Dog-friendly hotel review: The Feathers, Ledbury, Herefordshire

The Feathers Hotel in Ledbury, Herefordshire certainly knows how to treat a dog.

There are tasty treats waiting in your room to welcome your four-legged friend to the hotel, for starters.

Then, take breakfast. There’s a place set for your pooch with his or her own biscuits. And when you get to order your own meal from the menu, the waitress asks if your dog would like an award-winning sausage on his own plate on the side. Yes, they know how to make a pooch and his parents feel special – and at ease – at The Feathers.

We couldn’t fault our recent stay at this cosy, comfortable and canine-friendly hotel. Some places say they’re dog-friendly when you book. But when you get there, you can feel a little on edge. Maybe it’s just the fact that the staff aren’t interested in your happy hound’s antics, or that they’re only allowed in one small area of the hotel. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that dining rooms often need to be kept dog-free, but the rest of the hotel needn’t be out of bounds if you’re a truly dog-friendly hotel.

The Feathers Hotel is that rare gem that seems more than happy that your dog’s come to visit. In fact, they seem elated! Every single member of staff we encountered stopped to say hello to Barney – adding a pat to his head or a scratch to his chest, while regaling us with stories of their own beloved pets. And while the dining room was out of bounds, the bar area, coffee and tea dining area plus lounges were all open and welcoming. What’s more, every classic and superior double room in the hotel accepts pets. So, they’re more than accommodating.

An historic coaching inn, this black and white Tudor building – decked with pretty floral baskets and window boxes in bloom – stands handsome on the High Street of Ledbury, marking out the market town as having a long history. Over 400 years in fact.

Inside it’s all atmospheric wooden beamed ceilings and walls, creaky floors, open fires, clever and stylish decoration – with ‘mis’-matched sumptuous brocade and velveteen, checked tweeds and floral, leafy motifs in bright jewel colours that all come together to create a cosy, comfortable and quirky atmosphere.

You’ll find walls and shelving bedecked with a conglomeration of colourful, creative and comical works of art and artefacts. Expect pugs painted in flat caps alongside hares wearing houndstooth jackets; curios such as golden parrots and grouse perching next to the fire or atop a shelf, plus lamps boasting bases made from musical instruments – clarinets and trumpets. The hotel reception table is made using old suitcases. We love.

With recently gorgeously refurbished bedrooms and bathrooms, the hotel rooms feel spick and span, but homely and luxe. Our room was decorated in alluring autumnal colours – a honey yellow on the wall with leafy-motived velveteen cushions and bedspread in golds, bronzes, rusty oranges and hints of zingy teal.

Big generous lamps cast a warm glow and we loved extra touches such as the Roberts Radio at the bedside, a Nespresso machine, biscuits and bottled water.

We enjoyed a relaxed and delicious evening meal in the front bar, with Barney asleep beneath our seats. Starters were a tasty twice baked asparagus and mozzarella soufflé and artichoke heart, butter bean and rose harissa humous served with flatbread. Mains were an olive, smoked feta and roquette falafel served with a tomato salad plus a swordfish steak with braised fennel and beans, parmesan and tomato polenta chips and sauce vierge. Desserts were a cherry posset with toasted marshmallows, steamed rhubarb plus stem ginger pudding with vanilla custard.

There’s plenty to do in Ledbury and beyond with your dog – from roaming the cobbled streets and sussing out the stylish independent homeware shops to wandering around on picture-perfect Hereforsdhire walks. You can find out more about ‘dog-friendly’ Ledbury on our next post.

For more information go to: The Feathers Hotel, Ledbury and Visit Herefordshire

All photos copyright of Alistair Heap