that need attention. The strongest complaints go further, reporting mould on upstairs walls, heavily stained mattresses, tired and sticky furnishings and outdoor furniture left covered in animal hair. Other stays in the same period found the cottage clean, bright and well presented, so the picture is genuinely mixed rather than uniformly bad, but anyone sensitive to damp or to the smell of other people's dogs should go in with their eyes open.

It is best suited to dog owners who prize an unspoilt waterside location and the character of an old harbour cottage, are travelling with a fit dog that manages stairs, and are prepared for a property that can feel tired and would benefit from a deeper clean.