Where in the world have you been that was very different to what you’d expected?

[Davespecifico]

For me it was a journey through Montenegro to Kotor. I couldn’t believe the fjords, steep cliffs and cruise ships.

Benidorm, on a last minute all inclusive with a friend and his mother out of season. It was clean, quiet, very friendly and I had a lovely time.

The Colosseum. My degree is in Roman history and my dissertation was on the Colosseum, so I was excited, but it was so sad.

NYC - It was just dull and brown. Statue of Liberty was much smaller than I imagined too. Certainly wont be going back.

London - Don't know what I was expecting, but l loved it. I used to get free train travel through work so would go fairly often. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Live in the NE (3 hour train journey) and just can't justify the travel expense

Venice - Expected it to be pretty and romantic. It was dirty and smelly.

LA - especially near the walk of fame which was very grotty. It’s a vast and sprawling city, without a centre and you have to drive everywhere. I’m sure there are some nice pockets but I was very disappointed.

Carmel up the coastal highway however was lovely and I could live there!

Majorca. I’d always assumed it would all be like Magaluf and when my friend suggested we go, I was very dubious. I was taken aback by the gorgeous scenery, pretty towns and villages, unspoiled beaches and friendly people. It was absolutely nothing like I thought it would be.

Thailand - Potential for beauty but absolutely ruined by tourism - so much rubbish on the beaches and in the water. I still enjoyed it but I felt disappointed in the extent to which the natural beauty had been ruined.

South Korea - Such an amazing place but I didn't know much about it before I visited and I was blown away by how clean, modern, quirky and vibrant it is, particularly Seoul. Brilliant nightlife, excellent food, not overly expensive.

Liverpool. Went last Christmas. I expected it to be a dump (no offence) but it was stunning with loads of interesting architecture and some great museums.

Shhhhhhhh no one is supposed to tell anyone about this. One of the best kept secrets in the world.

Torremolinos. I expected it to be full of Brits Abroad and full English breakfasts. Was lovely. Windy little streets down to the beach, a town centre with some really lovely shops, great food - little seafood and tapas bars, and miles and miles of beach with crashing waves.

Bangkok. I wanted to like it and was excited to go but absolutely hated it. Couldn't get my bearings at all and couldn't wait to leave.

Lithuania.

i flew into Klaipeda airport and had a taxi transfer to a hotel in the port, about 40 minutes away.

it is a beautiful, beautiful country. lush forests, fields and the weather was glorious. i stayed in a hotel on the waterfront and, apart from the midnight sun and the broken blind, i would go back in a heartbeat. i only stayed one night and joined a ship the next day.

Istanbul was also amazing. and some of the Baltic ports up into Ukraine are also very beautiful. Sevastopol and Yalta were stunning.

Niagara Falls.
I don't know why but I think I was imagining a beautiful waterfall in the wildnerness...not surrounded by a dimmed down Blackpool

Just read through the thread and seen other people have said the exact same thing about Niagara

LA is a veritable shithole. Never again. Croatia is very beautiful.

Lanzarote: thought it would be The Land of Grotty as a child I knew misheard the name. We stayed in a villa in Arrecife 20 years ago and only saw the resort's from a distance. Small but beautiful, different island that was well preserved. Wish we all had a César Manrique to protect our beautiful parts!

Biarritz: I think I must have mixed it up with Benidorm but it was far better than expected. A lovely friendly, pretty and well kept town with fabulous beaches. Possibly the nicest part of France I've been in.

Chad, Africa. I expected it to be poor, but nothing prepared me for the extreme poverty there. To live in the middle of the desert with literally nothing, malnourished people.. I like to forget that I ever visited, it pains me to remember that people live like that on this earth while most of us just moan about not having the latest phone or car.

I am so glad everyone thinks LA is grotty too. I won’t bother going back.

I was quite terrified before going to New Zealand and New York as I was convinced I'd love them both and want to leave the UK IMMEDIATELY and move.
I enjoyed both, but I prefer European capitals to NY and NZ is really just like Scotland but without the Edinburgh Festival. So great places to visit, but I didn't feel the need to uproot my entire life. Phew!

Venice Beach in LA was a dump. Dh and I honestly thought that we were at the wrong beach
Athens- too much graffiti and stray dogs

Absolutely love NYC .I didn’t think that I would like it.
As another poster said, there is an energy about NYC

Also , loved Budapest. One of my favourite places.

Ibiza is incredible, from the groove of the south to the switched off nonchalance of the north. Love it.

Poland. Love it. have visited 4 times and would have been there now if it wasn’t for C-19. Krakow is brilliant,Wrocslaw just gorgeous. Gdańsk ok for a few days and handy for trips to the coast which is stunning. Great food, great people, fascinating history and architecture

Texas is actually forecasted to go democrat in a few years, not the image we have of it at all and met some very normal people from there.

Agree also with Ibiza it's lovely

India, cleaner than the UK? which post colonial millionaires trail were you on?

Stockholm. Thought it would be freezing with awful food. The opposite was true. The people are lovely.

LA. It was twenty five years ago but very grotty.