Holiday destinations that were unexpectedly lovely OR awful.

Adored: Yukon/Alaska (was expecting to, that was a trip we'd planned for ages). Also very fond of the rest of Canada having travelled reasonably extensively - yes yes to previous posters love of Tofino! Also deep south of the USA (yes, some very shocking stuff there - but the gay bnb owners we stayed with in rural Alabama made our honeymoon). New York and San Fran ace. Love Madeira. Adore Lanzarote - we stayed in a little self catering place in Puerto del Carmen but had a car and drove all over. Equally had a brilliant time in Gran Canaria, and enjoyed a brief stay in Tenerife. The trick to the Canaries as PP have said is getting a hire car and staying where possible outside of the major tourist areas. Really love Slovenia, Budapest, Krakow, Poznan, Warsaw, Paris, Rome, the rural bits of Costa Rica (touristy bits are grim, we stayed in the mountains), most of Ecuador (Guayaquil is a hole, Montanita, Banos and Quito amazing). Northern Scotland also massively exceeded expectations - DH had been begging to go for years and I refused until this summer and completely fell in love with the place. Loved Kerala. Japan simply one of the most amazing countries in the world - luckily my cousin lives there so have travelled with him and being with a fluent speaker makes a very big difference to the experience.

Really let down by: Tulum - revolting, massively over touristed and way too expensive. Bits of the Yucatan were amazing but really didn't like the beach bit at all. South of France - holiday was somewhat marred by DH's illness but hated nearly everything we ate with the exception of a wonderful curry in Lyon. Antibes a particular let down. Also really didn't like the Gambia - so much poverty and it felt like an exercise in extracting every last penny, and not safe outside the hotel - not the way we like to travel. Also felt that Goa was a bit of a let down. You also couldn't get me back to Las Vegas if you threatened to set my hair on fire - I had to leave after a day and went to Boulder whilst DH and his friend went on a 48 hour boys trip, I came back to watch Barry Manilow before flying home, which was at least a cheesy highlight. Fez in Morocco was massively scary as a blonde 24 year old but kindly got adopted by the maitre d in the hotel who organised his son as a chaperone which really made the last day much more fun, his wonderful wife also cooked me an awesome dinner in her home whilst we tried to communicate in our mutually awful French - so rescued by kindness!

Hated Stockholm - lived there for a year, people were so uptight, lacked spontaneity, so caught up in what everyone thought of them, a bit zenophobic..winter is so bloody depressing and it's expensive as hell.....but I'm tempted to go back and see whether it suits middle aged me better than my younger self because it is without a doubt a beautiful city.
Loved Hong Kong - lived there for 6 months before 1997, crazy busy, smelly, fascinating, other worldly but friendly and energetic - very interesting place to visit.

I am in Malta at the moment, miserable people, terrible food and crap beaches, some nice historical stuff but not enough to make up for the bad points, we won't be coming here again.

Prague was beautiful ,

Malta - hated it. Everywhere was concrete and dry. Not a blade of grass or anything pretty. The locals were unfriendly and ill-mannered.

Porec (Croatia - love it, been twice recently. Spotlessly clean, very lush and scenic, locals are pleasant. Beautiful little place.

Not keen on Malaga at all. And went to Marbella, reminded me of Cannes, couldn't get to the beach, seemed so odd, and that place near or in Marbella porto Benus? No attractive scenery, there was a great bar, on the beach but it was tacky.

Un expected surprise was Amsterdam, fully expecting it all to be like sleezier parts of soho, drunken stag do's, grim and grimy, with - a few attractive places thrown in.

However we stayed in the 9 streets area and it was beautiful. Gorgeous independent shop, after - gorgeous independent shop, lovely bars, cafes and of course the endless canals and bridges. Staff conscientious and great service. It was beautiful and so clean I didn't see one dog shit, the atmosphere was great, I loved the architecture and the history the art galleries, am going back next year and cant wait .

LaBruja - any recommendations? We are visiting this weekend!

lynzeylou - ashamed to admit that was a student in Bath for 3 years (80's), in all that time we never went to Bristol . Naivety of youth and all that, now think Bristol is great .

I hated Liverpool. Expected it to be a friendly city but it was full of teenage lads hanging on street corners looking menacing. My friend and I grew up on a rough council estate but had never felt intimidated like we were in Liverpool. Saw an argument in a train start over absolutely nothing, went to a shit Chinese buffet where the staff hung over you making sure you weren't wasting food and petrol stations that require payment upfront I was scared to take photos as I thought my camera would be robbed.
Tallinn also underwhelmed me as did Monaco (rip off beer in a pizza parlour as we couldn't find any bars and the worst cocktail I've ever drunk in the casino). I do look for the best where I can though so I would return to try again.

Unexpectedly great places were Jamaica, I'd been put off by case studies of sex tourism and foreign owned hotels that I'd studied years before. Ended up there on honeymoon, I loved it and have longed to go back.

Bristol also surprised me, it's a lovely city.

It was lovely. I was expecting warmer water as I forgot it was the Adriatic not the med! I survived though as I live by the South Wales coast and am used the Bristol Channel!

Frazzled2207 - I too have a positive Lido di Jesalo memory but I'm sure it was late 1960's

Ha- i also recall the Principe Palace in Lido di Jesolo and liking it-
this was about 25 years ago and it had an amazing vibe. I don't think I'd like it as much if I went back now though!

Loved Rome, NYC [although was there with 40+ kids on school trip for 24 hrs so would like to def go back], Ghent, Bruges, every part of France I have been to. Going to Aigues Mortes next week and so hopes it doesnt disappoint! Also enjoyed Lido di Jesolo. Stayed in a wonderful hotel - Principe Palace on a colleagues recommendation and loved it. I also like CP Longleat
Hated Malgrat [booked a cheapie with 4 other girls when 18-was awful. I called it Malgrot].

Pieceofpurplesky, thanks! Valencia is my hometown!

Have always made the best of where I have been but have disliked Paris for the dog shit and hawkers

I always research into where we are travelling so I have never been utterly disappointed but there are place I wouldn't want to go back...

Singapore
Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne
Brussels (been there twice, horrible weather, everything looked dark and dull)
Cologne (so disappointed I am still angry about it)
Cadiz (very sad atmosphere, run down and dirty)

Then there are disappointing places I do not want to go back to... Although sometimes you have to go back (work, friends, etc.)
Barcelona (I hate it, theatrical-touristy set; lost its authenticity in the mid 90s. Though I liked the BCN of my childhood)
Córdoba (this is irrational, like the patios but not the cathedral area)
Paris (a bit like Barcelona, however cannot say if it's been like this all the time or also lost its soul at some point in the past)
Rome (dirty and hot; once is enough)
Milan (only good for shopping)
Lisbon (I've tried to love it but cannot)
Athens (hot and run down, although the new museums area is almost nice)

I went to New York, Boston, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Prague, Copenhagen, St Petersburg and Tallinn with low expectations, but loved them and would go back immediately.

I love:
Stockholm
Dubrovnik
Verona
Parma
Trieste
Dresde
Aachen

And, nearer my heart:
London
Edinburgh
Belfast
Liverpool
Madrid
Valencia
Murcia
Seville
Santander

And some lovely villages in Northern Spain, like Comillas, Santillana del Mar, Zarautz, Hondarribia, etc.

Waves to Mrsguy as I am also in Kraków next week.
Booked a last minute holiday for peanuts to Ibiza for some sunshine. Fell in love with it.

Valencia is the most fabulous city. Perfect short break destination.

Skala in Kefalonia is perfection.

Have always made the best of where

I hated New York, I just found it so enclosed. I felt so sick because of all the skyscrapers, I just wanted to see sky! It didn't help that it was Oct, cold and gloomy.

I loved San Diego and San Fransisco

France - DLP, soulless, save your money for Florida!

Spain - Benidorm, ok.
Estepona, lovely.
Marbella Old Town, fab.
Puerto Banus, love it, great night out.
Madrid, very much a business district.
Barcelona, great tapas, wonderful architecture.
Minorca, pretty.
Majorca, brilliant.
Ibiza, fantastic.
Tenerife, really disliked the volcanic beaches.
Gran canaria, went in December, freezing at night!
Lanzarote, not feeling the love, sorry. Found it expensive to self cater. Ended up eating out as is it was same price.
Fuerteventura, windy.

Gibraltar, cute, likes the little England feel, the Barbary Apes were different!

Switzerland, spectacular scenery.

Italy, not been to a single place in Italy that I didn't adore.
Lake Garda
Venice
Verona
Vatican City
Rome (my absolute favourite, visually spectacular!)

Belgium, ok.

Luxembourg, see Belgium!

America, again loved everywhere we've been.
Orlando
Miami
New York
Las Vegas
Arizona

Egypt, went to Taba as a gateway to Jordan and Israel.
Was so sick within 24 hours of arriving we missed the next scheduled stops!

Dubai, love it. Not a popular view, awesome for a few days fly and flop and a bit of shopping!

Abu Dhabi, I leave a little bit of my heart there every time I come home. It's my happy place.
Love the weather, the hotel we stay in, the people, the culture.

Greece, Zante can't remember much other than smugglers cove (the famous wreck photo that's in every brochure)
Kefalonia, gorgeous
Crete, would never go back purely because of Heraklion airport
Kos, my one and only time at a holiday village. What. The. Hell.

Jamaica, lovely and chilled.

Mexico, don't drink the tequila! Wow!

Cayman Islands, I liked the looooong beach!

Malta, everywhere you look there's a church, lack of beaches!
Gozo, see Malta.

Turkey, mentioned up thread, we too went to Side.
Beautiful, warm clear sea, fab ruins, lovely people and a by law passed by the mayor to stop vendors harassing you.

Portugal, Vale do Lobo, nice but pretentious.
Praia Da Luz, loved. Was sad to see the decline in the town from 2007 due to events beyond its control.

Bulgaria, oh no, never again!
Sex shop on e wry corner, prostitutes, drug users, shall I go on? (sunny beach area)

Tunisia, went after the Sousse attack last year but before the Port El Kantoui attack.
Hotel, spa and weather we're all lovely. Sadly, would not go back.

Amsterdam, vibrant city, felt very safe, bonus being just a hours flight from UK.

Australia, probably my favourite place in the whole world to date.
Love Brisbane, Sydney and the Whitsundays (especially Hamilton) the GBR is breathtaking.
In response to the previous comments, our "Big Bus Tour" driver shouted something racist at a taxi driver. I went fucking crazy at him. Not on.

Off to dish dinner up. Back later.
Love this thread!

Isn't this fascinating, just underlines how there is something to suit everyone! Various on my 'love' list are on lots of other people's hate lists, and vice versa.

Haven't been anywhere I've expected to hate (cos I wouldn't have gone there!) but LOVE:

New York
Venice (those who think it's crowded and smelly, try it again earlier in the year, magical)
Istanbul (and indeed lots of other places in Turkey)
Marrakech
Bangkok

Wouldn't go again if you paid me:

Cuba (although I accept that 9 days of food poisoning - for someone who can normally eat anything - and therefore mostly just eating bread and when I got brave some cheese will have coloured my judgement)
Cancun - had holidayed in less developed parts of Mexico and loved it
Singapore - dull and sterile!

Our worst holidays are the ones we spend most money on and build up the most, but we seem to pick totally wrong, weep! Cancun was our honeymoon, Cuba our 10th anniversary.

For those fancying Celebration, Florida ... we have relatives who live there, so have stayed a lot. It's looking a bit less 'Stepford Wives' as it ages, used to be really quite odd - but very picturesque and lovely little centre.

Can recommend Javea in Spain not a usual holiday destination. My daughter lives there! Very few hotels but villas for rent. Beautiful beach and a sand bar so safe for little ones! On the east coast halfway between Alicante and Valencia.

I went to Santa Ponsa in June for 4 days. Had ages at time although...

I didn't leave the hotel, it was total luxury, we had a swim up room with hot tub at the Iberostar Jardins

Also Majorca, loved Cala Bona and Cala Millor.
DD and I hired bikes for 5€ a day and cycled for miles. It's totally flat!

Finland/Lapland in winter - I wasn't really looking forward to it as I like warmth and cities but it was the best place I've ever been. Absolutely magical and beautiful place (helped by the northern lights which I could have watched all night if it wasn't -5c) I almost cried when the plane took off to come home because I didn't want to leave

Turkey! We booked an amazing kids water park hotel and were really looking forward to it. Within 2 days we had a hospital trip for stitches in DS chin (awful awful experience) had suggestive leers and comments from local men (I'm overweight so really wasn't flashing the flesh) and was assaulted by the hotel cleaner who pinned me up against a wall and put his tongue on my mouth! NEVER EVER AGAIN!

Favourite place ever is Aruba :) I was a little nervous after some stories about safety on Caribbean islands (especially Dominican Republic) but I've never visited a happier, safer, friendlier place :) they don't call it One Happy Isald for nothing!!

I have never been as disappointed with anywhere as I was with Capri, I had wanted to see it for ages but it was just full of extremely expensive designer stores of the kind that the assistant looked at you with disdain if you ventured in to. It cost a fortune on the ferry, we looked around and then got the next one back.

OMG, yes, yes, yes. We paid €20 for 4 drinks in a cafe - 2 hot chocolates, a miniscule iced coffee & an iced tea. If it hadn't been for the wilting heat DH might have thought we'd fallen through a wormhole to Oslo.