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?

Jesus wept! San Sebastian is nothing like Scarborough😂
The Basque Country is beautiful and has a fascinating history not to mention glorious food and beaches!
Yes it’s entirely the fault of the place you went to, that the food made you heave because you were pregnant. 😄 The mind absolutely boggles!

Yes, I have thought for years now that it says far more about the person than the place if they go somewhere like Dublin or Barcelona or Paris and claim there was 'nothing to do' and they were bored. I don't think I've ever, in my entire life, come back from a holiday disappointed. Even if I went somewhere like Dubai, which I know wouldn't be my cup of tea, I'm pretty sure I'd still find it fascinating even just people watching, looking at the architecture, enjoying the novelty of the indoor ski slope, etc. The sheer tackiness of it all would be interesting to me, if that makes sense. I don't understand people who go there (or Las Vegas or Benidorm) and then say it was artificial and soulless and tacky...isn't that literally the point?

San Sebastián is one of the two places I’ve seen people shooting up heroin in public (the other was the district line at Wimbledon; chap offered me his superfluous kitkat once he’d used the wrapper). I have never seen anyone do that in Scarborough and I also wouldn’t damn the entir Basque Country on a horrible port area, but…

Even if I went somewhere like Dubai, which I know wouldn't be my cup of tea, I'm pretty sure I'd still find it fascinating

I agree there are some bizarre ‘Las Vegas was tacky’ type comments on this thread, but I think you can find a place both interesting and Emperor’s New Clothes-ish. For example San Francisco is one of mine; everyone raved about it to me so I went while on the west coast. I certainly found it interesting and parts of it were very beautiful but I also didn’t understand all the love for it, and it wasn’t somewhere I’d want to return to, given how sad and unsafe I felt there due to the homeless problem.

I also saw public and open drug taking in San Sebastian, though not heroin. I put it down to the way I stupidly went during semana grande, the main party week of the year.

this is unfair.
People aren't saying places have to be perfect - they are saying that they have preference and some popular places just dont work for them. I have been to dubai, and I went with an open mind.. but the reality of transport, weather and culture makes it very hard to enjoy. If you object to the environmental impact of an indoor ski slope - you won't buy tickets to go see it, and having to fight crowds to gawp at tacky glitz is not exactly positive either. Ultimately - it is built on slavery and it makes you want to leave pretty fast. Not because you cant enjoy the place, but because you have the ability to use your mind and discern the immorality, and you dont want to embrace it.

to be fair, it is attitude. Nowhere is perfect, But some places are just hard work - and people are being honest about being disappointed. My trip to rome for example - people queuing for hours to get admitted to sites.. not my preferred way to spend a long weekend. Abandoning sight seeing was worse- the pollution made me get bad asthma at all the cafes. How are we supposed to be open minded about this?

I agree @Foggydayz - the thread is asking about what places are the emperor’s new clothes, ie overhyped and disappointing. I’ve travelled lots, I absolutely love some places I’m sure many would consider unappealing/boring/ugly etc and was just naming a place I’ve been that was very overhyped (in my opinion)

Sorrento - It must be 15 years since we went, so I'm sure it's changed in the meantime, but Sorrento was lovely and, as a base, it's the perfect spot to plan a trip to Capri, Naples, the Amalfi Coast, and Herculaneum. We went in October, so nowhere was very overcrowded. Capri was gorgeous but VERY expensive!
Rome was fantastic, and we loved every minute, but you must be careful of the numerous predators! The pickpockets, the fake taxis, the beggars - it seems you're on constant alert!
Florence - the first time was incredible as we had a plan, but we went again during the summer months, and it was awful - I couldn't wait to escape.
Dublin - my dad was born there in 1919, so I've been many times. As an adult, my interest is in retracing his footsteps and the places he mentioned, along with learning more about Irish history. Kilmainham Gaol especially is worth a visit - so atmospheric. Dublin is like any big city, though - constantly evolving, and if it weren't for my genealogy, I'd have no desire to return.
Another vote for Center Parcs! My husband worked for the company that took them over many years ago, and we got free weekend passes; it was such a disappointment. I think it may be better for families. I'm so glad we didn't have to pay.

Centre parks. Didn’t hate it, and it was many years ago and not peak season but I have never understand the love for it!