Dog Friendly Cottages in Dorset

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Dr Holt - Verified booking

  Raleighs is a very comfortable and warm house with many interesting features, not least it's age and origin. The bed was very comfortable, the shower was good if a little tricky to use with my broken arm, the kitchen well stocked and the lovely welcome gifts very much appreciated. The secure back courtyard was great for peace of mind with the whippets but the weather took a turn for the colder so we didn't manage to sit out with a drink and food, which is a shame. Parking was easy on Long Street if you don't fancy backing into the narrow drive. The further we ended up was less than 20 seconds walk away when parking. Very hand. This was in September so not fully peak time but CA seems to be visited by a fairy constant but not overwhelming stream of interesting visitors for the local attractions. Cerne Abbass is an interesting village, for obvious reasons, and the shops and pubs were all very friendly, useful and accommodating. We found a good place to let the dogs off for a run at the back of the church cemetery with paths round to the Giant and also for a circuit around the giant Hill. Stunning countryside views all around make this a real pleasure. The story of the Well is interesting and worth looking around what's left of the Abbey if the owners have left the open sign up. The village store is a great place to shop with lots of lovely treats, practical provisions including the extremely local unhomogneised, free range whole milk from a mile or so down the road, delivered by a handy machine into your own bottle (or you can buy one with the Giant on which is an entertaining souvenir). Also the pasties were delicious and people there were friendly and helpful. The Giant seems to be the locals pub, and very friendly, so a good place to go for a beer or two. We didn't have food there but it looked good, tasty, and seemed to be well appreciated. The Royal Oak is a classic, old pub; pleasantly unspoilt, with lots of character but perhaps needing a good clean and more careful management of the pipes and the drinks that they are supplying, but that didn't stop us from eating a very hearty game pie and vegan shepherds pie (yes catering for all tastes), with good, non-fussy cooked vegetables. The New Inn was very comfortable both in the beer garden in the sun, when warm, and also in the evening inside when cooler. Very friendly staff and very popular for groups staying in CA. A bit more upmarket for food and surroundings but none the worse for it in terms of the welcome and atmosphere. Book ahead for food though; we didn't, and ended up missing out on a meal there. The Greyhound at Sydling was great for lunch on a gradually wording weather day, on the way back from a walk round the amazing Maiden Castle. Weighmouth was characterful and interesting and that includes the weather. Studland was gorgeous as ever, even on a colder day and the Bankes Arms fish and chips were welcome. Beaminster, the cafe at the fancy gift shop was lovely for sandwiches and coffee in the sunny back court yard. Also the The Greyhound food was homemade, hearty and filling on a wet day. ALL of the above mentioned, it goes without saying, we're very welcoming of our two whippets. All in all a great week in a lovely old house in and interesting village in Dorset with some interesting weather to contend with and our two whippets with us.

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• Sally - Verified booking

  Lovely cottage in an absolutely fantastic location.

  Hive Beach Cafe is a must just for the fish & chips, quite expensive but worth it! The two Pubs both serve excellent food though we found The Anchor was less expensive and had no problem in booking a table, yes you have to book a table in advance. Hillview Bungalow is in a lovely location and is quite spacious. The sofas could do with updating as I found them rather uncomfortable and a bit worn. Upon arrival, I was disappointed to note that there was no milk, not even UHT, and that mean't I had to wait for my shopping delivery to arrive before having a cup of tea, there was inadequate toilet roll provided even just for the first night, so again I was glad that I had ordered some extra with my shopping. Also there were no dishcloths, however I did leave the ones we bought so someone else can use them. So if you are going to Hillview, I would recommend that you take these kinds of provisions with you. The garden says it is enclosed and for the most part it it, however there is a gap under the side gate that my small dogs could get through, so please bear that in mind, we put the main bins by the gate so our dogs could not get out. All in all, I would not hesitate to recommend Hillview and would not hesitate in staying there again if I was in the area, these are just some minor niggles that could cheaply and easily be rectified.

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• Keith - Verified booking

  Location is fabulous, and the house, light, bright and airy, but empty, tired and dated.

  There are empty shelves and furniture in the living room. It has a DVD player however not a single DVD, puzzle, book, game or magazine, very unusual. Misleading info about 'separate' toilet. Be aware ... There is only 1 and it's separate from the 'family' bathroom. Again misleading use of words because they state not suitable for children. This then begs why they provide twin beds that are child sized with childrens single duvets, these were not suitable for adults. It also only had 1 toilet roll which was for 4 people for a week! Nobody expects an endless supply but 1 ?!! The tv was not working the first night and was not sorted until following day, regardless of the 'this has happened before' comment. We had to mention the bedroom door handles due to them clicking and not being able to get out a couple of times! There was mould on the bathroom ceiling and blind. The house is advertised as an enclosed garden. We had to block a gap under the gate as our dogs would have gone underneath a d out onto the deuve amd consequently the road. We stay in many cottages throughout the year and have been doing this for a number of years. This is is the first one we have booked where it was not as described or up to a standard that we would consider accepctable.

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• Jason - Verified booking

  We usually are very open minded when it comes to holiday cottages and what to expect.

  Particularly as we take our dogs and expect the property to be dog friendly which comes hand in hand with not being the high end spec you would get from none pet friendly. However, this property in reality looks very tired and in need of a clean as well as decorating. The skirting boards, kitchen cupboards, and generally all around were dirty with old dirt. Damp/mould in the bedroom and around each of the windows in the bathroom and toilet. The garden was also really not well maintained and the property form the kerb looked run down compared to the rest of the properties. The freezer situated in the garage (which has no garage door on it) was mouldy both inside and out. The light socket in the garage was loose and you could see the wires. Now, this does all sound terrible and for some people it would be. We still enjoyed our stay as we don't put these issues high on our list of priorities but it is worth highlighting them so that the owners are aware and the future customers can make an informed decision on whether to book this property

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• Malcolm - Verified booking

  My wife and I stayed at Hiilview Bungalow some eleven years ago and compared to that visit we were very disappointed.

  We recently found Hillview a very bare place with lots of empty cupboards and no ornaments to make the bungalow feel more like a home. To be a little more specific about some of the more negative points relating to our visit, in no particular order: The bell push at the side of the front door had been removed which left two bare wires sticking out. We found the the television most difficult to operate. No manual containing useful information on the bungalow was available. The toilet seat needed fixing and moved every time it was sat on. The radiator in the toilet needed a good clean. The oven needed a good clean. More than one curtain was hanging down at it's end where it had come off the track. On the plus side, when I contacted the owner about the television he did come to the bungalow to fix it very quickly. He also brought a folder with him containing useful information about the bungalow. Hive Close is a pleasant cul-de-sac which is nicely located close to Hive Beach.

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