Durrants Holiday Cottages, Southwold

Durrants has been letting holiday properties in Southwold since 1905, which makes it older than most of the conversations about whether Southwold has become too popular. The office sits at 98 High Street, and from there the company manages a portfolio that now runs to more than 90 properties — self-catering cottages, apartments, and a collection of beach huts on the seafront promenade. The range spans traditional seaside cottages and Victorian townhouses through to contemporary apartments, some of them with direct sea views.

The portfolio

The properties are spread across Southwold and a handful of surrounding villages: Walberswick, Wangford, and Reydon all feature in the listings. The mix is deliberate — some visitors want to be in the town itself, close to the High Street and the harbour; others prefer the quieter villages a short drive inland or across the river. Within Southwold, the sea-view properties are the ones that tend to book earliest. Flat 2 Beach House is described as directly facing the sea and a short walk from Southwold's Blue Flag beach. Strathmore sits opposite the beach, with sea views from the sitting room and front garden. Both represent the upper end of what Durrants offers in terms of position, and the agency is specific about what 'sea view' means in each case — large windows, balconies, or terraces are standard features in that category.

Beach huts

Alongside the residential properties, Durrants lets a number of beach huts on Southwold's seafront promenade. These are day lets rather than overnight stays — a full day by the sea with facilities included. Southwold beach huts are a specific and well-documented part of the town's character, and Durrants has been part of that market long enough to be considered the established operator. Booking one through the agency is straightforward via the website.

The agency behind it

Durrants as a wider business has been operating since 1853, originally as a property and land agency covering residential, agricultural, and commercial work across Norfolk and Suffolk. The holiday cottages arm grew from that base and is now run as a distinct operation under the Durrants Holiday Cottages name, with its own office on the High Street and a dedicated bookings team. The email address is holidays@durrants.com and the phone number is 01502 723292. The parent company's reach — estate agency branches across the region, auction services, development land — gives the holiday lettings side a degree of local knowledge that a standalone agency would take years to accumulate.

What's nearby

The agency's own website points guests towards specific local spots rather than leaving them to find their own way. For fish and chips, they name Mrs T's along the Harbour and The Little Fish and Chip Shop on East Street. For ice cream, Suzie's Cafe does a traditional 99, while Harris and James on East Street makes homemade gelato. These are the kinds of recommendations that come from staff who actually know the town rather than from a generic local guide — and they're consistent across the site's various inspiration pages, which suggests they're genuinely used rather than filler copy.

Seasonal patterns

The agency's own copy acknowledges that Southwold works differently at different times of year. Summer brings the beach — the Blue Flag designation on the main beach is a practical marker of water quality and facilities. Winter is a different proposition: the town is quieter, the properties with wood-burning stoves or open fires come into their own, and the coast has a different character entirely. Durrants runs special offers at various points in the year, including last-minute discounts and introductory rates on newly listed properties. These are listed on the website and vary by season.

Booking and practicalities

All bookings go through the Durrants Holiday Cottages website at durrantsholidaycottages.co.uk, where properties can be filtered by location, size, and features including sea views. The office on the High Street is the point of contact for anyone who prefers to speak to someone directly — the team handles both guest enquiries and owner services, since the agency also takes on new properties to let and manage. Owners considering listing a property can approach Durrants through the same office. The Visit Suffolk and Visit East of England directories both carry the listing, which gives some indication of the agency's standing within the regional tourism infrastructure.