The Ley Arms, Kenn (near Exeter)

The Ley Arms is a village pub with rooms at Kenn, a few miles south of Exeter, and it has gone further than most in making dogs part of the offer rather than an exception to it. Every suite but one takes dogs, and arriving guests find a dog bed, a bowl and a tin of treats already in the room - two of each when two dogs are booked in. Dogs are welcome through the bar and the restaurant as well as the rooms, so an evening does not have to be planned around who stays behind.

The rooms are the other half of the appeal. This is a smart, heavily refurbished old pub rather than a rustic one, with suites finished to a genuinely high standard, big beds and good showers. The kitchen has a strong local reputation, the restaurant and the breakfast both draw repeat praise, and a good number of guests say they will be back. Staff handling gets similar marks: attentive, relaxed and unbothered by dogs.

Kenn itself is a quiet rural village, which is much of the point - there are lanes and fields from the door, and the Exe estuary, Dartmoor and the south Devon beaches are all within a short drive. Exeter is close enough for a day in the city without staying in it.

Three things are worth weighing. Rooms can get very hot in warm weather: guests have found them uncomfortable with the radiators off and no means of cooling beyond opening a window, which matters if you are leaving a dog in the room at all. The open dog policy also cuts both ways - dining alongside other people's dogs is part of the atmosphere here, and not every one of them is kept closely under control, so a reactive dog may find the bar hard work. And a dog charge applies on top of the room rate without being published up front; it lands proportionally hard on a single night with a small dog, so ask the amount when you book.

Best suited to couples who want a high-end rural pub stay with the dog in the room and at the table, and who are booking outside a heatwave. The Ley Arms earns a 4.6 out of 5 paw rating.