The Queens Hotel, Penzance

The Queens Hotel is a grand Victorian seafront hotel on Penzance’s promenade, and it has become something of a fixture for dog owners working their way round west Cornwall. Dogs stay free of charge, there is no weight limit and any size is welcome, more than one dog can stay, and there is a dedicated breakfast room with sea views where they can join you - which removes the single most awkward part of a hotel stay with a dog.

That breakfast room is the detail worth booking for. Rather than shutting a dog in the room while you eat, or eating in shifts, you take breakfast together looking out over Mount’s Bay, and guests travelling with dogs mention it more than anything else about the hotel. The breakfast itself draws consistent praise, and staff are described again and again as friendly towards the dog as well as the owner.

The promenade runs straight past the door, which gives a flat, easy walking route along the water at any hour and in any weather, and the town, harbour and station are all walkable. The building is a handsome Victorian one and well kept for its age, but it is traditional rather than contemporary - several guests note that the decor is dated in places, even while rating the rooms clean and comfortable.

One honest note: the hotel is popular enough with dog owners that guests arriving without one have remarked on quite how many dogs are about. If a sociable, dog-heavy lounge and breakfast room is part of the appeal, that is a point in its favour. If you want a quiet, dog-free hotel, this is not it. For dog owners exploring Penzance, the Lizard and Land’s End, The Queens is a dependable and unusually accommodating base.