Places people rave about but you don't really have any desire to visit

[nuitdesetoiles]

I know there's some element of judgement here but just based on what I've heard, seen on TV, types of people who go there, read about..

Dubai.. like plastic fantastic, cultureless and horrifically tacky

Thailand.... Looks like it's been ruined by all the tourists and those full moon parties look a bit dark and sinister

Australia.. some parts look lovely but just seems a bit British and dare I say it racist...

I don't think it's strange Pootle. I do think people should be clear though, about whether they are posting based on mere perception or actual experience.

Also you can't write off a whole country or culture based on one trip to one specific city or region. Blackpool is not England, Pattaya is not Thailand etc. Although sometimes admittedly, an experience is bad enough that there's no way I'm giving the country or the people a second crack of the whip just to make sure I was right the first time. Egypt falls squarely into that category for me.

It's threads like these that make me want to leave Mumsnet...

Any kind of 'exotic' isand resort holiday where it's just white sand and all inclusive cocktails, any kind of package holiday resort holiday, Dubai, Australia.

I hate hot weather and I hate lying around doing nothing but reading and eating Lay's and going in the pool (and I know for some people that's the dream way to relax, not judging at all! I just get antsy haha). Even a resort somewhere gorgeous like the Maldives or Barbados would be wasted on me I think.

Everyone I know who goes to Dubai on holiday seems to spend 99% of the time taking photos stood on the beach in front of all the hideous buildings (built by slaves) dressed up to the nines, haven't seen anything that looks interesting to me, plus the human rights abuses, plus it's too hot for me, plus it's expensive, so that's out.

Australia is too hot for me, too full of things that could kill me AND not culturally 'different' enough to the UK for me to feel like I would be that bothered to travel all that way to discover the interesting parts.

My dream holiday would be the Faroe Islands though which would be lots of people's idea of a horrendous holiday, so it's just different strokes for different folks, isn't it?!

"Australia.. some parts look lovely but just seems a bit British and dare I say it racist."

Ummmm.... I'm Australian. I've been to the UK. Never did we ever think it was anything like Britain. Thanks for the name calling though. We consider that offensive, and, well, racist.

I will add, my no-go is Bali. Holds no interest for me as the bars, etc. type of holiday, filled with more of my own nationality than locals just isn't my thing. Hugely popular, though.

My recommendation is NZ. I love it, love it, love it. I can't explain it. Just go drive around it. Mainly the South Island. I'll get roasted for admitting I loved China, too. Incredible culture.

Anywhere chilly. I know Scotland and Scandinavia are beautiful but spend so much time in England freezing my arse off when it comes to holidays I want warmth!

Cruises as I get horribly sea sick and dh needs to cycle every 3 days or is like a caged lion and he hates being around other people on holiday. In laws love to cruise and are always banging on about how we should go despite our explaining these reasons why absolutely not!

Australia and NZ too far away and the moments passed for me to go somehow. Plus if it’s so great why were there so many Aussies in London when I lived there?!

@Pootle40

What a strange thread.

It is. Some of the posts are surely satire?

I’ve been trying to think of a single place I’ve visited that I didn’t like. Sure there are bits I wouldn’t do again, but to write off whole countries (except for human rights reasons of course) or even continents is very, very odd.

Personally I don’t much care for city breaks, I’m not wildly keen to visit somewhere the wildlife wants to kill me, and I don’t fancy ski-ing at all. But if anyone offered me a trip to New York, Australia or the Swiss Alps tomorrrow I’d be at the airport like a shot. (Actually, I desperately want to visit Australia despite two Aussie colleagues telling me scary wildlife stories...)

Declaring the whole of Europe is anything is quite bizarre. There are fens and snowy mountains, fjords and sandy beaches, volcanoes and waterfalls, the possibility of seeing bears, reindeer, flamingoes and eagles. There are castles steeped in history, museums and art galleries filled with treasures and stories, pavement cafes and fancy restaurants, chic boutiques and markets, night clubs and picnic spots. You can see the Northern Lights from a mailboat, go dog sledging, snorkelling and sailing, ride cable cars in the Alps in the summer, and ride some serious rollercoasters if you wish. You can stay in luxury hotels, self catering apartments, secluded villas with a private pool, tents, motor homes or sleeper trains.

Can you tell I’m desperate to see the world again?

France.
Waitrose.
Spain.

Maldives was on the list of places I had zero desire to visit. I don’t “do” sitting on a beach for days.

Then we got a chance to go there for free. And I still didn’t really want to go. But we went.m because it was free.

It was one of the most amazing holidays ever.

We learnt to scuba dive and wow, wow, wow it was like being in an immersive nature documentary. So much aquatic life all around you. Even if you don’t want to dive, the snorkelling is out of this world.

One of my more most magical memories of my entire life is swimming along the reef edge watching the turtles dive.

I also unexpectedly loved the whole experience. It was beautiful and incredibly relaxing and the week just flew by, I wasn’t bored for a moment.

@DinosaurDiana

Nando’s. It’s just chicken and chips with Savoury Rice.

And?

There are very few places I’ve been that I haven’t enjoyed. I wouldn’t choose to go back to either New York or Las Vegas, but I wouldn’t refuse to return either. I just much prefer other places in the US. I’ve learned my lesson about preconceptions of places with Orlando, went somewhat reluctantly and we had one of our best ever family holidays. (I think that doing it with adult children made it great fun, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it with small children). The things that put me off places are being too hot, I hate being hot and don’t cope at all with high temperatures and humidity, and the fear of there not being enough to do, none of us can sit on a beach or round a pool for more than an hour without getting bored. I also don’t like water much, can’t bear a snorkel mask so most in-the-water sightseeing is out and can’t be on a boat because of seasickness, so trips on the water are out. The seasickness is relatively new and very annoying since boat trips used to be one of my favourite things. I also don’t like walking up mountains, but I do like looking at them.

This is hilarious. How much ignorance, prejudice and small mindedness can one thread throw up?
There are very few places I’d avoid visiting - the world is filled with fascinating places and interesting people, how can people write off whole countries?
The only holiday I couldn’t do again is a package one, anywhere in the world, where I have to sit by a pool and spend the days reading and eating and never leaving the hotel, but some people love them.
We went to the Maldives for our honeymoon 28 years ago and even then we didn’t spend all our time sitting on a beach. We explored Male and other islands, went fishing off a boat for a night, went snorkelling, water skiing, parasailing, made some lifelong friends.
We’ve also lived in various parts of Australia and they’re all different. How anyone can write the whole country off as ‘too hot’ or ‘no culture’ or racist is beyond me. It’s a huge country with deserts, rainforests, cities, fabulous beaches, beautiful walking country, mountains and snowfields. It’s an amazing place to explore. Oh, and it’s midsummer and currently 22 degs in Melbourne. Tasmania is one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited, but I couldn’t live there because the climate is too cool for my liking. The only place I’ve ever been threatened by a snake was in a country park in Norfolk!
Every country in Europe all have different things to offer too. How can anyone lump them together as one homogeneous mass. Ridiculous. I had a bad experience in Paris, but I wouldn’t dismiss the whole of France due to that! Similarly the ME. I wouldn’t like to go to Saudi Arabia unless I was with someone who knew how to navigate it, but I’m happy to go to other places and had a fabulous time in Bahrain two years ago. The people were so friendly and welcoming. I loved it.

I can’t think of any country I don’t want to visit.

My own stupid prejudice is New Zealand: I adore mountain landscapes but is it really worth travelling round the world for? Isn’t it just like visiting the Scottish Highlands?

I thought the same as others about Hong Kong but then had to go for a few days for a work trip and absolutely loved it. I could live there. Might have helped that I went over Halloween which is a big festival for HK people

(This was before recent political situation though which makes it less attractive)

Paris is rubbish. Marseille is a much better city break

@Bubbinsmakesthree. NZ is like Scotland on steroids with glaciers, better weather and vineyards.

@Bubbinsmakesthree

My own stupid prejudice is New Zealand: I adore mountain landscapes but is it really worth travelling round the world for? Isn’t it just like visiting the Scottish Highlands?

It’s absolutely worth every penny (and every second loitering jet lagged in Dubai airport). Scotland is beautiful but NZ is stunning. The rain forests of the west coast of the South Island are incredible. You don’t get penguins and albatrosses in NZ either.

Mainland Europe because I lived in Germany for years and travelled quite a bit. My children want to go inter railing though so I guess we'll go as soon as we can.

I noticed Thailand in the first few posts. You're right not to want to bother. I absolutely hated it there and almost cried with relief when we touched down back at Heathrow.

On the other hand I love Dubai and Abu Dhabi, so what do I know?

I'd visit anywhere, I reckon, to make up my own mind. Might be a bit of a moot point though, as I'm not much of a traveller!

BUT - a big no to all the Disneys. I'm not a Disney fan in general. I don't like theme parks, so an even bigger theme park = an even larger manifestation of hell on earth. I hate crowds and, most of all, I hate queuing.

@ClinkyMonkey

I'd visit anywhere, I reckon, to make up my own mind. Might be a bit of a moot point though, as I'm not much of a traveller!

BUT - a big no to all the Disneys. I'm not a Disney fan in general. I don't like theme parks, so an even bigger theme park = an even larger manifestation of hell on earth. I hate crowds and, most of all, I hate queuing.

Now, I said that back in 1996 and went against my better judgment. Been to Orlando 9 times now.

I’m scared of Mickey Mouse and don’t like crowds either. No idea why I like it there.

I don't like the heat and have very fair skin so burn easily and have a family history of skin cancer so beach holidays in hot places are not for me (quite happy on a deserted beach in Scotland). Also not fussed about theme parks. Have no desire to go to an all inclusive resort, I want to travel to experience the local culture, not be isolated from it.

I suspect there are lots of countries in the middle east I'll never go to due to them being unsafe despite them having things I'd love to see. Iran is an obvious example, fascinating history, beautiful sights, but FCO recommends essential travel only.

@HmmSureJan. What didn’t you like about Thailand? I’ve been twice, Bangkok both times and trekking in northern Thailand and the Chang rai and Kohl’s Samui. Bits of Kohl’s samui were a bit seedy but loved most of it, same with Bangkok. And the food is lovely. We stayed in nice b and bs, home stay and independent hotels. Not all inclusive.

I'm a travel journalist. I have been to many places I wouldn't have chosen and types of trip that I wouldn't have picked for myself. I've never been anywhere I didn't get something from.

I did confirm that cruises are not for me, mind you. And I definitely wouldn't return to Abu Dhabi, I didn't enjoy that much.

China - the cities anyway. My DH went for work and said it was absolutely awful, really polluted, people spitting in the street, weird vibe. He was looking forward to it and said the Great Wall and Bullet train were cool but aside from that, awful!