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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:
Moonpeg · 04/05/2021 17:38

Yes Scarborough, primrose valley, caravan was disgusting, blood on net curtains. Rained all week, car problems. So we came home a few days early. Very disappointed as the year before we came to the same place and weather beautiful but different caravan.

Oddbutnotodd · 04/05/2021 17:39

Twice we have left early. First time was a cottage in Norfolk with a solitary 60w bulb in the kitchen and a depressing avocado bathroom. This was 1998. Weather was grim in August so we left after 5 days. Second time was another cottage in Devon where there was a water mill and the cliff was slowly falling into the sea. Just decided that we’d rather go on the Friday and avoid the traffic on the Saturday.

shinynewapple21 · 04/05/2021 17:47

Glad to see I'm not the only one returned from my honeymoon early! First week in a lovely hotel in the Lake District, second week in a grotty, cold little cottage just outside Fort William . It pissed down all week and we left after about 5 days .

Also returned from Yorkshire Dales after DP car broken into .

Oh and out last pre-child holiday cut short when I experienced signs of early labour . Just a bit of spotting and slight pains but returned to visit our own midwifery unit. After a scan was told there were no concerns and sent me home, two hours later my waters broke and DS was born the next morning nearly 4 weeks early .

Doilooklikeatourist · 04/05/2021 17:52

Should have left early when we went to Spain with the inlaws
We stuck it out , when we got back to the U.K. airport and the car , DH said never again ( which were my sentiments entirely )

Re the Tenby hate
I like Tenby , the best thing is we live less than an hour away , have our favourite walks , car parks , cafes etc so don’t have to stay overnight or go in the school holidays
My idea of a holiday from hell is a caravan on a big site , or any size site , actually a caravan anywhere .
I’d rather stay at home

twilightcafe · 04/05/2021 17:55

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER

Once came home a few days early from Greece when it was unusually wet and chilly for September, and not forecast to change for the foreseeable.
Did the same during a holiday to Germany. It was unseasonably cold at 9 degrees, and 25 degrees back in England. I was pregnant so couldn't even have a drink. Came home three days early.
smithyca · 04/05/2021 17:56

Pontins Brean Sands. Absolutely filthy beyond words and after one night we left along with lots of others. It was a cheap deal on groupon, now I know why.....

Boood · 04/05/2021 18:02

Came very close once. We were in Corfu for a week’s holiday and it pissed it down non-stop for the first three days. It wasn’t just rainy, it was really cold and miserable. There was absolutely nothing to do because the place was entirely set up for nice weather. You couldn’t even comfortably just sit around in a bar and get drunk, because the bars were all open air and the plastic covers they threw over them just channelled the wind and rain in more effectively. It didn’t help that the hotel was one of those secret escapes specials that look ok in the photos but are tired and depressing with staff who don’t give a shit. They couldn’t be bothered to open the bar, so if we went and sat in it for a change of scene we’d be chased around by a grumpy man stacking and restacking piles of chairs around us.

We spent the third day googling flights to see if we could possibly go home or somewhere else. The sun did finally come out, and once it did it was a lovely place, but My god those three days were shit.

Crinolinelady · 04/05/2021 18:04

Yes. Went to Spain and booked a flight home after 3 days

Paleodiet · 04/05/2021 18:04

Rented a cottage in Perthshire. On the last but one night there was a thunderstorm with torrential rain. When the power failed we headed for home.

Shodan · 04/05/2021 18:06

A couple of camping trips were cut short due to torrential rain.

And when I took the boys to France a few years ago, by ferry/car. I'd booked a cabin on the overnight ferry home, but by the second to last day we just all got homesick. I changed the ferry crossing to the morning one and we were home by mid afternoon. We were very happy.

In my youth I stayed in a lot of very cheap accommodation abroad and could never afford the extra to change hotels/apartments or fly home early. It's one of the best things about being older and having a little bit more money-the knowledge that if a holiday is awful, I can afford to do something about it.

Soontobe60 · 04/05/2021 18:06

Many years ago we stayed in a lovely looking cottage on Anglesey. However, it turned out to be infested with dog fleas, the mattresses were about 100 years old, the kitchen bin was full of mould under the bin liner and we stuck to the carpet when we took our shoes off!. This was in the days before the internet.
The owner lived next door and my dh had a stand up argument in the street with her because she refused to refund our money.

sanityisamyth · 04/05/2021 18:34

Yes. I was camping with a friend. The forecast wasn't as we had expected - was raining heavily. It turned out the tent wasn't as waterproof as we had expected either!! Came back a day early. Was ok during the day. Miserable at night :(

Redjumper1 · 04/05/2021 18:35

Yes. It was a post baby break and I couldn't have a bath as the water in the hotel was cold. I needed daily baths to help with piles so went home.

maddiemookins16mum · 04/05/2021 18:36

I was a holiday rep (back in the day 😂).
The amount of customers who left their holidays early was shocking.
Top reasons were:
Weather (especially early/late season - Corfu is miserable in October with rain every day.
Too hot (Goa/Cyprus)
Too many tourists.
The best was...they missed their dogs.

OutspokenNotThatFunny · 04/05/2021 18:45

Yes. Was half way round the world. Was meant to be for 10 weeks. Came home after 6. Was so homesick. We had a young baby and felt gps would be missing out on things.

BrilliantBetty · 04/05/2021 18:49

India. Supposed to be travelling around spending time in different places. Thought it would be amazing 'adventure of a lifetime' type thing. Really didn't enjoy it at all.
Left three weeks early after a miserable month. Regret not leaving sooner.

junebirthdaygirl · 04/05/2021 18:53

Did leave our holiday accommodation in Northern France early as it was bucketing rain and no sign of let up. But we didn't come home but drove to the South of France following the sunshine. No children as grown up at that stage. Fabulous time down there and drove back on the last day for the airport.

loriat · 04/05/2021 19:44

Yes, Isle of Wight many years ago. Weather was shocking and Mum slipped down some steps and broke her leg so we felt it was time to come home!

BaconAndAvocado · 04/05/2021 19:57

Yes, came home a week early from Florida as a child as my brother (then aged 8) became seriously ill.

willstarttomorrow · 04/05/2021 20:16

Not had to leave early but we had one holiday booked a hotel in Majorca in which they had 'overbooked' and put us into the hotel next door for one night. It looked like an army barracks and late DP commented that it seemed everyone there booked through Sun holidays. The pool was tiny, wierd vibe and the staff could not have been more disinterested.I left a trip advisor review and was called out as a snob. To be fair it was for less than 24 hours and the hotel we were booked into was incredible, we already had an amazing deal and due to the inconvenience our room was upgraded and we negotiated loads of extras. Anymore than one night at the first hotel and I would have been on the first flight home.

Also week on holiday with my brother and his family was hell. He and DD just rub each other up the wrong way (but she was a child who recently lost her dad- he is an adult). Their idea of a holiday is totally different to ours and I just felt like a crap outpost of United Nations trying to keep the peace. We just have totally different ideas of holidays and, whilst my lovely SIL and neice want to join us again, just no way.

cereallover · 04/05/2021 20:19

Yes a day early from our honeymoon in centre parcs. Husband was coming down with a cold and felt rubbish and I can't drive so I wanted to get him home before he felt worse as it was a long drive there for us.

MamaWeasel · 04/05/2021 20:32

Yes, three times. Once when we were on a cycling camping holiday just dh and I, we were rained out.

Twice I had mental breakdowns and we all had to come home because I just couldn't cope. This was before I was diagnosed with bipolar and medicated. Fingers crossed, I now wobble sometimes but don't crash.

wanderedlonelyasacloud · 04/05/2021 20:36

Very nearly - we stayed in the worst hotel you could imagine in florence and very nearly just packed up and moved on to our next destination (rome)

We were planning on losing the money on the hotel in florence and paying for 2 extra nights than what we'd already paid for in Rome but couldnt afford to without putting it on a credit card so we stuck it out in the end!

Babyroobs · 04/05/2021 20:45

Yes we came back from a week in Devon years ago for a number of reasons. It was about a month after my mum had died suddenly, we never should have gone. The weather was torrential rain and on the second day my nine year old son slipped on a wet floor at the caravan site and a bolt that was sticking out went into his shin bone. It was a nasty but necessitating a hospital visit and stiches, he couldn't go on the beach or anything due to infection risk so it ended up with one of us staying in the caravan with him and the other trying to take the 3 other younger kids on days out etc. The caravan sky light was leaking rain, the kids all got nits, I was sobbing over my mum. We just decided to call it a day and come home early !

FaceyRomford · 04/05/2021 20:46

Frequently. One from a hotel that was nowhere near as good as advertised (but not so bad you could legitimately complain). Another from a cottage on Dartmoor when we'd had enough of life without TV or WiFi (shallow or what). Once from a "group holiday" with four of my mates and their families when it became clear if we didn't my DW and one of the other DWs were going to come to blows.