Oh we do love a dog friendly hotel stay and on our most recent adventure with JoJo we visited a beautiful hotel where we took Snoopy back in 2020. It felt really special for us to take JoJo somewhere where we made lovely memories with Snoopy.
After a longer than expected drive after hitting traffic, we arrived at The Devonshire Arms Hotel and Spa. Before we had even managed to gather all our many bags out of the car one of the friendly team arrived to help carry our luggage and take it to our room, which was sat waiting for us when we walked in.
However, before exploring our room it was time for some refreshments. We opted to enjoy a light lunch in the cocktail lounge.
Water was offered for JoJo whilst Mr B and I each sipped on a light refreshing glass of Pinot.
I enjoyed a truffled egg mayonnaise sandwich whilst Mr B had the homemade quiche of the day, which on our visit was broccoli and cheese. It was the perfect light lunch to fuel us up for our afternoon walk.
If you are visiting the Devonshire Arms you will be blessed with an abundance of wonderful country walks. Beautiful views surround you on every step. It is a walkers (and a dog’s) paradise.
From the hotel you can very easily walk to Bolton Abbey, which is just what we did. It’s a lovely walk and you can really make it as long or short as you prefer. We had great weather on the Saturday afternoon (on our Sunday walk we got caught in a downpour and ended up looking like three drowned rats on our return)!
After our sunny Saturday walk we arrived back at the hotel to check into our superior double room. Our room was beautiful, oozing oldy worldly charm. The bed wouldn’t look out of place in a Bridgerton stately home. The stunning four poster bed was most definitely the star of the room.
Our room had an abundance of space for our surprising amount of stuff for our one-night stay (we’re blaming JoJo for all the stuff!). A Nespresso machine is provided and tea-lovers will be happy with the Yorkshire tea bags. A welcome treat of homemade ginger biscuits was a very pleasant surprise and didn’t last long, they went perfectly with a brew and were very delicious.
JoJo was welcomed with her very own welcome letter, a bowl, towel, poo bags, treat and much to her delight, a Devonshire Hotel branded tennis ball.
The bathroom had a large walk-in rainforest shower and full-size toiletries are provided, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion.
Our room had wonderful views over the hotel grounds and the comfy seats positioned in front of the window were perfect for sitting back, relaxing, enjoying a glass of fizz and admiring the countryside views.
After enjoying a few hours relaxing, and snoozing for JoJo, it was time for dinner. We were booked into the Brasserie restaurant. Guests without dogs could also enjoy dinner in the new Garden Room restaurant.
We were welcomed in and offered our choice of tables and we were soon eyeing up the menu deciding which of the many delights we were going to enjoy.
After much deliberation I ordered the Scallops, which came with curried chickpeas, sweet red pepper hummus and onion bhaji. The sweet juicy scallops were perfectly cooked, the spice in the dish was not too overpowering and the bhajis added a lovely crunchy texture to the dish.
Mr B enjoyed the Pork Bao Buns which were stuffed with Char siu pork, pickled vegetables, apple and sriracha mayo. The buns were lovely and fluffy and the fillings worked very well together with complementary flavours and a range of textures.
For my main I could not resist ordering the venison. With it just coming into season and it being one of my favourite meats, it was an easy choice for me. The dish was Venison loin with red wine poached salsify, honey-glazed root vegetable, shallot petals and creamed potato. The dish was lovely, nice pink venison with a sharp fruity sauce, utterly delicious.
Mr B ordered the Monkfish dish which was charred monkfish tail, textures of squash, samphire, crab bisque and sea purslane. The fish was lovely and delicate, the bisque was packed with flavour and it was a very well-balanced dish. He also ordered a side of dauphinoise potatoes which were as rich and buttery as you would want them to be.
Dessert for me was the classic sticky toffee pudding. When done right, for me it’s a perfect pud. This one was served with a butterscotch sauce and clotted cream ice cream, a yummy dessert.
Mr B ordered the apple crumble which was served with a silky smooth crème anglaise. He also gave his dessert full marks!
After a very gentle stroll around the hotel grounds it was time for all three of us to drift off into a wonderful night’s sleep. In that bed, it was impossible to not sleep like a princess!
Breakfast is in the Garden Room, where they have a separate room for guests with doggos. Sipping on a lovely latte, I contemplated what to order for breakfast. After enjoying one of the small freshly-baked buttery croissants, I chose the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on sourdough.
The eggs were beautifully creamy with a generous amount of smoked salmon. It’s a classic and extremely tasty breakfast which I adored.
Mr B ordered the full Yorkshire breakfast, with a plate of locally-sourced ingredients all cooked perfectly. He loved his breakfast as much as I did mine.
Of course, not to leave JoJo out (breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all), she was treated to a local sausage which was presented to her already cut up in a dog bowl, ready to be devoured.
The Devonshire offer lots of little extras which make them a truly dog-friendly hotel. In the entrance you will find dog treats (which JoJo most definitely enjoyed!), poo bags and a towel to wipe muddy paws. There is a dog wash located outside the Brasserie with a hot bath and towels. Every time we sat down with her we were asked if she would like a water bowl. There was a lovely welcome pack in our room. To us all these elements are what create a dog-friendly hotel instead of just a hotel which allows dogs.
Just like when we stayed with our beautiful boy Snoopy, we had the most wonderful stay at The Devonshire. Delicious Yorkshire food, an abundance of fantastic walks, a beautiful hotel and true welcoming friendly Yorkshire service made the three of us extremely happy.
https://devonshirehotels.co.uk/devonshire-arms-hotel-spa/
