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?

Some people should just stay at home. Travel seems wasted on them!
I can’t get over the number of people who seem scared of their own shadow. How do you get through the day!

Wow! I’m amazed. The first time I saw it, it brought tears to my eyes. It’s so beautiful and other worldly.

Oh come on, I am empathetic to locals just trying to make a living, but it’s fair to give a robust response when repeated “no, thank you” has been ignored!

I don’t recognise this. We were there in November 2021. Admittedly, we found it unrelentingly too hot and humid, but it can hardly be criticised for that. I am a walking buffet for mosquitoes, but didn’t find them a problem. I guess we were there at a different time of the year to you, but it shows it is not “mosquito infested” as a whole. We also found it a very clean and tidy island. We stayed in a lovely hotel, hired a car, got out and about and had a lovely time. The local people were extremely friendly and helpful. We drove through many local housing areas that were not wealthy, but not poverty ridden at all. No doubt there is some poverty, as there is everywhere, but we met lots of locals and they were not struggling with poverty.

I have never noticed a strong smell in Paris or in Venice 🤷‍♀️

They were living in Barcelona. Guess you missed that part. Also guess you miss where I also said 'bad luck'.

I said I wouldn't have chosen to go there on holiday. It's....fine, at best. Nothing particularly special about it in my eyes.

You do realise they don't offer them to everyone equally? They target young people disproportionately, and/or people who look like they might be the type. When I lived there, I was late twenties and was out and about late at night quite a bit because I worked odd hours.

If you're middle aged and matronly looking, you're probably not going to be asked, and if you're not very observant, you might not even notice the deals happening either. Anyone who says there aren't drug dealers all over Lisbon just isn't paying attention, because they are definitely there.

I’d agree with the Center parcs haters. I cried when I arrived. Too many people and the forest element seemed so fake. I just wanted a picnic table or patch of grass to eat my picnic but none to be found. Most expensive holiday I’ve ever done and it was only 3 nights!! (Thankfully as I was counting down the seconds!)

I guess I’m one of those common people who go to centre parcs. For us it works and we enjoy it. Is it my ideal destination, no, but I enjoy the fact there is lots to do for children. Granted it is very expensive.
I found Paris underwhelming and dirty. New York I had maybe built it up to be amazing but I was really disappointed with how I found it. I’d go back with work but not off my own back. Same file Dublin.
I loved SA, and would go back but maybe give careful consideration where I went given the crime.
Barcelona was amazing, I enjoyed Lisbon and I loved Greek islands.

DH says San Fransisco too... really dirty and feels quite dangerous.

Interesting to see Cyprus on here numerous times... I love Cyprus!! Think it's so beautiful. Love Athens also.

Personally I would say Paris. Busy, rude, rushed, overpriced and just not enjoyable at all.

There's plenty of forest at Center Parcs Whinfell. Looks pretty real to me. I get it's not everyone's idea of a perfect holiday, but our family enjoyed it multiple times along with other families when the DCs were younger - in fact I'd imagine DS16 would be delighted if we suggested going again.

I’ve always been lucky on holidays, do a lot of planning, have a big budget, don’t go to places in the rainy season etc but I was disappointed with the whole Disney experience in Florida. It wasn’t for me, I way preferred LA and Paris.

Centre Parcs is the epitome of Emperors new clothes for me. It's not a case of different strokes for different folks as by rights I should like it - I'm fine with places like haven, and expensive versions of haven like disneyworld. I also love camping in the woods away from everybody, but man I could rant and rant about centre parcs. They just don't even seem to try and hide the con in the slightest and still people like it. I don't understand. Being trapped in a dated cabin with no phone reception to report the faults and a long walk uphill in the dark to get to the help desk because the train only runs every 20 minutes and there are more people waiting than can get onto the next two trains is not good service to me.

Being charged loads for everything (even to book the pool in covid times) including two delivery fees for takeaways that are slightly different despite them coming from the same kitchen and being delivered by the same person. Not being able to get off the site easily, not being able to store a decent amount of groceries, not being able to get groceries delivered, not very functional kitchen. Yes the busy outdoor playgrounds are included but half of it will be fenced off - you get a better experience in a local park. I feel trapped and taunted about being trapped. (Though the staff when you check in and the cleaners were very polite and friendly)

I loved Malta, it had crusader stuff, roman stuff, catacombs - complete with friendly cats, a gorgeous Caravaggio and easy to get round on busses. Loved the mix of cultures, would happily live there if they didn't have that habit of shooting every animal they spot.

Also really liked Rhodes - again roman and crusader history was lovely - but then we tended to explore early mornings and so managed to avoid the crowds. I enjoy Barcelona, though at the risk of restarting a fight I do believe that avoiding a dangerous part of a city keeps a person safe, does not make a city safe. Not having a crime ridden part would make a city safe. A city with crime can still be a nice place to visit depending on a myriad of factors. Oh and cuba I would definitely disagree with, loved it there - but did hate the few days we spent in varedero - now that is centre parcs with escorts!

My contribution is most of southern Italy - expected to adore it and I loved Pompeii but in general it was pretty depressing, unloved and graffiti filled until you get to about Florence (which I loved). Also Hoi An in Vietnam; everyone told me I would love it, "it's so beautiful, the town is pedestrianised so you can walk everywhere." So we booked a decent chunk of time there and just weren't charmed. We preferred Hue. Pedestrianised just meant no cars - the old town was full of bicycles pulling long chains of tourists, it was hell - I'd rather have been crossing roads in ho chi minh city. Yes it was pretty but so crowded, we walked up to the Japanese bridge and just gave up. Yet the museums themselves were empty. I mean we had a good time but could not see why everyone was raving about it.

I’d also agree with southern Italy. I’ve been all over it and there is some amazing hilltop villages further down and amazing scenery but lots of it is scruffy and sad. That’s the mafias fault though.

As much as I hated CP, DH and I still laugh about the drive to the cabin with him going ‘what the fuck is this, where are the woods?’.

Gosh, I absolutely love Southern Italy, especially away from the bigger cities (although I did like Palermo and Siracusa a lot despite the scruffiness). There is beautiful scenery, such varied history, amazing food. I would happily go back to Puglia or Sicily for every single holiday and am seriously considering buying a house there in the medium term.

Paris is a wonderful city, but it's also the place I have felt the least safe, much more so than Barcelona. Love NYC, what's not to like? Liked Vienna despite its curious formality, with honesty boxes to pay for newspapers, buses etc, everyone dutifully paying.. Hard to imagine that working here. Istanbul is fab, lived there for some years, and apart from the men leering loved it ( and that doesn't happen everywhere, much of the city is very westernised/well educated, and thus different from other muslim places). Turkish people are the most friendly and hospitable I've ever known.

I’d agree with the Center parcs haters. I cried when I arrived.

I have to admit I felt like crying as the first thing I saw was a couple lighting up and breathing cigarette smoke all over their kid in a buggy. It got a lot better from there 😆 I’ve only been pre covid but it was just such an easy holiday. There was no stress whatsoever. We booked one activity per day and really enjoyed them all. Spent hours and hours in the pool. Ate at the crappy restaurants and, yes, the food was mass produced rubbish but the kids were in heaven charging around the soft play bits with their new friends. And I was in heaven at the pancake place. We only went because I had such happy memories of going as a child - DH was strongly opposed - but it really was unexpectedly fun.

Ooo Disneyland Paris was a bit rubbish. We went because the grandparents wanted to take the children (and us). Even the children, who were ideal age, were disappointed. And the food - a ghastly collusion of French and American. Potato topped pizza anyone?

Lisbon- and surrounding villages, gorgeous, wanted to live there

Barcelona- meh . I even Prefer those packagey Spanish destinations with loads of Brits. No vibe.

Brussels- exciting

Helsinki - bit boring

Siberia- fascinating

Thailand- would go back

Moscow- dark atmosphere, preferred St Pete's

Rhodes- gorgeous

Paris - rubbish. Rest of France- gorgeous.

Tokyo- not as exciting or (obviously) diverse as London but loved the uniquely Japanese charm

Seoul/Korea - not impressed. All the social obligations of Japan without any of the beauty and charm. Architecture like Russia but you can forgive Russia as it has that mysterious post-Soviet atmosphere. Its so popular now amongst the youth and I don't get it, a case of 'emperor's new clothes' for me.

On list: Mauritius, anywhere in South America, Ghana (after that song came out), Southern Italy, Vietnam, California - been to the US but not there. Was going to be New York or Cali), Hawaii - my daughter wants to go there, I'm wasnt keen but this thread has changed my mind. She also fancied Canada, I don't and this thread hasn't changed my mind.

"You do realise they don't offer them to everyone equally? They target young people disproportionately, and/or people who look like they might be the type."

Yes, of course I realise that. I'm boring looking so I've never been offered drugs.

"if you're not very observant, you might not even notice the deals happening either."

I said that myself, but someone suggested you wouldn't know if you were being offered either, which I think is bs because obviously if someone asks you directly, you'll know about it.

"nyone who says there aren't drug dealers all over Lisbon just isn't paying attention, because they are definitely there."

I never said there weren't so I don't understand why this is directed at me.

I can’t believe New York is mentioned. I went for the first time about 6 years ago and completely loved it! I was visiting with a friend who knew the city well though, which may have helped.

It only smells like piss when it hasn't rained for a while and tbh it's not Parisians who piss in the streets - it's tourists. A lot of cities smell of piss in the summer. I remember Florence at the end of August - OMG it stank! But then it rained hard and it didn't smell any more.

I love Paris, but will readily admit that there is dog shit all over the streets, there is often a smell of drains (this is true in a lot of French towns/cities), and I had my purse nicked on the Metro once. You need to be careful in a lot of cities and not be all starry-eyed and oblivious to what's going on around you.