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Dog Friendly Hotels along Englands South Coast

Dog Friendly Hotels along Englands South Coast

by | Sep 17, 2018 | Travel

If you own a dog then you will understand that traveling with a dog can have its own challenges. The main one being can I find dog-friendly hotels in that area which is actually a dog friendly hotel and not just dog tolerant hotel (which we had experience of on the Isle of Wight at a hotel in Sandown).

My Experience of Dog Friendly Hotels in the UK

Having recently been together UK with a dog, it seems the UK is far ahead of Ireland in this respect. Bars and Restaurants are very dog friendly, and you can bring your dog inside, unlike Ireland where you have to sit outside in the cold. 

Hotels were just as accommodating. Searching on Booking.com allowed you to select a ‘Pets Welcome’ option. This showed all hotels who allowed pets inside. Next, if you read the reviews you can isolate hotels were past reviews mention excellent dog friendly experiences at that hotel. 

This blog post outlines some of the best dog friendly hotels along the south coast of the UK. 

The Clock House B&B, Marnhull, Dorset

When looking for Dog Friendly Hotels in Dorset via Booking.com I came across a B&B called the Clock House which had one of the highest satisfaction ratings I had seen. Many of which were from dog owners. 

Seeing testimonials and reviews like this is very reassuring – so we booked the Clock House B&B by phone and it was amazing. The B&B is located in Marnhull in Dorset located on the River Stour 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the small town of Sturminster Newton. There are Lovely surroundings in Marnhull with lots of walks, ideal if like me you like photography!

More like a Hotel than a B&B

It is the most wonderful B&B I have ever been in. More like a hotel than B&B. 

When we arrived we had an Amazing welcome and we were treated to Tea on the terrace. We were then shown to our beautifully appointed room which had doors to the terrace and garden area. This was ideal for the dog friendly nature, as when nature calls you just have to open the doors of your patio for your pooch and you don’t disturb any other guests. The room also had a Fantastic shower and bathroom with great products and fluffy towels. You are guaranteed the best ever sleep here. The beds are so comfortable!

Breakfast at the Clock House B&B is an experience, just continental breakfast but it was more than enough for us. Plenty of fresh fruit, muesli, toast and lovely boiled eggs – the perfect setup for a perfect day exploring Dorset. The service is 10/10. We really looked forward to breakfast, it was so special.

The Clock House is an amazing property with amazing staff. It is a very dog friendly hotel! We have actually stayed here twice, 2018 and 2019 and it was fantastic.
Thanks to Chris, Mella and Julie and of course the canine watchdogs Ben and Tizzy for two Wonderful and memorable stays. 

Clock House B&B Marnhull – Booking Information

Address: Burton Street, Marnhull, DT10 1PH, United Kingdom

Booking Link- Click Here

The Clock House B&B, Dog Friendly Hotel, Marnhull, UK
The Clock House B&B, Dog Friendly Hotel Room, Marnhull, UK
The Clock House B&B, Dog Friendly Hotel Reception
Tea Coffee Facilities

Oscars Lodge Hotel, Torquay, Devon

When researching Dog-Friendly Hotels to stay in Torquay in Devon, we came across one particular hotel which seemed to have a wow factor when it came to dog friendliness. Again, great reviews on Booking.com in regards to dog friendliness so Oscars Lodge B&B was the one we booked. 

It ticked all the boxes we were looking for: a good value, dog friendly hotel in a good location in Torquay with free parking, what more could you want. The location was only 10 minutes walk from the promenade at Torquay.

On arrival, we were greeted by Amy and Richard, the young couple who run Oscars Lodge. They were so friendly and also so kind to our 15-year-old Springer Frieda. On arrival, there were chocolates on the bed for us and doggie treats for Frieda (which she quickly became accustomed to)…. such a nice touch. 

The room was beautifully decorated with a Chanel / Breakfast at Tiffany’s style. The bed was so comfortable and a good nights sleep was guaranteed. The WiFi was perfect and this is something which some major hotels can’t get right. Tea and coffee facilities were available and in plentiful supply. 

Amy and Richard could not do enough for us. It was the perfect stay.
This is another dog friendly hotel we really look forward to returning as soon as we can. 

Hotel Booking Information

Address: 56 Belgrave Road, Torquay, TQ2 5HY, United Kingdom

Booking Link

Oscars Lodge Room Torquay - Dog Friendly Hotel in the UK

The Royal Hotel, Eastbourne, East Sussex

Dog Friendly Hotels are probably best run by owners who have dogs. The Royal Hotel is run by a lovely man called Eddie and a greyhound called Boris is also on reception to welcome guests. The hotel is situated in a quiet area of the town and is on the sea front only minutes from the pier. This location is ideal for walking your dog, however, during the summer, the beach is not dog friendly.

The rooms at the Royal are really well appointed and very comfortable. The bathrooms are clean with excellent showers. Breakfast at the Royal is simple but so good. Eddie has homemade muesli, yogurt and a coffee which will get you started for the day. The only thing to be aware of is that the parking in Eastbourne is ticketed. The Royal Hotel provides you with a ticket for the day / duration of your stay… All you need to do is find a car park space.

It is an extremely dog-friendly hotel. We were told that there are many regulars who always book the same rooms because their dogs really like that hotel room.

If you want to enjoy this area of East Sussex with your dog, then a stay at the Royal is highly recommended!

Note, If you are booking, book on the hotels official website for the best rates. Probably best to give Eddie a call and check the availability. 

Hotel Booking Information

Address: The Royal Hotel, 8-9 Marine Parade, Eastbourne BN21 3DX, UK

Booking Link

The Royal Hotel Eastbourne, Dog Friendly Hotel Room
The Royal Hotel Eastbourne, Dog Friendly Hotel

Locations of these 3 Dog Friendly Hotels along the south coast of the UK

Oscars Lodge Torquay

Oscars Lodge Torquay

Clock House B&B Marnhull, UK

Clock House B&B Marnhull, UK

The Royal Hotel, Eastbourne, UK

The Royal Hotel, Eastbourne, UK

 

 

This website is not responsible for 3rd party websites linked from this page. Information was correct at time of publication of this blog post “Dog Friendly Hotels along Englands South Coast”. This Review of Hotels and B&Bs is not sponsored and this is a review based on my opinion of my visit. I never endorse something for the sake of it – I really enjoyed staying at these Dog Friendly Properties which is why they are listed here!

The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel and Spa – Hotel Review

The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel and Spa – Hotel Review

by | Mar 22, 2018 | Travel

A while back I went to the UK and stayed at the The Oxfordshire Hotel and Spa, which as you guessed is situated in the heart of Oxfordshire (so it’s not just a clever name)

The Oxfordshire Hotel, Golf Hotel and Spa

The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel and Spa is situated in the heart of the Chilterns. It is located about a 1 hour drive from Luton airport. This vast Estate / Resort Hotel is a luxury 50 bedroom Hotel and Spa. It also boasts a Championship Golf Course if you are so inclined. This course has hosted some high profile golf tournaments; including the Benson & Hedges International, Andersen Consulting World Championship and Ladies English Open.

The Oxfordshire Hotel : Review

Approaching the Oxfordshire Hotel you drive along a well maintained entrance with the golf course on either side. There is plenty of free car parking and a handy drop off area which should suit everyone. Checking in at the hotel is very quick and done with a smile. We were offered spa and pool times as well as an option to book a time at the restaurant.

The food in the restaurant is superb, very well cooked and plenty to choose from. Whether you are a steak lover or a lover of fruits-de-mer the menu will suit your needs. The restaurant offers fantastic views over the golf course and is lovely at sunset. Service was friendly and efficient. I was very impressed with the depth of flavours in the food.

The rooms were comfortable, spacious and had very good air conditioning. The rooms also had a nice terrace / veranda which was accessed via sliding doors. In room hair dryer and safe for your valuables was good to have also.

Oxfordshire Hotel, Golf and Spa, Oxfordshire, UK - Hotel Review

Room photo at The Oxfordshire Hotel

The Breakfast next morning was varied, hot food was tasty and was actually hot (which some hotels can learn from). I also availed of the delicious fresh fruit, yoghurt, cereals and muesli which were also on offer.

The hotel is an ideal base for visiting places like the university town of Oxford and the Oxfordshire countryside. You could also enjoy punting on the Thames in Oxford or a visit to the Harry Potter Studios in Watford. If you are interested the village where the Vicar of Dibley was filmed (a small town called Turville) is located near by. There are many other great places, gardens and country houses to visit nearby also.

The Oxfordshire Hotel : Accolades

The Oxfordshire has had some recent accolades including the top 50 places to Stay & Play voted by Golf Monthly magazine, Top Golf Course in the county voted by the Top 100 Golf Courses in England and awarded 4 Bubbles by The Good Spa Guide.

The Oxfordshire Hotel : Conclusion

I did not know what to expect on booking (via booking.com) but was more than happy in the first minute inside the doors. The Oxfordshire is a well serviced, clean and friendly hotel which I have bookmarked and will certainly return to in the future. I had a very enjoyable stay and look forward to returning to the The Oxfordshire Hotel and Spa at some point in the future.

The Oxfordshire Hotel : Contact Details & Map

The Oxfordshire Hotel, Rycote Lane  Milton Common, Oxfordshire OX9 2PU, United Kingdom

The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel and Spa

iPhone iOS4 Released Today – What Time GMT will iOS4 be released for Ireland and UK??

iPhone iOS4 Released Today – What Time GMT will iOS4 be released for Ireland and UK??

by | Jun 21, 2010 | iPhone

iPhone iOS4 Will Be Available To Download Later Today and for those in Ireland and UK who are getting the error message below well you just have to wait a bit longer.

iOS4 Released Today - What time for GMT ireland and UK?
The latest version of Apple’s iPhone OS, iOS 4, will be available later today but it is erleased only when the USA get out of bed! As you probably know (unless you have being living under a rock) iOS 4 is the next major Operating System software upgrade for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The new iOS4 adds a range of new extra features to the iPhone / iTouch.

99% of the features will work on the iPhone 3GS, and some of them will work on the iPhone 3G / iTouch. Some of the new features include multitasking, camera zoom, folders, improved email, and iBooks just like the version on the iPad.

Multitasking will be the most interesting feature in the new iOS 4. Once iOS4 is installed on your 3Gs you will be able to switch between running iPhone apps without having to shut each app down … according to Apple this feature won’t slow down the iPhone or use extra battery.

The most probable time for the release will be either 5pm or 6pm Irish time (GMT) but no news yet means that they might hang on until they are happy to release – i.e. could be 8pm or 9pm if they decide to have their morning cappuccino at Apple HQ first !!

If you want to be notified by Twitter when iOS4 is released follow me on Twitter –
http://twitter.com/mrshanemcdonald and I will tweet once it is available!!

iOS 4 iPhone Software Update – New Features on the iPhone

by | Jun 19, 2010 | iPhone

The new iOS 4 update brings new powers to the iPhone!

The new iPhone will have over 100 new features, the free iOS 4 Software Update will allow iPhone 3Gs users to experience the majority of these. The new iPhone OS, iOs 4, will be released on Monday 21st June 2010 – iTunes 9.2 has been updated so download this first and upgrade your systems in preparation for the new iOS 4 release.

The new features of iOS4 will include the following;

  • You can use Multitasking and switch between your iPhone apps instantly, without apparently slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.
  • There are Folders so that you can organize your iPhones apps into relevant folders using a drag-and-drop technique. You can also manage up to 2160 apps (the current limit is about 180 apps) and get faster access through your folders.
  • Text Messaging update – There will be a Character Count option in Messages Settings, so you can keep a track on the number of characters while typing an SMS Text message.
  • The Email client has been improved and you can see messages from all your accounts in a unified inbox, organize your email messages by threads, and you can open attachments in third-party apps.
  • There is an ebook reader functionality called iBooks. This is not just an ebook reader, rather iBooks allows you to browse and shop for books as well as reading them (or PDFs) within the system.
  • The new iPhone will have 5x digital zoom with the Tap to focus function
  • While shooting video, tap the display to choose where to focus. You will also be able to tag photos and GeoTag where they were taken.
  • The Home screen wallpaper can be changed so that you can have your custom background wallpaper on your Home screen.
  • For techies, the iPhone iOS 4.0 includes more than 1,500 new APIs for app developers.

There are many other new features, such as improvements when reading documents, improvements in the contacts section, a photo resize option, playlist creation, and you will find even more when you install your own iOS 4 update (or if you are luck enough to get the new iPhone 4).

The new iOS 4 will work with iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 3G (some functionality for later third generation  iTouch models also). Not all features of the features above are compatible with all the devices. For example, multitasking is available only with iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS and Multitasking then is only available with Apps that have been specifically developed to work with iOS 4 multitasking mode. Also note that the Face Recognition system only works with iPhoto on the Mac (sorry PC users).

The new iPhone4 / iPhone 4G should be on sale in Ireland & UK fairly soon, hopefully in the next month. Carriers such as Vodafone, O2, 3 Mobile and Orange will be making sure customers know well in advance of pending sales of the new iPhone.

This looks like this update will boost the iPhone in the market – great improvements to an already great piece of technology.

iPhone 4G in Ireland & UK is expected in early June

iPhone 4G in Ireland & UK is expected in early June

by | Jun 7, 2010 | iPhone

The much-hyped release of the new iPhone 4G should be with us in Ireland by mid-June ; and although rumours of early July still persist … we will have to wait and see what happens!

iPhone 4G NEWS UPDATE – Apparently the date is now July for Ireland and the UK with the prices being roughly the same as current 16 – 32Gb versions.

The new 4G iPhone will sell in the US first and the date of June 7th was being mentioned as the possible release date. I don’t think that will happen though.

On the back of the iPad release, the new iPhone 4G should have a huge amount of interest in Ireland & UK. Keep an eye on Vodafone, O2, 3 Mobile and Orange who will be pushing to be the first in Ireland & Uk to sell the new iPhone 4G.

The feature list on the new iPhone is becoming clearer, apparently coming with ;

  • a 5 MegaPixel camera
  • possibly including multitasking of iPhone apps
  • sleeker body design
  • sturdier construction
  • clearer picture with a high definition capability
  • a 3.5 inch TFT touch-sensitive screen
  • available in 64GB & 80GB storage
  • built in half gig of RAM.

For those with the 3Gs iPhone there should be an OS upgrade also, which should give you some of the features of the new iPhone.


Note : the new 4G iPhone is actually a reference to 4th Generation and does not reflect a transition from a 3G network to a 4G network.

This post is actually an old post and is held here on shanemcdonald.ie for reference and for retro purposes. I was one of the people who started using the iPhone in Ireland around the time of the iPhone 4 and I have remained a loyal apple customer ever since.  I upgraded my PC in 2011 to a Mac and in 2021 I got a MacBook Pro which has served me well on international projects over the past 2 years. The iPhone is (at the time of writing this post) on iOS17.1 and the latest model is the iPhone 15 Pro which is quite expensive compared to the iPhone 4.

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