richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk Reviews 940

We have just been our for the day on an electric boat. We had a great day. The location was great. Parking was right next to the boats. The staff were very friendly and helpful. We will definitely come back.

We have been on the Broads several times and wanted to go again with my son's family. Due to his job, he found it difficult to commit to dates ahead.
Richardsons were offering a £50 deposit deal, so I took it - thinking I could stomach a £50 write-off if my son evetually let us down with the dates. My son let us down, and I phoned Richardsons to cancel. They then said I owed another £400 deposit because I had paid a low deposit! They are currently taking me to court! What a Company - be careful, everyone!

We have just returned from a week's boating on the Broads , booked with Richardsons via Hoseasons.

We had a wonderful holiday with our small dog. We didn't book an expensive boat but it was clean , operated well, and had everything we needed.

The staff at Richardsons , from the check in , to the trial run , to the return a week later , could not have been more helpful or friendly . It's rare to find such genuinely pleasant service anywhere these days and I'd thoroughly recommend Richardsons to anyone thinking of spending a holiday on the beautiful Broads

I’ve wanted to do a Broads break for 30 years so finally booked one of the cheapest to see if I liked it.

Booked the Gold Gem through Hoseasons for May Bank Holiday with friends so this is a review of a 2 Adult couples experience.

Boat. No frills 6 Berth that allows pets. 2 bedrooms and 2 toilet/shower rooms small but adequate. Kitchen equipped with 4 burner job and oven stovetop kettle sink and fridge perfectly ok. (Same oven in the top model boat) galley kitchen so narrow can only really pass in bathroom and bedroom doorways.

Comforts consist of a sliding canopy , Hairdryer on request (didn’t work) front well/seating area and a perfectly usable folding table and stools (this area converts to the 3rd double sleeping area) would be a real squeeze to use this and glad we didn’t bring our GSD. A BIG THING I NOTICED IN REVIEWS WAS YHE CIGARETTE LIGHTER CHARGING. I knew about this and took a cigarette lighter usb charger adapter and had no issues.

The boat has cockpit at the front with good view with simple but usable controls. It has a radio which does have Bluetooth connectivity a TV and WiFi (WiFi not great)

The boat was easy enough to control but as a real novice would have liked a mark on the steering wheel to indicate when the rudder was central (we marked it with a hair clip) could improve with wing mirrors and a wiper for rain.

The location of Richardsons in Stalham was really nice but the handover wasn’t smooth. The boat wasn’t ready as the shower pump was being replaced so we were delayed going out. It may only have been 2 hours over and we were given shower tokens and allowed 2 hours extra on the morning of return it changed Outland drastically and set us back a day in reality. The shower pump broke again whilst out. Richardsons were out and had it fixed in about 1 hour but again it sets you back when speed limits are 4 mph.

The tutorial was good and showed us all we needed before being allowed to pilot alone. Small set backs but really enjoyed it.

In summary
No frills, equipped enough, better for four people, good value. Nice location easy enough to handle for a novice

been holidaying with Richardson's for years cant wait to be back

Popped into their office to find out about day boat hire The staff were extremely knowledgeable and helpful in helping us sort out what the best deal for us would be Booked for a few days later and was not disappointed Spent a wonderful day exploring the Broads by boat

Booked concerto boat 4 years in a row staff are excellent been boating with Richardson's since 2005 if you have a problem with boat they are out to sort the problem straight away Richardsons are excellent will book again next year

Had a great week, checking in and out was really good, boating is so relaxing, would recommend Thanks D Pym

Due to circumstances we needed to do the planned boating holiday on a budget and we could not have picked a better boat than Barbados or company in Richardsons.The boat was perfectly fine and comfortable and my husband and I plus our 2 Border Collie dogs had a great few days.Yes you can get bow thrusters on the better boats which would help, but we managed to moor even in strong wings, finding that people already ashore actually helped you.
We enjoyed trips to Potter Heigham, Acle, Wroxham and Ranworth and it was the perfect 4 days relaxation.
As we had a lot of expense elsewhere, we took all our food and managed to cook all our meals easily on the boat, just having the odd coffee and cake when we stopped. It was great fun and reminded us of camping in our younger days.
We would very much recommend this boat as a starting point or a cheap getaway and we would definitely recommend Richardsons to anyone.
We wouldn't consider another company given their 5* service and professionalism throughout.
A particular shout out must go to Dan who was brilliant with the tutorial and handover. Just the right amount of info and he kept it very light and personable. He is a credit to the company.
When the vet bills have subsided, we very much look forward to another trip on one of their luxury boats. Thank you for a much needed break.

Fantastic holiday and great service from Richardsons..
Check in procedure very slick and I'm happy now they do the trial run first leaving you to load the boat afterwards. This boat swan romance went were very impressed with , I chose a lower type boat as the water has been quite high in recent months didn't want to have to worry about Ludham bridge . Richardsons always my choice now for Northern broads departure!

Broads were lovely. Very therapeutic and enjoyable.

The boat was okay, well equipped. The Wi-Fi didn’t work, wish it said no internet, id of taken mine.

Now for the two stars. When you get back they charge you extra for fuel. Now i know fuel is expensive but I must of been charge £8 a litre. It’s very obvious that you are being ripped off when they do this, there’s nothing you can do about it. So just remember when you get back you will be charged for fuel at a very expensive rate

I feel the experience would be a lot better if the fuel was included, they must know roughly how much people use on average holiday.

Being ripped off leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, after a nice little break.

Hired a boat called Fine Horision 1 for 5 days to celbrate my retirment,with 3 mates, a good holiday great staff, boat was older but relected in the price a few battle scars, but new engine great on fuel.
Richardsons at Stalham is a great location with Tescos down the road to stock up,showers a cafe and washing machines, free morrings as well, we all thoughly enjoyed our time on the broads, very relaxing and saw planty of wildlife, the steering on the boat took some getting used to as its 45' long and no bow thruster, wich made for entertaining turn arounds to get off some of the moorings, defently recomend to escape the rat race.

Check in at 1 pm to be told the boat would not be cleaned till 2.30 so left in the sun with a 2 year old after a 6 hour drive staff very unpolite and un helpfull the boat 1 no toilet chmicals refuilled so could not use toilet till i payed to have chemicals put in by broad land boats at wroxham shower u had to hold to shower and as for been clean found dog hair dust spides under the bed in the front all in all very bad experience for my second time with richardsons want hire from them again

Friendly staff and great holiday!
It was our first ever time on a boating holiday and we have already booked next years holiday. The boat was basic but couldn't be faulted. Richardsons were helpful throughout, we had an issue mid holiday with the engine and it was dealt with by an engineer within the hour. I would definitely recommend Richardsons for a holiday on the Broads. Great customer service by Jib one of the staff. Thoroughly enjoyed our holiday.

I really liked this holiday had issues with the battery had to keep engine running or the battery would die out the Ariel my dad had to fix and the wind wipers and the Tv the dvd player did not work properly also we broke down on last day then when it came to paying for it I had to pay 144£ for fuel on top of my 115£ fuel deposit spoke to manager because I did not report it on my holiday he only offered me 20£ for the breakdown which was ridiculous Richardson's has gone down hill my first holiday I booked on a boat and wasn't happy my dad use to use them all the time and recommend them also were is proof they filled it up in first place and the things shouldn't of been broken in first place on boat won't be using again

I've holidayed with Richardsons quite a few times in the past and always went for the old boats as these were all we could afford at around 700 for 7 nights..Just me and the wife. .Just looked for this year and these 30yr old boats are being rented out at £1100, Ridiculous prices and too out of our price range now even the old boats, the newer ones are £2500, We are gutted as loved the experience, 2 people can go abroad for the same amount..Those old boats aren't worth £1100 lol.

I've had four holidays using Richardsons on four different boats. The Gold Gem, San Pedro, Saprona and the Oyster Gem. All these boats are from there Classic range and I have never had any problems or issues with the boats or the company. I've always found the staff very helpful and informative. The boats have all been maintained to a good standard and have always found them clean and tidy. I will be booking again shortly for May 23.

We have hired from this company twice, the first time we had a boat for 7 days. On our first night out we moored up and my wife decided to have a shower. Having got into the shower she turned the tap and the water ran for about 2 minutes before it became apparent that the water tank was empty. I phoned the yard and was told that this was an oversight and they were sorry.

I decided to then dip the diesel tank, well surprised or what it had less than half a tank of fuel. I did point out to the guy that handed the boat over that we had been on the quay side for nearly three hours prior to boarding the boat and the engine was running all that time. The response was the it was the first time the boat had been out that season and the batteries needed topping up, I was assured that the fuel would be Topped Up prior to use leaving. Over the 10 days we cruised for less than 2 hours a day and did not use the heating at all, I paid and refulled the boat on day 2 to the tune of £65, I doubt I had used £5 of fuel cruising.

On my return the boat was topped up again and we had used £45 from what I had topped up at Richardsons Diesel Prices. I had kept the yard informed of the cost of filling up and was assured it would be sorted on my return. At worst I had used the £50 of diesel but refilled £65 of that myself. Richardsons answer was to give me a £50 voucher that could only be redeemed with them PLUS that charged me for diesel I had not used so out of my deposit I got £22 back, very out of pocket. No one was interested and now the holiday was over they just wanted me gone.

Much to my surprise my wife suggested we gave them a second chance and used the voucher as part payment on a 4 day break. I was not surprised that we waited till it was nearly impossible to cruise on the first day due to the light going, the heater on the boat didn't work, it leaked water from the windows, it stank of diesel and the bed were very uncomfortable.

Having discussed this now on Norfolk Broads Forums and reviewed both boats on my YouTube channel the response seems to be that if you hire a budget cruiser from which Richardson dont make a vast amount of money they don't seem to care what you think or write about them.

My dad hired from them in the 90's and what a noticeable change there has been, with their success they have forgotten about the people that cant afford the £2000 a week boats but save to afford a £500 week boat.

I know this company has some brilliant reviews but all seem to be from people who have hired the top end boats, you do it seems get treated on how much money you spend.

Its clear youve not read my complaint and sent me a stock reply. I called the office when the hand over was taking place to ask for a different vessle. Your solution was to try and get another £440 from me. So in fact. I did call the office unlike your response claim. Now your asking me to give you another £150 or so for fuel that youve given me no proof I used. Sorry but thats going to be a matter for the courts should you try to pursue that one. Dont blame your booking platform for having old a tatty boats. Thats down to you. If ive used extra fuel you have a duty to first of all show me the tank was full and then show me evidence that you filled it up. I simply do not believe you and why would I with no evidence it means no payment is due.

The boat we were given was Antiqua 11 it was nearly 45 years old and had dents and cobwebs it was run down and in very poor condition. We bought a holiday for a luxury boat, we were given an out dated very old and tatty boat, the staff were very discourteous towards us as well and when I spoke to the office about the boat they tried to get another £440 to upgrade to a newer boat, the hand over guy was actually rude to me because I wanted to read the documents he was asking me to sign and he snapped at me to rush me up. The bed lining was smelly and we did not get a single nights sleep on this boat because it was so uncomfortable. We fell ripped off and let down. I would never recommend them. We saw all the other boat hirers along the banks of the rivers we floated down and they all seem to have much newer boats that are in much better condition than what Richardson's have. If we were told or shown any pictures of this boat we would never have rented it.

Response from the owner 2 hours ago

We are sorry that you were not happy with your boat. As I said to yourself on the phone, we always state on check in that if there are any problems with the boat to call us and we will always try and rectify any issues that you have, but unfortunately you did not call us. Your booking was through Hoseasons and there are pictures of this boat on their website. As previously said, please email into us and we will address your complaint. Kind regards, R

Be extremely careful if you are considering hiring a cruiser from this company.
If you make a complaint about your holiday and seek some compensation, this is what they tend to do:
I recently met two guy's that worked for Richardson's Boats and they informed us that if any customer has a complaint and wants compensation, this is exactly what they do, they charge you for fuel that you have not had. So it's imperative that you make sure that the fuel tank is full at start of your holiday and that on your return, you watch the fuel delivery pump and take a note of fuel added