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Original poster

Have you ever left a holiday early?

323 replies

LudoBear · 04/05/2021 12:02

We were booked into a caravan in Cornwall for 7 nights but came home after 3 nights as the caravan was dreadful at the site owners (independent place, not a company like Parkdean) wouldn't move us as they disagreed anything was wrong. The mattresses were about 1 inch thick and you could feel the frame underneath, the window in the lounge didn't shut properly and let the cold air in (it was October), the shower didn't get hot and at best was tepid, toilet didn't flush properly, the carpets were absolutely filthy.

Came home on day 5 of a 2 week holiday in Orlando due to my uncle being in a serious car accident and we didn't think he'd survive (he did).

OP posts:

StevieNix · 04/05/2021 13:42

Yep years ago- Pontins, we left 4 hours after arriving. I’m sure you can imagine why

MacavityTheDentistsCat · 04/05/2021 13:42

Yes. A 4* hotel on Malta. We had booked for a week but left after three nights. The website looked great and the hotel had (and still has) 1,000s of fabulous reviews on a variety of internet portals but it was atrocious. We were allocated the wrong room, there was constant noise, the common areas were filthy - especially the pool area - and the food was barely edible (and I am really not fussy when it comes to food!). Plus, they kept blocking off large parts of the ?nicer? areas (e.g. the gardens) for loud private events (e.g. weddings). I honestly thought we were in the wrong hotel.

AdobeWanKenobi · 04/05/2021 13:43

Yes, Tenby a few years ago. Stupidly thought June , before school hols, would be a good time to go....
All the shops closed at 4 and pubs didn't open until half five so had to schlep back up the hill into town to eat and the park and ride bus didn't start until the end of the month. The town was mostly charity and 'around a pound' shops, it was cold and miserable on the beach and the beds in the caravan we had were so uncomfortable neither of us were sleeping, not helped by the fact it was on an angle so everything seemed to lean towards the back. Spoke to the site owners who couldn't offer much.

Went out for an Indian on the 3rd evening and DH said 'how do you fancy breakfast at home?' Could have kissed him. I was in my own bed by 1am.
Lesson learned and we now book hotels.

Amandasummers · 04/05/2021 13:43

Came home from abroad after 2 days as went with my then boyfriend, but things had happened and I had checked out of the relationship, I hadn’t seen him for a few weeks prior as he had been abroad elsewhere for work (During which time I had met someone else, which solidified how I was feeling) so literally saw him for the first time at the airport and just felt repulsed (only reason I went was because I felt bad ending things via text message, in hindsight, I wish I’d done just that!) anyway, long story short, I broke it off, packed my things, flew home, was picked up at the airport by the guy I had met (nothing had happened) and have been with him ever since.

Egghead81 · 04/05/2021 13:45

Never
I spend a ridiculous amour researching holidays
And a small fortune
Never book less than 5 star
Never take a risk

It’s pricey but does mean that our holidays have been, without exception, absolutely wonderful

etinox · 04/05/2021 13:46

Never, but I've been twice forced to stay longer because of weather events. Wonderful!

Egghead81 · 04/05/2021 13:46

@AdobeWanKenobi

Yes, Tenby a few years ago. Stupidly thought June , before school hols, would be a good time to go.... All the shops closed at 4 and pubs didn't open until half five so had to schlep back up the hill into town to eat and the park and ride bus didn't start until the end of the month. The town was mostly charity and 'around a pound' shops, it was cold and miserable on the beach and the beds in the caravan we had were so uncomfortable neither of us were sleeping, not helped by the fact it was on an angle so everything seemed to lean towards the back. Spoke to the site owners who couldn't offer much.

Went out for an Indian on the 3rd evening and DH said 'how do you fancy breakfast at home?' Could have kissed him. I was in my own bed by 1am.
Lesson learned and we now book hotels.

I have to say I also was very underwhelmed by Tenby when I stopped en route for a work trip

hopeishere · 04/05/2021 13:47

Once when the kids were little and as pp said we were all packed the night before and thought we might as well just go home.

My sister was horrified and said they would just pack a massive picnic and make the most of the last day. They loooovvvveee their holidays though.

BIoodyStupidJohnson · 04/05/2021 13:50

Yes. Family of four + one tent in wet weather + stomach bug. You can imagine the gory details.

The other time was more recently; a holiday cottage in the Cotswolds. The cottage was very pretty but it faced directly onto the pavement, and we kept getting tourists peering in through the front windows and taking photographs of the inside. It was one of those villages where the tours were bussed in every half hour so it was endless. We drew the curtains and put up with it for a couple of days, but then I banged my head on a low beam and that was that really. We fled for home that afternoon.

Elisebev · 04/05/2021 13:52

Twice

Once in 1990. We were on a cruise and got a phone call to let us know that my grandmother had passed away (maternal), had to disembark the ship the following day and fly home

In 2003, I was on a riding holiday on Sweden, managed to have an accident the first day and broke my collarbone so had to fly home

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 04/05/2021 13:53

I went to Sunny Beach for two weeks in Bulgaria in the 1980s. It was an absolute shit hole then dont know about now and stank of drains and excrement. Came home after a week. Id sooner be at home these days

Sparklingbrook · 04/05/2021 13:53

I have to say I also was very underwhelmed by Tenby when I stopped en route for a work trip

Me too, I hated it. Came home early from Kiln Park (2006 this was) it was horrible, I will never go on a caravan holiday again either.

Sparklingbrook · 04/05/2021 13:55

Also when self catering if turday-Saturday say, we often leave on the Friday night especially if we would have to be out by 10am the next morning.

Sparklingbrook · 04/05/2021 13:55

Saturday-Saturday

blobby10 · 04/05/2021 13:58

We cut a few 14 night camping holidays short by 2 or 3 nights if the forecast was rubbish . We usually had to book Saturday to Saturday but would pack the tent up on the Friday and travel home in the evening rather than join the traffic jams on the A30 on the Saturday . Many times we would debate quitting during the first week away due to rubbish weather and permanently damp clothes/bedding/shoes etc but then the weather would perk up and we'd have a fantastic time in the end

HollyBollyBooBoo · 04/05/2021 13:59

Yes Devon about 4 years ago. It was 12 degrees and lashing with rain with no sign of letting up whilst at home in the midlands it was mid 20s.

Absolute waste of time and money.

Jackparlabane · 04/05/2021 14:00

Holiday in Turkey, it rained a fair bit. On the last day, it rained a lot, but we headed to an indoor museum as planned. On exit, we noticed it was in fact starting to flood.

Got the tram back to our hotel where we had to wade through a foot of water in the street and the lobby was about to be under water. We changed into sandals (no socks) and decided to give up on the rest of the day and head to the airport while the trMs and buses were still running.

So our last afternoon and evening meal werent as scenic as expected, but still a good leisurely restaurant meal and we caught the flight - people setting off an hour later mostly missed flights.

Over the next days 3000 people in the city lost their homes.

brokengate · 04/05/2021 14:01

Day four of a seven day break because my friends sister took her own life. She had recently lost her mum and it was just awful.

Other than that we tend to go to the same place and always off season. We know the owners so the let us arrive early if they can and we often leave the night before the next guests due in to save the morning panic.

Allthereindeersaregirls · 04/05/2021 14:02

No, but we have been stranded at our holiday destination on multiple occasions - airport strikes, volcanic ash clouds, airline going bust, more airport strikes, illness.

It is not the extended holiday everyone seems to think it is when I tell them. Its an expensive nightmare. And I can confirm that no matter the expense or quality of your holiday insurance, you will not get more than half of you costs back.

AdobeWanKenobi · 04/05/2021 14:02

Tenby was a placed I loved when the kids were small and we went a lot, but much like other towns a lot of it closed, all the shops became charity shops or £1 shops, the hens and stags moved in so a lot of the pubs turned to cater for that market and it lost it's heart for me a bit.

I love a good explore and there are some great castles around that way, but not sleeping left us knackered and my joints hurt (I have issues anyway) so trudging around a castle was the last thing I fancied.

We've gone totally off piste this year and booked a hotel for 4 nights in Northumberland. Not a place I've been before but seems a lot to explore and at least the beds wont be on an angle 😂

amusedbush · 04/05/2021 14:03

Yes, but not because of issues with the area or accommodation. DH and I were in New York in March 2018 and on our second last day there was a weather warning for a snow storm. All of the local schools were closing and transport disruption was anticipated.

We went back and forth about going home early but finally phoned BA to see if they could put us on a flight home that night (which they did, for free). We found out when we got to Heathrow that our plane was the second to last out of JFK before they grounded everything so if we hadn't left early, we would have been stranded.

turkeyboots · 04/05/2021 14:04

We once abandoned a caravan holiday in the Vendee in August as a massive storm rolled in and the caravan shook all night. Was due to get worse that day so we packed up and headed for the ferry 2 days early and had an unexpectedly lovely time in St Malo.

bellropes · 04/05/2021 14:04

We left Scotland because the rain was torrential, our activities were cancelled and the road collapsed onto the steam train line so we couldn't even go on that. We were just sat in the guest house or walking in the freezing cold rain.

We left North Wales early because we were bored and I missed the cats.

AdobeWanKenobi · 04/05/2021 14:05

As an aside, I remember going to Devon as a kid in this amazing bungalow that was perched on a cliff with a balcony that overhung. It was amazing. It also pissed it down all week and my Mother refused to give in.
We spent all week walking around a department store in Plymouth which I think was called Dingles. All my memories of Devon are of the inside of that place.

doritodiva · 04/05/2021 14:07

I foolishly went to pontins. We did one night snd left.

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