To think the canary isles are tacky?

@chollysawcutt - I had always wanted to go to Málaga because of Picasso and finally went last year. It is gorgeous and interesting.

Marbella on the other hand I don't think is for me ...

Lol at Grand Canaria. The canaries are lovely - really good and predictable weather, not too hot in the summer, lots to see and good value for money.

Why is Tunisia on the list? Have you actually been?

Maybe it's changed over the years but that was one of the most interesting holidays I'd ever been on in terms of different cultures. Obviously you have to leave the big all inclusive hotel though to experience that...

My worst holiday was to Lanzarote. I ended up on tears wanting to come home. We did everything in a couple of days. The place was crawling with English bars and all you can eat breakfasts. I go on holiday to experience the life there and do tourist bits. It was soulless and it was expensive.

Tunisia?! Tacky?

Depends how you're travelling it I guess.

Did you go to Carthage while you were there? It's a historic trading outpost with a rich history - a crucial country in the development of the Middle East region.

Jesus wept.

All the main bits are as you’ve described (Playa de las Americas and costa Adeje in Tenerife, as well as playa del Carmen in Lanzarote) and they’re fine for a sun hol but not for culture. If you want any more than sun you need to stay elsewhere on the island and do more tours/outdoor activities.

Mainly brits on here though so you won’t get the views you’re looking for!

Presuming you do actually want to have some recs and aren't just being provocative....

North Tenerife was a revelation for me. It's properly pretty, amazing scenery, beautiful villages. Lots of hiking, walking and chilling - La Oratava, Masca, Garachico... I would highly recommend.

I was similarly snobby about Malaga before I went there - just the name conjures up Brits abroad and English breakfasts for me. Not so, At All. One of the nicest, cultured, arty, foodie places I've been to. I was ashamed of my ignorance, tbh!

I used to own a timeshare in Tenerife and had a lovely two week holiday every year for 12 years. It was quite "brits abroad" with lots of all day full English breakfast type places but we tended to avoid those and went to Spanish and Italian run restaurants - one of our favourite places to go was actually a Belgian run place.

We explored the island well over the years and did the hike to the waterfall near Adeje and the drive up to Teide and to the resorts on the north of the Island.

Over the 12 years we were going there there we saw the rise of all inclusive holidays and how they damaged the local businesses . Lots of our favourite restaurants closed down sadly.

I haven't been back for 16 years after we gave up the time share but I'd love to one day to see how things are now.

I've just recently been to Lanzarote and didn't see any of what you describe, so maybe it's the resort you stayed in? We stayed in Costa Teguise and hired a car to explore the island. I believe Playa del Carmen is the major 'Brits abroad' area? We didn't go there.

Tenerife I've been to lots, mostly for work. It has 3 resorts as you describe and the whole rest of the island that is not that at all. We went up north last time I was there, totally different. San Cristobal de La Laguna and Teide National Park are both UNESCO World Heritage sites, so they're hardly totally devoid of culture 🙄

Yeah you’re being a judgey bitch!

I’ve been to Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote, we’ve actually been to Lanzarote 4 times in the last 16 months. We love the sunshine, the relaxed pace of life, the volcanos, the wine region , we did a tour of the north of the island.

lanzarote is such a beautiful island.

however we all have places we love and dislike to go, for me Turkey and Tunisia and Dubai are places I never want to travel to. Each to their own as others love these places.

Incredible that you can dismiss whole regions where people live and work as “tacky” just because you personally can’t be bothered to explore what they have to offer beyond the obvious.

Don't be such a snob

My family and I love an all inclusive in the Canaries. We even take the kids to Siam Park! I find it’s the best sort of holiday for avoiding middle class tits with a chip on their shoulder.

You’re not wrong! It’s good for winter sun but defo geared for the English with egg and chips everywhere. Hard to find a decent restaurant in the main bits (all menus with pictures on 🤢) but beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to winter sun and a flight time under half a day!

There are literally no non-‘tourist hotspots’ in Dubai, though, unless you’re thinking of expanses of scrubby desert, residential areas or places to buy knock-off handbags in Karama.

Yanbu

I went to Blackpool once and have never holidayed in UK since

Like every tourist destination, there's going to be spots that aim to get people in - same food type, merchandise ect...but if you do your research you'll find out where the locals eat, shop off the beaten track. I've been to lanzarote loads of times with dh just to get away and nothing beats the early mornings, walking on the prom by the sea with the morning sun beaming down. I always find myself thinking, this would be a great way to start the day if I could live here all the time. We've also done the tours ect and they were great and very respectful to the natural landscape and laws. Edited to add, we've also eaten off beaten track, hiked, swam ect.

You make what you want of a holiday. I also think it's a bit harsh considering that families often have limited time or have very young children and the resorts are more family friendly food and activity wise than hiking in rural parts with a young child.

I think it depends on the type of holiday you like.

We actively dislike any all inclusive accommodation and we stay far away from the touristic routes. We have been to Lanzarote and Tenerife quite a few times, renting an apartment in a village, our own car to go to the best beaches, we enjoyed lovely sunsets, tiny restaurants hidden from the crowd, we explored lots of villages, local features, viewpoints, took ferries to visit other smaller islands.
But, yes, there are also big parts of these islands devoted to 'mass tourism'. It is really down to you to pick how you like to spend your holiday time.

Tenerife is beautiful with wonderful countryside, mountains and forests as well as loads of history. We've been several times, just avoid the Brits at Home areas, and enjoy the rest.