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?

One of the most well known things about San Sebastián is how much it rains. It's literally famous for it. The strike was bad luck/bad planning. It wasn't the city's fault you couldn't stomach fish or didn't have your Weetabix.

Also, again, research

I loved San Sebastián but it’s famous for it’s food and drink really so probably not the best time to go.

Another vote here for Centerparcs. So expensive. I have always been so confused by the fact that so many people go there and keep going there! The food is awful and mass produced. The “cabins” are tired and dirty and the activities are booked up by about 6am on the Friday morning…and completely prohibitive!

I love Lisbon too! I’m getting married there 4 weeks! (Well just outside). However, last year we went to Porto & felt the same about drug dealers/ users - it was quite scary to see.

I think because drugs are decriminalised the drugs dealers are more open?!

One of the most well known things about San Sebastián is how much it rains. It's literally famous for it. The strike was bad luck/bad planning. It wasn't the city's fault you couldn't stomach fish or didn't have your Weetabix.

Agree. Just felt like an unnecessary ordeal to have left Barcelona to holiday somewhere that was like the UK!

Honestly Baffled by the paris critics? We go every couple of years such a beautiful city yes we were mugged once on the metro but we saw them off.

I've been to Paris a few times. The first time I was very underwhelmed and wouldn't have hurried back but DC wanted to see the Mona Lisa after it appeared in a Dr Who episode. So we went for a few days. And I absolutely loved it on my return and have been back again. It was so expensive though, but that's the case with many cities unfortunately.

It's nothing like the UK. You just didn't experience it properly because of bad planning and bad luck. A bit of rain doesn't erase the entire Basque culture and make it just like the UK.

So much of the criticism about places is about the things that are intrinsic to them:
Tidal Devon beaches 😂
Damp San Sebastián - who doesn't check the climate in a place when they book?
Glitzy Dubai (literally how it sells itself - avoid if a heavily built modern environment isn't your thing (it ain't mine).

The strike was bad luck/bad planning

How was the strike ‘bad planning’? When you go abroad do you check if there are strikes planned where you are going? In plenty of places this information wouldn’t be available in English anyway.

Paris lovers, does the stench of piss not bother you? I've been several times at different times of the year (have a friend who lives there) and every single time it stunk.

Have genuinely never noticed, except around Gare du Nord. Where else is it particularly smelly, am curious?

The whole of central Paris, i.e. all the touristy areas, Eiffel Tower, shopping streets. It was okay in the suburbs.

Never notice that smell either apart from as said, Gare du Nord. I do notice the abundance of smokers but that’s part of Paris.

Maybe it's me that smells 😁

Well…… lol
i haven’t been since 2014 so maybe it’s a recent problem?

I think you can breathe a sigh of relief because I just Googled and even National Geographic is in agreement with you that Paris smells of wee.

I was last there earlier this month and really didn’t notice it!

Thank goodness for National Geographic, though I might have a wash just to be sure 😉

A few years back the city actually installed public urinals to help with the problem, but they were vandalised.

That's the smell of Paris. Piss and burnt rubber (from the metro). It's a unique combination and has smelt that way for at least 30 years (when I first lived there as a student). Every time I get off the Eurostar I inhale it and think "Paris!" (I'm not joking, it's true).

Cant agree with someone who mentioned Stuttgart- it's a lovely German city with a beautiful old town surrounded by hills and castles.

I wasn't fond of San Sebastian either, but I knew northern Spain was famous for rain - that's why it's green rather than yellow.

"Perhaps you're oblivious to it? The poster was right about Lisbon. I lived there for a bit and there were drug dealers absolutely everywhere. I got offered drugs at least once a day."

You can maybe be oblivious to deals happening around you, but not to actually being offered drugs, can you?
I've seen loads of drug deals and loads of chats that may or may not have been people selling drugs, but only been offered drugs once that I can remember. In any case, you just say no, they're not usually 'pushing' them are they?

I loved Lisbon! A unique and charming city - and we only saw drug dealers around the main station. It wasn't a busy time of year when we went, which might explain it.

For me the most disappointing place was Copenhagen. I'm happy to admit I probably didn't see the best of it, but given that I spent a fortune getting, staying and being there, I'm not particularly willing to go back and try it again!