Have you ever been anywhere on holiday that was like the emperors new clothes?

[Cheeseandlobster]

I did. Last year I went to a very small hotel in Greece. 16 rooms only with pages and pages of great reviews.

When I arrived all the tables were pushed together and everyone was sat together pissed as farts getting louder and louder. One woman was drunker and swearier than the rest and it turned out she was the owner.

It was expected that you socialise and drink at the hotel even though the entire pool had no sun from 1pm and the surrounding area was beautiful. The owner would bark at you if you asked for food from the menu and would openly slate other guests for making reasonable requests. And the interrogation you got if you went out of the hotel was crazy.

Luckily I met another lovely solo traveller who felt the same as me so we paired up and left the hotel at the same time each day to share the interrogation. I will never stay at another small hotel again because of this.

Anyone else?

"I was given a key code number with my food order to use the ladies in a KFC fast food place in Margate once. Only place I've ever encountered this to use the facilities."

You don't get out much then! This is common in fast food places and coffee shops.

I adore Paris but felt extremely intimidated by the men., Either hanging around like in children's parks or trying to crowd around one and sell stuff.

They have a cloying suffocating way of getting too close I can't stand it.

They need to do much more to protect tourist's.
As well as the urine everywhere.
I adore Paris but find it stressful to get around,you can't hail cabs like on London and many times I felt unsafe but couldn't quickly get myself oit of trouble via transport.

The tube! Every time I attracted some maniac...and .many times over the years has attempted oick pockets.

Venice is basically Disneyland now. I really feel for the poor locals having to tolerate such a level of tourism. I imagine it was nothing personal, but they felt like they had something on just for them and then more tourists rock up...I do get it.

Dubai. The way they treat the people who work there is disgusting. If you look beneath the surface it’s pretty horrendous

Bali is a bit of a shit hole. It is like going to Blackpool when you live in Australia.

Paris. I just didn’t like it. Rude people, dirty too.

The Caribbean. As ridiculous as it sounds, when you island hop, it’s just another town sitting next to yet another beach.

Venice
The Algarve-
Dubai
Egypt
Centre parks
Most Swiss towns that aren't ski resorts
Disneyland Paris

Nothing beats London! I love it, having grown up in North Wales I still feel that London buzz everytime I come into town (often since I live 30 mins away now).

"There is way way more to do there than just drink! Trinity college, book of kells, Temple bar (yes have a vastly over priced pint here). Kilmainham Gaol, Guinness Storehouse, either St Patricks Cathedral or Christchurch Cathedral, Grafton street and a walk around St Stephens Green, O'Connell St is a kip but the GPO is a very important part of Irelands history and gaining independence. National museum of Ireland. Phoenix park (biggest city park in Europe) also where our President lives Áras an Uachtaráin."

The Gaol and the GPO are on my list for next time. I also visited a big famous library last time, can't remember what it's called and many years ago a Celtic museum or similar.

@Bolleauxxxx

I get what you mean about Bristol. I sometimes work there (well I did before a certain virus put paid to business trips!), near to the Cathedral and that area is nice, round the Harbourside but otherwise it's just terribly dull and grey. I know a lot of cities are concrete jungles but Bristol does seem drearier than most.

Eden project was my first thought also. It’s a nice garden, but nothing more. There was a good circus act when we were there. As we left, we overheard people saying they’d spent six hours there. We’d spent under half that, including food and the circus act.

"Blimey you must have led a sheltered life. Cardiff isn't rough!"

I lived in Cardiff for a decade. If you're not in a drug gang, you probably don't have to be scared of getting shot, but it's not true to say it's not rough at all. There are plenty of areas right by the centre that are considered 'chaotic'. Some of them are right by some more middle class areas though so it's a totally different experience to living in somewhere like Pen Rhys.

Croatia is a whole country - are you basing your opinion on a single holiday in one resort?!

@romdowa - do you know what, it was so long ago I can't remember! I know we weren't far from Blarney Castle though, (I liked visiting there). To be fair, maybe it was just the village we stayed in? We even had local kids throw stones at our car!
I'd like to give it another go if you can recommend somewhere nice?

What about Clifton?

LA is definitely not what its cracked up to be. I quite enjoyed it because I like visiting places with a seamy side and it was a nice contrast to San Francisco (where I lived at the time) but I can't think of anywhere else on earth for which the gap between the hype and the reality is greater.

The LA which is pictured in movies and tv is a million miles from the sprawling, filthy, motorway based metropolis which is largely inhabited by extremely poor people but with a small enclave of obscenely rich people.

I agree that the sharks at the Paris tourist hotspots have got worse and worse over the years. There's nothing remotely like it in London, even in Leicester Square.

Definitely Centre Parcs, so many people love it. I really don't get it at all. The lodges made me feel depressed they were so soulless and the woodland / pool / activities all seemed really bog standard and everything is so overpriced.

Same!

We went to an all inclusive resort in Majorca a few years ago. It was rough. Afterwards I read a review on Tripadvisor which said " It's like Jeremy Kyle opened a hotel" (It's called club Mac BTW)
We loved Majorca but the resort was very dissappointing

Newquay

Hated it but everyone else seems to love it

We've been there and just knew when I started reading your comment it would be club mac lol
I agree, rough as anything! Fighting in the corridors most nights, but did provide some entertainment at least

Hate hate Hate London.
Hate Marrakech
Hate Sharm el Sheik with a passion.

Love Paris, Love LA, Love Prague, Barcelona & Cairo

Just shows horses for courses.

Not sure why everyone hates NYC, I loved it (agreed not a patch on london) but it is dirty. Someone said london was dirty, they’ve clearly never been to NYC. I’ve always had an amazing time; the homeless problem is very upsetting though.

Don’t get this vibe thing with Florida. Re safety it’s pretty much on a par with the rest of the US, not the safest place in the world. Anna Maria Island for example is a million miles away from the Orlando parks, sitting on a beach there watching the sun go down is fantastic. Don’t judge a whole state by one part of it. That said I love Disney, so many special memories of family time spent in Orlando, and more planned in August (few days in NYC too).

I loved Rome, but yes watch your purse / bag, its pretty rife. My mum hated it, but then the day before we spent on the beautiful Amalfi coast so she was comparing and you can’t compare. I love cities so haven’t had any complaints about any.

Only place that gives me the chills is Dubai, wouldn’t go back to Tunisia and I don’t think I’d ever go to Turkey either. Other than that I’m a happy traveller and take places as I find them, all different but love seeing the world. Never been to centre parcs, but have enjoyed Butlins and haven breaks in the past. If the kids are happy, I’m content.

@Stillfunny You say. ‘Devon’ then say ‘it’had a shingle beach. Devon is a county not a resort and has miles of coastline that includes, pebbled and Andy beaches. You just have to research before you book.

*Sandy