The Master Builder’s

Dating back to 1729, this historic hotel – as the name suggests – once housed the Master Builders for Lord Nelson’s Navy. Today it is a small but luxurious hotel, bar and restaurant set near the river Beaulieu in the ancient and unique shipbuilding village of Buckler’s Hard, whose houses form a quaint avenue that leads down to the sea. The rooms are all smart and comfortable, and some have views of the river. The hotel boasts an award-winning Riverview Restaurant. Buckler’s Hard is a busy place for sure, but if you stay the night and enjoy the area after the day-trippers have gone home, you’ll really feel transported back in time.

They accept dogs in five of their 'Posh Classic' rooms, so welcoming to dogs they won UK Dog-Friendly Hotel of the year in the 2016 Good Hotel Guide. They even have a doggy room-service menu, and offer bowls, beds and treats in the rooms – and dogs can dine with you in the bar. Plus of course, there are any number of great walks in the area and beyond – above all into the heart of the New Forest, for which Buckler’s Hard makes a convenient and very comfortable base.