A Dog-Friendly Getaway to Talland Bay Hotel

It’s been on my list to explore the Polperro heritage coast for a while now!

Near Plymouth on the South Coast, Polperro and Looe are places I’ve never had the chance to explore, mainly because it’s quite far to go for a day trip from ‘way down in South Kernow’. There are loads of beautiful coastal and countryside walks in this area, so brilliant for dog walking, but again it’s just a bit of a trek to travel up and back in a day with the dogs.

So when Talland Bay Hotel got in touch for me to stay I was really excited to finally get a chance to explore, plus we could bring the pups with us too!

The hotel is extremely dog friendly (they’re famous for it!), and we arrived at our Garden Suite room (number 24 if you’re wondering!) to a fun doggy pack with treats, blankets and food bowls/mats especially for Pepper and Maizy.

With access to our own patio/mini-garden area straight outside the doors, it’s a great option if you’re bringing the pooches with you, and there was plenty of space indoors for them too.

I believe all of this four-star hotel’s rooms are pet friendly, excluding numbers 1 and 20, which is amazing! You wouldn’t know, either, as our suite was very clean. Pepper and Maizy made themselves right at home.

Keen to head out into the countryside, we didn’t sit around for long.

We headed out of the hotel and 200m down the road to join the South West Coast Path, which would take us on a walk down to Polperro. Sadly, the weather was NOT on our side, and we got incredibly wet on the way there!

It didn’t deter us though, and gradually eased off. I’m glad because I really wanted to get some photos of this quaint little fishing village that I’ve heard so much about!

Its little cobbled streets are dotted with little galleries and tea rooms, and (as always seems to be the way with these little harbour towns – think St. Ives and Newlyn!) plenty of holiday let cottages!

We didn’t stay too long as we wanted to be back for our dinner in the hotel’s restaurant before 7pm, so we walked back along the cliffs. The walk from the hotel to Polperro took about 1hr 45minutes, so it was perfect for tiring the dogs out.

Talland Bay Hotel’s restaurant is in fact dog friendly, so we could have taken the dogs to dinner (and breakfast) with us! However, if you eat in the conservatory part of the restaurant with the dogs, it’s a different type of menu to the main indoor area, which is fine dining – of course we had to try that!

After chilling in the bar area with a glass of wine and some appetisers, we were shown to our tables. The hotel’s decor is super eclectic, with some vintage/retro elements too! However, the restaurant was quite modern and classy feeling, so I was glad I’d dressed up a bit for the occasion.

For starters, Alex chose the roasted scallops with pork belly satay (looking at this photo is making me super hungry right now…), while I went with the Looe skate wing with Fowey river mussels. The creamy Cider broth that came with it was delicious!

There was also a Specials board in the restaurant, which was serving options from the non fine-dining menu as well, and Alex decided to go with the lobster with hand-cut chips (which looked great but sadly weren’t as crispy and fluffy on the inside as he’d hoped). I think he would have rather gone with something off the fancier menu though, once he saw my choice!

My main course was the Plaice with Looe bay crab and tartare gnocchi, which was super tasty! It felt like the perfect amount too.

After a pre-dessert palate cleanser of some delicious sorbets, we both opted for the same pudding – panacotta! Both our favourites. I loved the added berry sorbet and honeycomb too.

After dinner we rolled back to our room to two still very sleepy dogs, and fell pretty much straight asleep (thanks to our long walk and full bellies) in the super comfy emperor bed!

The next morning the sun was shining for us – yay! Which meant we could explore the grounds of the hotel more, and wow – what a view!

The hotel is situated in its own little bay area with lawns looking straight out to sea. I imagine in warmer weather in summer it would be so peaceful and stunning to lay around on the sun loungers reading a book with a dog by your side in the grass – perfect!

We also enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the hotel before heading off as well. I went for the scrambled eggs with salmon (beautifully presented!) which Alex as usual had a full English (with plenty of salt and pepper).

I’ve definitely never been to a hotel as dog friendly as this before; even at reception there are pots of dog treats and baskets of towels for all the dogs that stay. All the staff were so friendly as well and it really did feel like dogs weren’t just an add on here – they’re just furry guests!

If you’re looking for a weekend getaway with the pooches with plenty of walks and local seaside towns to explore, Talland Bay Hotel is a great option. It’s also really near to Plymouth as well which makes it accessible and means you’re close to the shops if you need!

 

Check out their website for more info on their rooms and restaurant!

* I was given a complimentary stay and meal but all thoughts are my own