Ely Hotel
A pet-friendly budget stay near Blackwater
About this hotel
This is one of the more modest properties on this list, a straightforward stay with a bar on site and free parking, positioned near Blackwater rather than directly in Bracknell itself. The pet-friendly policy is a genuine practical advantage for families travelling with a dog on a tight budget, and the simple format keeps costs down for a trip already paying for water park admission. It doesn't run a restaurant beyond the bar, so families plan to eat elsewhere most evenings, and the taxi ride to Coral Reef Waterworld runs longer than from the Bracknell town-centre cluster. It's a no-frills choice, best suited to families prioritising a low room rate above almost everything else. None of that is glamorous, but for a slides-focused trip it covers exactly what a family actually needs.
- Rock-bottom budget pricing
- Pet-friendly rooms available
- Bar on site for evenings
Our take
It suits budget-focused, pet-friendly families who don't mind a longer taxi ride to Coral Reef Waterworld in exchange for the lowest realistic room rate covered anywhere in this destination. Families wanting an on-site restaurant or shorter commute should look toward Bracknell directly instead. Nobody will remember the decor a year later, but everyone will remember how easy the stay itself turned out to be.
- ✓Bring the dog along, since the pet-friendly policy here is straightforward and reasonably priced compared with smarter alternatives.
- ✓Plan your evening meals elsewhere, since this property doesn't run a full restaurant beyond its own bar.
- ✓Budget realistic taxi time to Coral Reef Waterworld, since Blackwater sits further out than the central Bracknell cluster.
Why we love it
- Straightforward, low-key budget setting overall here
- Pet-friendly policy for the family dog
- Bar on site for quiet evenings here
- Free parking included as hotel standard
Why guests love itWe picked Ely Hotel purely for the low price and pet-friendly policy, bringing our terrier along without paying for a kennel, and while the taxi to Coral Reef Waterworld took longer than we'd have liked, the savings covered an extra day of water park admission instead. It wasn't a destination in its own right, just a reliable base, and for this kind of trip that's all we wanted.