Suffolk Secrets Reviews 

Having phoned to book a cottage for a 3 night stay commencing the following night, I was told the price and that it was available but they would need to check that it could be cleaned. I was told they would contact the cleaner and call me back to confirm. This did not happen so I called again the same evening and was told the same again by another member of their team. I did emphasise that I was a good 5 hour drive from the area and I would need to know by 10.00 a.m. the following morning.
Needless to say that didn’t happen either.
I finally received a text message at 13.00 saying the booking could now go ahead and that they had attached a link for payment. Guess what, no link attached, though that was somewhat irrelevant as I had already made other plans.
Whilst I appreciate this was a last minute booking, their client service was almost non existent and if I was a property owner looking to let, I would be looking elsewhere for an agent.

Awful experience. Asked for contact and no response to our problems with a very filthy, dusty cottage - The Reading Room, Kersey.
No interest in customer experience, just charging a lot for poor cleanliness.
Have photo evidence of the stained bed sheets, dog hairs, dust, cobwebs etc.
Suffolk Secrets not interested.
Suspect they pay the cleaners who do not clean!
Despite a request for follow up - no response.

I had booked the White House Barn for the weekend at a cost of £1607- so not cheap. Check in was 4pm on the friday and check out 9am on the sunday morning. When booking I had phoned and spoke to someone who said as long as there was no booking for the monday after we could have a later check out. Fast forward to a week before the booking I phoned up and asked if there were any bookings on the monday and they said no but there was absolutely no way of having a later check out (all we asked for is 11am as people had trains/flights booked). They were really rude on the phone and I could hear a woman laughing at me. They did "kindly" offer me being able to book an extra night meaning we could stay the couple of hours more we wanted to. The day of check out we stayed near by and went on a dog walk- by the time we got back it was gone 11am and there were still no sign of the cleaning staff who apparently absolutely no way could be more flexible and come later than 9am. Aside from all this there was only 2 rolls of toilet paper for 14 people over the weekend and no fire wood provided even though it boasts having a log fire. I have no idea what the "welcome pack" was because we certainly didn't get one. Suffolk is gorgeous and I highly recommend booking a trip- just don't book with Suffolk Secrets!

EDIT After Suffolks Secrets Reply

"We have set our check-in and check-out times to ensure that we have enough time to prepare the properties for our incoming guests and maintain a smooth and efficient workflow. Any deviation from these schedules could lead to disruptions in our operations and so they can not be adjusted. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused."

I asked for two hours deviation which I had been told when booking would be possible as long as no one was booked the day after (they weren't). When checking nearer the time I was told no and laughed at down the phone. When leaving the property the cleaners weren't there when I got back from my walk so I could have had the extra two hours and I would be writing a 5 star review.

"All of our properties are self-catering, depending on the property, only a starter pack of some essentials will be left. "

For future bookings you should make it clear that only two rolls of loo roll will be provided for booking for a 14 person house for a weekend.

Definitely use Suffolk Secrets again. The booking process was easy. Great communication leading up to the holiday. Clear instructions to gain entry to property.
They even reserved the property for the following year.

Everything and always perfect as per details at the mast very well managed we have made 3 visits to the apartment very comfortable like home from home
Looking forward to going back this is a lovely apartment for children plenty of games etc the owner has thought well

My friends and I stayed at Cow Pasture cottage recently and were absolutely thrilled with every aspect of our break. What a gem of a cottage from the wonderful hosts Heather and Sue to the thoughtfully furnished rooms.....everywhere was beautifully and tastefully decorated. The kitchen was very well equipped and we wanted for nothing. Fabulous location within mintes to the coast and quaint pubs. Cannot recommend this property enough !!!

I have had a dreadful experience with this company. My booking was confirmed on 2nd January£333 deposit taken 3rd January. Booking cancelled 9th January! The property is available but the availability was altered after they accepted my deposit. Just awful service. I booked 3 days and my booking was confirmed £333 taken then 1 week later the booking was cancelled and the property re advertised with different availability 7 days not 3 of course. Do not take a hefty deposit, confirm a booking then cancel 7 days later. Awful service.

If you are planning a stay in Suffolk, Suffolk Secrets have a large property portfolio so are definitely worth checking out. However, my big reservation with this booking site is that photos/listings of properties are rarely updated which coupled with very limited disclosure of reviews means you don’t always know what you are getting in terms of standard and quality unlike other popular booking sites. If this was rectified with dated photos and full disclosure of all reviews - like Airbnb - they could transform their offer.

Suffolk Secrets we’re not very helpful when I visited the office about not having enough crockery and cutlery in the holiday house.

Immaculate cottage with perfect facilities. Ideally located with generous garden.

Booking was very easy, but the entry to the property time of 16:00 is ridiculous for winter

A lovely Welcome pack greated us at this cosy cottage 5 minutes drive from Southwold pier where we spent Christmas, smaller than expected but warm and comfortable

The owner was friendly and helpful and the property had everything we needed for an enjoyable stay.

Such a lovely cottage with own driveway makes it even more a place you’d go back too location perfect for sea views and great shopping lovely places. to eat overall all good
Just one simple request a grab handle over bath and shower please surprised it’s not compulsory now all the new protocol rules are in place but great stay thank you

The booking experience bought me to tears a couple of times. I booked the property based on the details that it was suitable for 8 people. However, after booking and paying the full amount as a technical glitch prevented me from paying the deposit only, I found the cottage listed on another website that said it was only suitable for 6 people. So, the day after booking I tried to cancel and was told this was not possible, however they could refund me the difference between the full amount and the deposit. I pursued with wanting to cancel the booking and found another property, which was more money, on Suffolk Secrets and requested to cancel and book that one as I was not convinced the property would sleep 8 people and wanted to be sure that we had plenty of space and were all comfortable for our holiday. I spoke with a very optimistic lady who said that she would put in a request with the property owner to cancel the booking and she held the second property that I wanted to swap to. However, the homeowner did not allow the cancellation on the basis that they had invested in a sofa bed to make the property sleep 8. I was told I could still cancel the booking but I would lose my deposit and if the property was not booked by anyone else for my dates, I would still be liable to pay the full amount. I honestly felt unwell for a few days. It was so stressful to know I would be liable for almost £900 for a property I didn't want to stay in.
The sofa bed was not made up when we arrived, despite being told a number of times that it would be. I was even told by the person in the Suffolk Secrets shop at 3pm that it would be made up and ready by 4pm. Only at check in time (4pm) when I went to the Suffolk Secrets shop for the second time that afternoon, was I told it wouldn't be made up. Not the end of the world, but also not that nice for the people who have paid a lot of money to be on holiday to have to make up their own bed.

Stayed at The Nest in Aldeburgh High Street. Very nice flat above a bakery. The flat has everything you need for a great stay. Being in central Aldeburgh you have everything you need from Shops to Pubs and restaurants. However the website mentions being over a bakers, wake up to the smell of fresh cakes and coffee. But it didn’t mention that delivery lorries arrive at 04:30 in the morning and people start baking early with a lot of noise. So suitable for early risers and not for late starters

Very clean and well appointed cottage conveniently located on the outskirts of Southwold. Good size garden which is secure for pets.

Enjoyed the ambiance of this cosy cottage.
The owners go beyond supplying everything needed for a stay.
Lovely log fire for chilly evenings soon warmed us up.
Happy to recommend.

On arrival at Appletree cottage,Westleton well after check in time we found that the venue had not been cleaned. Contacted Suffolk Secrets and were told to go out for an evening meal and a £60 refund would be given(confirmed). Returned after our meal at 7.30pm. Cottage still not cleaned. Then told by SS to move next door to South West Cottage which we did. No upstairs lights working. Next day made contact with SS and the owner of cottage subsequently rang me. Various issues at Cottage, ie trailing wires from appliances, garden furniture in a disgusting state, washing machine out of action. The wires were a particular issue as we had our 7year old grandson with us. The review could go on and on but some issues were sorted out on 2nd and 4th day but not all. I had many contacts with Suffolk Secrets and I was repeatedly told that someone from the complaints team would contact. At no time did this happen. After returning home further exchanges occurred with the same lack of response. I then sent a final letter to SS giving them 18 days notice saying that I would take action if there was still no response from them. Needless to say I heard nothing from SS. I then initiated a claim for compensation from SS with the Small Claims Court. I found this process very easy to do online. Within a day of SS receiving my claim they contacted me by email saying that they were paying the total amount of compensation claimed by me to my credit card.
SS had many opportunities to engage with me to discuss my complaint but they totally ignored me. It may well be a commercial decision. Complainants may well give up after the lack of contact.
I would advise anyone who feels they have a genuine grievance against Suffolk Secrets and is being fobbed off to pursue any claim. Make sure you have the evidence, ie emails,phone records, photos etc to back up your claim.
I have never contemplated this sort of action before. Suffolk Secrets should be avoided.