Dog-Friendly Places to Stay in Bournemouth

There are 11 pet friendly places to stay published on BritStays across the Bournemouth region, and that number matters more than it might sound. It's a small, manageable set — you can realistically look at all of them in an evening — but it also means the good weekends go early. Here's how the collection breaks down, and how to pick the one that suits the kind of trip you're planning.

What sort of stays are actually on offer

This is an outdoorsy set. Of the 11, five are caravanning and four are camping, with just one cottage and one hotel. If you travel with a tourer or a tent, you're spoilt for choice. If you want a front door and a kitchen, you're looking at Primrose Cottage in Christchurch, South West England, which sleeps 7 and lists a playground, disabled access and pet friendly. If you want a bed made for you, the Riviera Hotel in Bournemouth is the one hotel in the group, with a swimming pool, gym and spa.

Facilities follow the same pattern. All 11 are pet friendly, of course; eight list toilets, six list a playground, six list disabled access and six list a laundrette. WiFi, parking and EV charging nearby each appear at five. That last point is worth reading twice: fewer than half list parking, so if you need to keep a car beside the pitch or the door, confirm it before you pay.

Bournemouth itself, or somewhere quieter

Seven of the 11 are in Bournemouth, so the default is a coastal-ish base with plenty of park life nearby. Hoburne Park is the one to look at if you want swimming pool, hot tub and gym on site. Shamba Caravan Park pairs a swimming pool with a clubhouse and playground — handy on a wet afternoon with children and a damp dog. Grove Farm Meadow Holiday and Touring Park leans simpler, with a playground, toilets and disabled access, while Airview Farm Caravan Park lists a restaurant alongside its toilets and pet friendly status.

The remaining four spread out inland and along the coast, one to a place:

• Lymington — Lytton Lawn Touring Park, with swimming pool, hot tub and gym.
• Horton — Riverside Lakes, listing toilets, disabled access and pet friendly.
• Coombe Bissett — Summerlands Caravan Park Salisbury, with a bar, playground and toilets.
• Christchurch, South West England — Primrose Cottage.

Couples after quiet tend to do better away from Bournemouth; two people and a dog will usually prefer Riverside Lakes or Summerlands Caravan Park Salisbury to a big park with a clubhouse. Families with a mixed-age group generally want the pool, playground and clubhouse combination, which points back to Hoburne Park or Shamba Caravan Park.

Camping with a dog

The camping end of the set is deliberately plain. Rushcroft Farm Caravan And Camping Park lists toilets, pet friendly and WiFi — useful if you need to stay contactable. Harry's Field Campsite lists toilets, pet friendly and being near a bus stop, which is the detail to seize on if you'd rather not drive every day; do check the operator's own rules on dogs on public transport before you rely on it. Plain sites usually suit dogs best anyway: fewer crowds, more room to potter, and less to knock over.

Days out from your base

There's a heavy run of grand houses and heritage within reach, and most such places have outdoor grounds where dogs on leads are often welcome — ring ahead rather than assume. Highcliffe Castle and Longford Castle cover the castle-and-heritage side; Breamore House, Cranborne Manor, Trafalgar House, Clarendon House, Somerley and Avon Tyrrell House make up the stately homes.

For families, New Forest Water Park sits in the Bournemouth area, and Bournemouth Aviary is an easy filler for a spare morning. Marwell Zoo in Hampshire is the bigger wildlife day out, with Fancy's Family Farm over at Weymouth. On rainy days, the Museum of Jurassic Marine Life and Corfe Castle Town Trust Museum in Swanage, the Sherborne Steam & Waterwheel Centre in Dorset and the Isle of Wight Glass Museum are indoor options — all worth checking on dog policy, as most museums only admit assistance dogs.

When to book

With only 11 pet friendly stays here, and only one cottage and one hotel among them, the non-camping options go first. If you want Primrose Cottage or the Riviera Hotel for a school holiday, book months ahead. The parks with pools and hot tubs — Hoburne Park and Lytton Lawn Touring Park — fill their peak summer weeks early too. Touring and tent pitches at the simpler sites hold on longer, and midweek in the shoulder seasons is usually still available at short notice.

Before you confirm anything, email and ask three things: how many dogs are allowed per pitch or unit, whether there's an extra charge, and which areas of the site dogs can't enter — pools, hot tubs, clubhouses and restaurants are the usual exclusions. Get the answer in writing, and note where the nearest laundrette is on site if you're travelling with a dog that swims.