Norfolk Broads Direct Reviews 

2,642
TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.5

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 182 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company, often highlighting the fantastic holidays they enjoyed. Customers consistently praise the staff for being extremely polite, helpful, and cheerful, making every interaction pleasant and smooth. Many people appreciate the well-maintained boats and accommodations, often describing them as clean, spacious, and comfortable, with excellent amenities. However, some customers also noted issues with the condition of the boats and cottages, citing problems like dirty interiors, broken appliances, and uncomfortable beds. These occasional experiences included concerns about cleanliness, such as stained bedding and mold, and functional problems like non-working TVs or faulty plumbing, which sometimes led to disappointment.

What people talk about most

Staff

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of staff, consistently praising their friendliness, helpfulness, and... See more

Product

Customers had ambiguous experiences with product, with some reviewers praising the boats as well-equipped,... See more

Quality

Users describe ambiguous interactions with quality, with many customers praising the cleanliness, comfort,... See more

Holidays

Clients share positive opinions on holidays, with many reviewers describing their experiences as wonderful,... See more

Facilities

People report ambiguous experiences with facilities, with some reviewers praising clean and well-stocked... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Friendly staff. Boat available early. Goody bag most welcome. Extra bedding and towels provided for our second week. Towels could be a little bigger. Boat was immaculately presented as always. Parking... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A beautiful maintained apartment, fresh and bright, everything you need for a pleasant holiday. Only comment is shower mat could be bigger, very small compared to shower cubicle, for older people a... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent communications & information by email, during and after booking. Friendly, helpful staff, nothing is too much trouble. Modern, well designed and reliable boats. This latest Fair Regal b... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Friendly, helpful staff. Good, basic training for the very inexperienced. Nice welcome pack, including some popular doggy treats. The four berth would have been very intimate for four adults, but gr... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Vacation Rental

Information provided by various external sources

With over 125 miles of stunning waterways and vast diverse wildlife to discover we know that a boating holiday has something for all of the family to enjoy. At Norfolk Broads Direct our visitors are our primary focus and we aim to ensure your visit to the Norfolk Broads lives long in the memory.


Contact info

4.5

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

3K reviews

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Asks customers to review

This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative

Replied to 33% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 week

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4.5

All reviews

(2,642)

152 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Nothing too much trouble for all the…

Nothing too much trouble for all the staff, very helpful and an excellent welcome pack which was very appreciated. Our boat was very clean and an early hand over gave us an extra couple of hours which enabled Pat to take us under Wroxham bridge .Many thanks.

September 8, 2025
Unprompted review
Norfolk Broads Direct logo

Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

We’re delighted to hear you found our staff so helpful and that the welcome pack was much appreciated. It’s wonderful that the early handover gave you a little extra time to enjoy your cruise and the experience of passing under Wroxham Bridge. We look forward to welcoming you back again soon!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Great customer service from check in to…

Great customer service from check in to leaving the boat to go home.
Very organised and the men working at the boat yard were really helpful and courteous.

September 6, 2025
Unprompted review
Norfolk Broads Direct logo

Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

Thank you for your kind feedback. We’re delighted to hear you experienced great customer service from check-in to departure. We look forward to welcoming you back on board again soon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A great experience from start to finish!

Easy to book, the boat collection and explanation was speedy, and all staff very friendly and helpful.
We were provided with towels which was unexpected, and there was a lovely hamper on board.
The boat itself was spotless and we encountered no issues. Returning the boat was easy too and we weren’t rushed to unload our luggage.
All in all an excellent break enjoyed by us all. We’ll be back!

September 8, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

Thank you for your wonderful feedback. We’re pleased to hear that booking and collection were easy and that our team made you feel welcome. It’s great to know you enjoyed the towels, welcome pack, and the spotless condition of the boat, and that returning was stress-free. We’re thrilled you had an excellent break and look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Lovely holiday

Amazing little cottage right near everything and on the waterside, very clean and had everything we needed,could fish from the patio at the back very easy check in and lovely welcome pack, missing it already.The only thing that could be improved are the directions as there are 2 offices and it is the one on the left nearest the centre you need and the gardener could may do with coming a little later.

September 9, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

Thank you for your lovely feedback. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your stay at the cottage, its waterside location, and the convenience of fishing from the patio. It’s great that check-in was easy and that you liked the welcome pack. We also appreciate your helpful suggestions regarding clearer directions, we hope to welcome you back!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Lovely house, outside needing a little sprucing.

Lovely house, fantastic location, we book Tealby every year and have booked for 2026 already. A couple of criticisms, oven was quite dirty inside and I had to clean it before using it. Also the outside could do with some TLC, cobwebs and generally needing a spruce up. Also blinds could do with replacing.Other than that we had a wonderful holiday.

September 6, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

Thank you for your feedback and for your continued loyalty in booking Tealby each year—we’re thrilled to hear you’ve already booked for 2026! We’re glad you had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed the house and location. We also appreciate your constructive comments regarding the oven, exterior, and blinds, which will be passed on to our team for review and improvement. We look forward to welcoming you back again next year!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Fair Commodore 3

A beautiful week on the broads, couldn't fault the weather until day 5 in the evening, unfortunately the masking tape on the front windows didn't stop it from leaking, for the price I paid to hire the boat I didn't expect tape on window. The other things I didn't expect was how dirty the boat was, the front bedroom ceiling was so dirty, I also washed the kitchen floor and the cutlery tray which were so grubby, I cleaned both bathrooms too. I didn't want to go on holiday to clean a boat, but couldn't spend a week living on a dirty boat so had no choice. When we left, you got the boat back cleaner than when you lent it us. Needless to say we won't be returning anytime soon.

September 6, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback following your recent holiday on the Fair Commodore. We are sorry that the boat didn’t meet our typical high standards and that you had to spend time cleaning during your holiday. We sincerely apologise for the issues with the windows, cleanliness, and overall maintenance. Your comments have been shared with our team as a priority to ensure improvements are made. We truly regret the inconvenience caused and greatly appreciate the care you took in returning the boat in such good condition.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Boat was clean and well equipped

Boat was clean and well equipped, we had a lovely week the only criticism I can give was that we didn't get enough time shown how to moor the boat but this could be our fault as we said we had hired a boat in the past and had experience, we managed ok just mooring was a bit stressful.
We were 4 adults and 2 dogs we hired fair entrepreneur we had ample room in the living area but the front bedroom was a bit small maybe would of been better if we had made 2 single beds rather than a double but all said and done we managed and would not hesitate to use NBD again in the future

September 6, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

Thank you for your review. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your week on Fair Entrepreneur and found the boat well equipped and spacious. We appreciate your note about mooring instruction — our team are always willing to spend as much time as necessary on the trial run to ensure guests feel confident before departing. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The staff were very helpfull

The staff were very helpfull. Especially when I needed a longer lead for shore hookup. The engineer could not have done enough and was very helpfull. The boat was reliable but feel it’s due retirement soon. Looking forward to next years holiday with you all. We have already booked Fair Marquess.

September 9, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

Thank you for your feedback! We’re pleased our team could assist. We really appreciate your comments and are thrilled you’ve already booked Fair Marquess for next year — we look forward to seeing you again!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Boating Holiday on the Fair Consort.

Boating Holiday on the Fair Consort.
Boat was excellent very spacious and modern. Had a great week's holiday.
Would recommend this boat for a couple.

September 5, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

Thanks so much for your kind review! We’re so pleased you had a great week on Fair Consort and loved the space and modern feel of the boat. It’s a fantastic choice for couples — we’d love to see you back again soon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Well well organised and friendly staff…

Well well organised and friendly staff boat had everything we needed to enjoy our trip

September 5, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

Thank you for your lovely review. We’re glad everything was well organised and that the boat had all you needed for an enjoyable trip. Hope to see you again soon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Team Direct

Always made welcome, the team go above and beyond to get us away as soon as they can as we are frequent visitors, a big thankyou to becky as she goes out of her way to stop and chat on every visit.
Massive Thanks and see you again soon.

August 25, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! It’s always a pleasure to welcome guests back, and we’re delighted to hear the team — especially Becky — helped make your visit extra special. We really appreciate your kind words and look forward to seeing you again soon!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

We loved our short break on the Broads

We loved our short break on the Broads. The boat was very nice and the staff really helpful. The handover was excellent. What let it down was the cleanliness of the boat. The underside of the toilet seat had not been cleaned and was dirty and cobwebs in the bedroom above the bed. A couple of the kitchen utensils were broken and needed replacing.

September 5, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent weekend stay

Everything about the property was as per description and probably even better than we expected. White Gables is spacious with excellent facilities and has great views down the garden to the river and is well situated in Horning village.

September 5, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Norfolk Broads Direct

Thank you for your wonderful feedback! We’re delighted to hear that White Gables exceeded your expectations. It’s great to know you enjoyed the spacious accommodation, excellent facilities, and the views down to the river. We’re also pleased the location in Horning village worked well for you, and we look forward to welcoming you back again soon!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Check-in was efficient

Check-in was efficient, courteous and fast.
The boat instruction was fine - the instructional videos I saw before arriving completed the instruction.
I needed more knowledge about docking.
There was a lack of control over the amount of water in the tanks and the sewage level.
There was definitely a lack of information about docking locations, filling water and emptying sewage.

September 1, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Great holiday on the broads

Excellent information and trial of boat before setting off. Did have a few issues, TV not working, but this was sorted very quickly at our stopoff point couple of items missing, and broken drivers seat. This did not impact too much on our lovely holiday, and the boat performing very well. We did feel the boat was getting to an age that required some updating

September 6, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent company, great boats & wonderful holiday

Excellent communications & information by email, during and after booking.
Friendly, helpful staff, nothing is too much trouble.
Modern, well designed and reliable boats. This latest Fair Regal boat is just perfect for two couples - the layout makes it so spacious, with clean lines & excellent use of space.
Loved the whole holiday.

August 29, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

We found the boat itself responded well…

We found the boat itself responded well and was easy enough to manage by two people,with some practice.
The space was big enough for us,3 adults and 2 small dogs.
The downside was the ensuite in the front we found the floor flooded resulting in wet feet,the toilet was a challenge to say the least with flushing not at all effective.Added to this was the heigh position of the light switch made it necessary to manoeuvre in the dark.
We found all staff really good and helpful

August 30, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Fully equipped, clean boat, highly recommended

We’ve just return from a week on The Broads. From collection of our boat (Fair Commodore 2), to the return, everything was perfect. A fully equipped, clean boat was ready on arrival. Knowledgeable, friendly, helpful staff guided us through the process of mooring and suggested places to visit for the dogs. They provided a nice goodie bag with a map, tea, coffee, biscuits, prosecco and dog treats. Other waterway users were friendly and pubs welcoming of our furry companions. If you want total relaxation and a slower pace, this is highly recommended. Don’t let the fear of the unknown hold you back, the boat stuff really is easy. The boat had WiFi when signal permitted too.

September 5, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Fair Jubilee 2

Great week on the Broads
Beautiful and relaxing holiday. NBD made everything easy, booking, picking up, sailing, and drop-off. Staff were friendly, helpful, and no hidden costs.

The boat was clean and had everything we needed. Loved the double doors at the back for the views!

Not quite five stars as the dining table was broken, one cooker ring didn’t work, and we had to call out an engineer for a faulty CO detector – but he arrived within 20 minutes and sorted it.

Second time with NBD on Fair Jubilee and we’d definitely book again. Happy sailing

September 6, 2025
Unprompted review

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