Suffolk Secrets Reviews 412

I have never written a review but this company have caused me to do this. Tried to book a property for August unfortunately they didn’t respond with their fifteen minute email confirmation and the 48 hour deadline passed still no contact. Now six days later still no contact. Tried ringing when I eventually found a telephone number they were closed due to staff training. The email given also doesn’t work so not sure how they can uphold the service promised.
We assume the property is no longer reserved I hope the owners of the property are aware they are losing business it makes me suspicious when no telephone numbers/emails are available. Poor communication

We have always used Suffolk Secrets but have often found them less than bothered when phoning them for advice.
Recently I looked at what I assumed was their web site but my virus protector advised it was a scam site. I know people are often caught out by these sort of scams so I emailedSS to ask to check out the site and giving them other details about what the virus checker alerted me too. Given the prominence of this company in Southwold I was somewhat concerned that I received no reply to this email which gave me some pause for booking with this site. I subsequently checked the holding company on Companies House and found the site was not a scam but wouldn’t it be in SS interest to at least respond to my email asking and alerting them to what is showing as a scam site?
It isn’t the first time I have found them less than helpful over minor issues so should not be surprised they are so unconcerned about this enquiry that they couldn’t be bothered to answer.
I know they’ve got the biggest share of the market in Southwold but why are they so complacent?
Needless to say, I didn’t book.

We booked a beautiful character cottage which unfortunately had a number of issues, from minor to major. I emailed SS on our first day & after receiving no response, called in to the office. They basically said that the cottage was owner managed & we should contact them. The owner had left no contact information just a handyman card. The assistant at SS offered to email the owner on our behalf but we heard no more. In total we contacted the office 4x which is that last thing you need to do whilst on holiday. Following our return home, I emailed again asking for our complaint to be escalated and finally received a reply assigning us a Complaints Manager & advising we would hear within 30 days. After two weeks we received a response offering us a £250 refund together with a list of excuses from the owners in answer to our complaints. We accepted but feel that if SS are marketing & letting properties, they should take responsibility in checking that they are fit for guests! We would not use this company again.

A house full of character in lovely grounds with lots of seating areas to appreciate gardens at different times of the day. Great sunsets. Fascinating to watch the farmer plough the neighbouring fields.
Kitchen was very well equipped.
Great bathrooms.
Seating in the main lounge a bit low for oldies!!
Low beams, sloping floors, and a spiral staircase all add to the character of this beautiful house.
Steven the caretaker was always quickly on hand for any queries, but gave us complete privacy.

I booked Walnut Cottage in Ilketshall St Margaret which is managed by Suffolk Secrets and posted on Airbnb, paying a whopping 50% deposit plus £25 extra for the dog. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we were not able to go because we managed to sell our house and realised that completion is likely to take place around the time of our booking (a scenario not covered by our insurance). I tried to rearrange the booking dates with Suffolk Secrets and had no response, and as the deadline for paying the remaining 50% balance was rapidly looming I felt I had no alternative but to cancel. Suffolk Secrets refused to repay any of the deposit money, in spite of the listing saying that a partial refund would be due as long as I cancelled a week before the balance due date AND in spite of the company writing to me to say they would repay part of the deposit. It's only with the benefit of hindsight that I realised there were no terms and conditions anywhere to be seen, and no intelligible definition of what constituted a 'partial refund'. To be fair to Airbnb, they tried very hard to negotiate with this company but they got nowhere either.

So, I'm afraid I can't say how my holiday went as it never happened, but I would like to warn anybody planning to make a booking of the problems I've experienced. If I could give them less than one star, I would.

We had a holiday in Aldeburgh with Suffolk secrets. On arrival we found the property dirty with dogs hairs even in bed under the duvet. Usually one would expect newly changed beds in a holiday accommodation....
While trying to clean the property ourselves we could see the floors in the lounge had not be cleaned for a long time so realised that not cleaning that property was not a one-off but a practice.
On the arrival the agency would not pick up the phone as it was 5pm on a Saturday. The owner came that evening and changed the beds but did not clean or provide a cleaner even though it was apparent that we had a toddler and a disabled child with us hence it would have been so nice to have a clean property. The owner was annoyed with the agency for not cleaning but did not bother to contact them the next day to clean.
On Monday we left. Following the complaint procedure Original Cottages (owner of Suffolk Secrets) refunded us for 5 days so still charged us for 2 days as if we had a nice holiday not a stressful totally ruined experience.
Will never book with this agency again.

Booked via Airbnb 5 months in advance for a stay, they cancelled the booking one week prior to the stay saying they had double booked

My partner booked Spring House studio in Alderton which has a sofa bed . In Suffolk Secrets blog they say enjoy the sumptuous sofa bed when in reality it was like trying to sleep on a plank of wood. I suffer from shoulder problems and suffered. I have been to many holiday cottages and have never had a problem with an uncomfortable bed It seems Suffolk Secrets live up to there name!

My husband and I booked Pudding Moor cottage in Beccles Suffolk for a week in March.We were able to access the property at 4pm and on arrival we noticed the outdoor area at the front was dirty and table and chairs covered in dirt and cobwebs,the mat at the front door also had a piece of rabbit pelt! We walked into the living room and it smelt of damp and there were 2 walls showing damp and a dehumidifier covering the area. It wasn't clean and checking the rest of the property it was the same,dirty fridge freezer, microwave and window sill in the kitchen,the tiles in the shower were stained and not cleaned properly and debris on the toilet. Walking out to the yard area at the back it was nothing at all like the picture on the website,it was dirty with refuse bins and a very worn bench definitely nothing like online image. One of the beds upstairs looked liked the bedding had not been ironed at all and under the bed was very dusty. We refused to stay and they said the cleaners would go in and clean it again this was around 1900 hours !! what they would do with the front and back seating areas I wouldn't know it was so bad.We made a total of 21 calls to customer services on that day to try to get alternative accomodation but they were no help at all,and no alternative accomodation was offered. At 7pm we had no option but to set off and drive 7 hours back home again! We tried hotels but because we had a dog we couldn't get booked and we were getting no help from Suffolk Secrets at all.So we ended up driving from Cumbria to Beccles for a few hours and home again.We made a complaint immediately and we're offered 20% back which was refused.We only ended up getting a refund when we asked to view the cleaners video they took of the property and they weren't able to send it to us.They did keep the booking fee of £51 even though we drove all that way and never stayed in the property at all. I would never book with this company again,I have photographic evidence of my complaint which the company have received.

My Mum and I had a fantastic week in Velsheda for the second year in a row. Cottage and location both great. However, I’ve since had a terrible experience with Suffolk Secrets/Original Cottages. We checked out on 8th December and my security deposit has still not been returned and no explanation has been provided. I have sent several emails and always get the same reply that the complaints department are reviewing a query and will be in touch - over 8 weeks later and I’ve still heard nothing. I’m now going to start small claims proceedings as I don’t know what else to do. It’s such a shame as it’s tainted what was another lovely week. We go away together for a week every December and last year was our 11th trip - we’ve been to various cottages around the country and the security deposit has never been disputed (including last year at Velsheda) as we’ve always left the place clean and tidy, as we expect to find it. I cannot begin to fathom why our £200 security deposit has been withheld and they won’t (perhaps can’t) tell me either. Hugely disappointed and frustrated with Suffolk Secrets/Original Cottages and won’t be booking through them again.

I booked a surprise birthday 4day stay in THE HEADMASTERS HOUSE,REYDON, SOUTHWOLD and it was dreadful. The beds were cheap and very uncomfortable, the single beds are too narrow for adults. The downstairs shower room was filthy with long term water stains all round the walls next to the shower. Long term dirt between the shower screen and shower door. No handle on the inside of the shower door. Dirt and chipped paint round the skirting boards. The folding chair in the shower was filthy. Kitchen kickboards had gapeing holes in them. Dirt on wall next to the kitchen peddle bin.The back of a kitchen chair appeared to be chewed.
It was so ghastly we drove home after one night. We only stayed that night because we could't gain entry till 4pm and it was going to be another 3hour drive back home in the dark not great for an OAP.
The Customer Relations dept is hopeless. I asked for somewhere of decent standard for the next 3days of our holiday but I was told it would be a new order and therefore have to pay again. Useless.
I sent photographic proof and I was refunded 3 out of the 4 day booking. Suffolk Secrets surely have an obligation to ensure their cottages are what they claim in their description ie "THE HEADMASTERS HOUSE IS FINISHED TO A VERY HIGH STARDARD" well its not, our experience was dreadful.

This cottage was a delight to stay in.
We have stayed 2 years over the Christmas period and look forward to a third.

Very clean, comfortable, well maintained, and close to all amenities - a great place to stay

Please be cautious when booking with this company. We stayed at, stable cottage, chantry barns, orford.
The property was not clean enough. Which is a joke as you are asked to not go in until after 4pm, due to cleaning etc.. Dirt around Bath screen. Filthy mug for toothbrushes. Dust under sofas and beds, I could go on and on. The worst in 15 years. I informed suffolk secrets. Their response was basically 'oh thanks for telling us, we'll make sure property is improved for next customer. Standards have certainly slipped.

Avoid, avoid, avoid.
Appalling experience.
Worst ever cottage stay.
Firstly be aware, this is not a quaint local company as they would have you believe. Don't expect to call the "local" number and get local service and help. Suffolk Secrets is basically a front for holidaycottages.co.uk, who we try to avoid, for good reason.
The cottage (Appletree cottage) in Westleton was the worst holiday cottage I've ever stayed in by quite some margin.
Firstly it was filthy, not just a bit tired but actually really dirty and disgusting. Crumbs in the worktops, hairs in the bathroom, large cobwebs all over.
The floor was covered in sand and white dog hairs when we arrived.
If there wasn't cleanish towels and bedding in place I would have sworn the cleaner didn't turn up.
The visible mould was such that it triggered my asthma.
There were insect cocoons on the dirty walls.
I actually couldn't sleep for the horror of it.
The furniture was faded and tired, the kitchen was grimy and there were dangerously sharp broken edges.
I have photos.
We would have left but for flooding that no one warned us about.
This was not a cheap cottage by any means but I would have been better off camping.
It turns my stomach to think of it.
Complaints will be made to CAM and Trading Standards as this is an unsafe and dishonest company.

On the ball. We got cancelled at the last minute and they were on it immediately and found us 5 other properties to look at and at 2 days notice found us an even better venue. Extremely polite and helpful staff.

Really good experience of using Suffolk Secrets/Original Cottages. Smmoth booking process and good value cottage. However it was the little touches that were most noticed. Really good reminder text and email communications before and during the holiday. We loved the welcome starter packs for both the kitchen and bathroom with the little things you normally have to buy on arrival or take with you. Cloths, dishwasher tabs, kitchen roll, toilet roll etc. Very impressed!

Lovely building, great hostess, painfully firm bed not for anyone with a bad back.

My review is for the cottage we stayed in. I have no idea who Suffolk Secrets are as we did not book with them. We booked with Original Cottages.

We really enjoyed our stay at Lady cottage. This unusual, period property was warm and comfortable and we had everything we needed for exploring Lavenham and the surrounding countryside. The property is well equipped with an excellent kitchen, nice chairs, smart TV, WiFi, garden, comfortable bed and a nice bathroom. The owners were very helpful and checked to make sure everything was OK. The property is very central for Lavenham so a walking tour is easy from here. Despite being in town, we found this to be a quiet spot. It is street parking but we had no problems finding a place to park. Happy to recommend.

A lovely property to stay in. In the perfect location in Southwold provided by Suffolk Secrets. It was perfect for our needs and well presented. The welcome pack was great. Cosy and warm for our week in October.