St Weonards, Paignton

St Weonards is a small guesthouse on Kernou Road in Paignton, a couple of minutes' walk from the seafront, Victoria Park and the railway station. It is run as a proper bed and breakfast rather than a hotel, and the owners have clearly thought about dogs: rooms are set up with a bed, a bowl and a towel, and dogs are welcomed with a treat when they arrive.

Two dogs are accepted per room, for a £20 charge that covers end-of-stay cleaning rather than a nightly fee. Breakfast is the other thing guests keep returning for, cooked fresh with generous options, and the owners draw consistent praise for clear communication before arrival and for being easy to deal with once you are there. Larger dogs are catered for as readily as small ones.

There are two things to weigh before booking with a dog. First, this is a townhouse guesthouse, so there are shared stairs and landings and no lift, and guests given a top-floor room have had to carry a dog up and down. That is manageable with a terrier and not with a labrador, so flag the dog and ask for a lower room at booking. Second, rooms are on the compact side with limited surfaces for luggage, so a large dog bed plus two suitcases will take up most of the floor.

The location does a lot of the work. Paignton seafront is a short walk, Goodrington Sands is the better daily dog walk with sections open year round, and the harbour and town centre are both reachable on foot. Brixham and Torquay are short drives around the bay, the steam railway to Kingswear leaves from nearby, and Dartmoor is about half an hour inland for a proper hill day. Parking is limited on site, with paid spaces a short walk away.

Best suited to a couple or a solo traveller with one small or medium dog who wants a warm, well-hosted base with a cooked breakfast and the sea two minutes away, and who does not need self-catering space. It earns a 4.4 out of 5 paw rating.