Marsdens Devon Cottages - Braunton

Richard J.

Found a property on one site at nearly £100 cheaper than elsewhere. Clicked ‘BOOK’ only to be taken to the Marsden site where, very underhandedly, the booking charge rises to an extra £50. I imagine this is nothing but some sort of ‘service’ charge but for doing absolutely nothing!
This suggests, exactly as others do in their reviews, that this company is nothing more than a clearing bank who cream off your cash for no return/saferguarding to you at all and fob you off to the owners when there are problems.
Decided to pay the extra with a more reputable company for peace of mind.

Martin M.

Staying at a cottage in Croyde at the moment which we booked through Marsdens ,had a Couple of issues.Rang the help line 4 times during office hours no reply.Left an answer machine message no return call. Called back the following morning spoke to Corine? Who noted my issues and said would come back to me within an hour. After a further 7 hours and no call I rang back, the same lady answered my call and said she wasn't aware of what was happening as had left it with her line manager.After 6 days no return call and my issues not addressed...Hopeless Company.

Arlene C.

We stayed in Gladstone, a lovely house in Braunton - however this is not the first time the cleanliness was not perfect with Marsdens, such a shame.. I won't post the photos but...dirty fridge, slug trails in downstairs shower room and mat in the kitchen, mouldy washing machine, layer of grease and dust on the fire blanket, someone else's socks under the sofa, open flour and peanut butter in the food cupboards .
The bed linen was clean but basics should be right, anytime.

I Do hope the owner checks who is cleaning this house ...soon, we did get a call centre apology and they passed on an apology from the owner.

Tess E.

We had a terrible experience with Marsden’s communication. The house we stayed in was great, but when we had a plumbing problem (a blocked toilet), we notified them on the day and no one ever came to look at fixing it for the rest of the week! The problem worsened, and by Friday evening we hadn’t had a fully functioning toilet for over 2 days and the toilet flooded. The lack of communication and appalling service angered us most. Hosts should be easily contactable and quick to address any issues which their guests have. We would not recommend their service to anyone.

Toby E.

We love staying in Braunton (surfing, etc) and have had holidays here for the last four summers. This year we stayed at Sanderling on West Park, a slightly larger place than we have had before as we wanted a bit more space. The place itself delivered on that, however after two days I notified the contact person that the shower was overflowing and the drainage system seemed to be not working properly. She said that she would pass this onto the owner. Three days later the toilets were backing up and in danger of overflowing, I contacted the helpline at Original Cottages who told me to send them a video (which I did) and they would contact the owner. No action as a result. I don't mind if things go a little wrong with a property but what is really disappointing is the lack of communication. AirBnB next year.

Ed B.

Booked a property for 6 adults and 3 children 6 months in advance only to be messaged ONE WEEK before departure to say the property wasn't ready for visitors, and offered a refund or an alternative property. They sent a list of properties which were all more expensive or unsuitable, so we rang to ask whether they could reduce the price being asked as a goodwill gesture and was told NO! They said they were just a call centre and it wasn't their problem. Shocking indifference.

Arlene S.

A beautiful shepherd's hut kitted out with everything you'd need. Stunning views, beautiful countryside and lovely farm. The host was helpful and personable.
We couldn't fault our week away! Great value too! He's got bigger holiday homes on his farm and currently building other lodges.Really cute and individual character homes.

Caroline P.

Reading these reviews confirms the unscrupulous culture of Marsdens. We had dealings with the company where they force all responsibility onto the property owner also, as I read from other reviews. Marsdens take profit from the bookings but no responsibility. We booked a large house for 3 families 9 months in advance of travel for Feb 2022. Only a few weeks before our holiday we received news that the property owner had decided to cancel our booking to paint their windows. This is not in line with the booking conditions, where only unforeseen emergencies are a reason to cancel, but that has been ignored. An alternative property was found, but for personal reasons one of our party suffered as a result of the new location. We were willing to take the holiday and make the best of it. Then we were required to pay more! I felt Marsdens should pay the additional fee, they wouldn't. I have since argued that any profit Marsdens made from the booking is owed to us by way of compensation. We were the only ones inconvenienced. They refuse to acknowledge the question of profit. An immoral, greedy company. With an average of 3 star reviews too! Shame on you Marsdens.