To think the canary isles are tacky?

Or, "I'd never go back to Italy because I don't like pasta" 🤣🤣

I second this, Tenerife and Gran Canaria are a lot more than the AI resorts. We always spend a few days with a car going out seeing the island and doing some walking in the mountains.
You also don't need to stay in the main tourist spots, there are quieter locations.
I love all the Canary Islands for different reasons, we try and stay either in one of the less busy towns or if in a busy one we try and get a hotel on the edge so away from the bars etc.

If you scale up the OP you can see how ridiculous it is:

"I'd never go back to the USA again as it's all just tacky casinos, drunk stag parties and Elvis impersonators"

I’m sitting by a pool in 28°C…I’ll take tacky and own it….along with the 3 hours extra daylight which Carrie’s me over the worst of SAD in the winter 😂

Yes they are absolutely 100% tacky, but also one of the best holidays we've ever had 😁

There's obviously a huge market for what you describe as 'tacky' or it wouldn't exist. Some people want familiarity in a hot place, hence the pubs, the full english etc. Nothing wrong with that and easy enough to avoid if it doesn't rock your boat.

In reality, every destination is what you make of it and each of these 'tacky' places will have alternatives that showcase the true culture of the place, whether it be national parks, trails, mountains, beaches, old towns, volcanoes etc. It's so easy to research nowadays so for me personally, nothing is off the table until I have done a bit of digging into what a place can offer me that I may enjoy.

I’ve been to Tenerife twice, never on a package deal, never drunk a pint of beer, had a curry, or a full English in all my time there. It’s perfectly possible to avoid those areas.

the hiking and the scenery is amazing. Masca gorge, rainforest, anaga national park, Teide, barrenco del inferneo, whale watching. Great paragliding venue too.

We honeymooned in Lanzarote (late October wedding). We mainly stayed in our hotel as all inclusive and just wanted to chill by the pool/in the spa etc. but we did venture out and saw some lovely places. Yeah there’s places like you describe but also lovely parts.

Everywhere has its lovely places and everywhere has it’s overly touristy places

the canaries are lovely and like very where, there are different places and vibes depending on what you want.

you can stay in some lovely city hotels with live classical music shows and michelin restaurants if thats more your vibe. there are nature and golf resorts, health spa hotels with sunset pools.

i was there recently and every sunset was was a gorgeous pinky orange, it was like being in dune.

Cringe!

If you book a package deal, then yes these are likely to be in the soulless 'egg- and-chips-english bars- all day on a sun- lounger' resorts which are catered for Brits who just want to fly and flop. There are some truly outstanding areas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is one of my favourite cities of all time, La Gomera is incredible for hiking and has some beautiful beaches, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a fascinating and historic city and there are some incredible yoga retreats on Fuerteventura. You will need to do some research rather than just going for a package deal though. Definitely worth a second look.

No where is a tacky destination. That is the fault of humans making it so, just as there is no bad country, just humans screwing things up as usual.

Have you tried going outside of the resort areas? Didn't think so.

I’m assuming that you haven’t studied the spectacular history of Tunisia? That you feel superior dismissing a whole ancient and sophisticated culture based on your only knowledge of a few grotty all inclusive beach hotels? You’ve missed the rest? Oh dear.

Well clearly you are free to think what you like.

But basing your entire opinion on one trip as a teenager - so presumably some years ago - seems very close minded and silly. I don't have much time for people who write off an entire country or island group based on not very much knowledge at all, it just makes them seem quite thick.

FWIW we have been to Fuerteventura a couple of times and liked it very much, looked at Tenerife and decided not to book as it seemed more high-rise and developed that we'd like, and decided Gran Canaria would be hit and miss depending on the resort. Lanzarote appears a similar vibe to Fuerteventura.

'grand canaria' 😬

You will have a lovely time. Look up all the Cesar Manrique sights, especially Jameos del Agua, Cueva del los Verdes, Timanfaya, Mirador del Norte, Green Lagoon, Valley of the 10,000 palm trees, etc. Any Top 10 book or website will give you the info. Puerto del Carmen is the Brits Abroad bit but Puerto Colon in Playa Blanca is classy.

Exactly! The place is absolutely beautiful, with a lot of charming small towns and great food markets (in Teguise for example). You need to go to places that don't have big resorts type of hotels and you will find a lot of restaurants serving local food, rather than fish & chips.

Went to Tenerife 25 years ago - was awful. Tacky as shite.

However, all the middle class mummies locally rave about it these days!

Who is Georgie Lanzarote?

See, we did Fuerteventura on a port day on a cruise last year and I would not return. I felt we saw the whole island in half a day and exhausted it.

Sure the sand dunes are pretty and some of the scenery was nice, but there's nothing there to keep me there for 7 days, unlike Tenerife.

Who cares? People go to these places as they're fun for children, accessible, and affordable. To pass judgement on this is very classist. It's the same as people judging caravan holidays. Also, some people want to eat their home cuisine. Plenty of Chinese tourists come to the UK and only eat Asian food. There is literally no issue with this.

I love travel and enjoy going off the beaten track. I enjoy visiting cities and cultural sites. I love learning about other cultures. But equally sometimes I'm happy visiting Lanzarote, eating a Full English, lounging in the sun, and drinking Sangria by the pool. I don't want or need every holiday to involve me rushing around hiking to different points of interest.

It's snobbery and fuelled by capitalism to think that all holidays need to be enriching or educational. Life is such a slog that sometimes people want to laze around in the sun.

These holidays are associated with the working classes, therefore are labelled tacky. It's not on really.