South West Paignton
St Marguerite
Independent pet-friendly review by Four Legged Guests · updated June 2026 · paw rating built from 3 verified guest reviews 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 Paignton / the South West and want a pet-friendly anchor for day trips
- The wider guest experience is strong - Agoda guests rate this 9.4/10 overall
Worth knowing
- Paw rating is based on 3 reviews - limited sample, treat as directional
- Pet fee and any size restrictions aren't published - confirm directly with the property before booking
- Shared corridors and common areas mean nervous or vocal dogs may find it harder to settle
How this review was built Evidence, sources, refresh cadence
- Evidence: 3 pet-mention guest reviews 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 35 Agoda guest reviews overall, averaging 9.4/10 - 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 policy at a glance
- Four-star Visit England rated Victorian B&B at 3 The Riviera, Paignton TQ4 5EX.
- Maximum 2 dogs per booking.
- Medium-sized dogs preferred.
- Crate training preferred per terms and conditions.
- Dogs welcomed in the dining room at breakfast.
- Dogs cannot be left unattended in the room.
- Pet fee applies - confirm amount when phoning to book.
- Five-minute walk to Paignton seafront and Goodrington Sands (eastern section: year-round dog access).
Pet-friendly summary
St Marguerite is one of those small Paignton B&Bs that thinks about dogs as guests rather than as an exception to make room for. Jane and Robbie - who run the property and have their own dog Hercules - have built a pet-friendly welcome around the kind of small touches that make a real difference: dogs are welcome at breakfast in the dining room, the lounge is open to them, and the hosts have a working knowledge of which Paignton beaches and walks suit dogs at which time of year.
The policy itself is straightforward. Maximum two dogs per booking, medium-sized dogs preferred, and the hosts ask that dogs are crate trained per the property's terms and conditions. A pet fee applies but the amount isn't publicly listed - guests are asked to phone Robbie or Jane before booking to confirm requirements. That phone call is part of the experience here: it's a small family-run B&B, not a chain hotel, and the welcome is calibrated to the booking rather than to a corporate policy.
Where the property earns its strong paw rating is in the way hosts respond when things don't go to plan. One recent guest's dog became ill in the night and the hosts handled it with warmth rather than fuss - that kind of response is hard to fake and rarely shows up at chain properties.
The location is a real plus for a dog-walking holiday. Three The Riviera puts the property a five-minute walk from Paignton seafront and within easy reach of Goodrington Sands - the eastern section of which has year-round dog access while the main central beaches have the standard 1 May to 30 September seasonal restriction. The South West Coast Path runs along the cliffs above the bay with no formal dog restrictions, and there's the Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway nearby for a dog-friendly day out on the rails.
Where it suits
An excellent fit for couples or solo travellers with one or two medium-sized, crate-trained dogs who prefer the personal welcome of a family-run B&B over a chain hotel. The property is best for guests who are happy to phone ahead and discuss requirements before booking - that conversation is where the welcome starts. Larger dogs or guests travelling with multiple dogs may need a property with more flexibility.
About this hotel
St Marguerite is a 4-star B&B in Paignton on the South Devon coast - en-suite rooms, breakfast, and a short walk to the seafront.
Hotel facts
Location
The Riviera, Paignton, TQ4 5EX
