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Original poster

Most overrated destination you’ve visited?

944 replies

Rnm62 · 20/05/2023 13:53

Just that really..

OP posts:
Iceicebabytoocold · 21/05/2023 18:13

Another vote for Bali.

Whyarewehere · 21/05/2023 18:14

Paris and Las Vegas

Whichnumbers · 21/05/2023 18:15

mynameiscalypso · 20/05/2023 14:04

Interestingly, we went to Majorca a few years ago and I had really low expectations but I thought it was stunning.

I went in March to cycle and it exceeded my expectations, thought it was beautiful island to cycle around. The place I stayed the receptionist was great but said its hell on earth here in August

Lottapianos · 21/05/2023 18:19

'The place in Italy that has surprised me the most is Turin where we are now'

Good tip, thanks 👍

BlueRabbitYellow · 21/05/2023 18:19

I was very disappointed with Paris. Couldn't wait to leave. Maybe it just couldn't live up to my expectations 🤔

Whichnumbers · 21/05/2023 18:20

Kenilworth, the castle is rubbish and hasn't even got a roof

Nevermind31 · 21/05/2023 18:21

Egypt. Everyone was raving about it. Hated it.
San Francisco. It’s ok. Cable cars are fun. But otherwise, meh.

NoDought · 21/05/2023 18:22

Yea I thought exactly the same

Refrosty · 21/05/2023 18:24

Pollyannalola · 21/05/2023 17:40

To those who are saying New York, I think it is very much a case of where you go. Yes it's dirty and even a bit smelly in parts but has an energy that is 1000 times more exciting than London in my opinion.

Dumbo views over to Manhattan and the park and restaurants
Williamsburg thrift stores and chilled vibes
Madison Square Garden Park on a cold sunny day
Soho sitting outside at Jacks wife Freda fashion watching
The green leafy streets of Greenwich Village

There is so much more than Times Square and MidTown...

I had the opportunity to stay in NYC when DH was sent there for 3 months to work. It was September, so hot but Autumn was in the air. The touristy places were meh (we stayed in Manhattan on 34th St, so in the thick of it), but there was something about the wider city was indeed magical. My favorite museum was not the MET it was the Tenement Museum. My cuban food experiences were amazing. So many places to be still and people watch! Just walking around and diving into random shops and interacting with New Yorkers made it an amazing experience.

My personal answer to this thread is Malta. I didn't 'get' it. However, it's a place with so much culture and history. I'd never say it was overrated, just that it completely went over my head and I've no desire to go back.

tensmum1964 · 21/05/2023 18:28

Paris. It was a very quick pit stop but I found it dirty, ugly and expensive.

Snippit · 21/05/2023 18:31

Vegas, trashy and dirty also Orlando, horrible place, again trashy. Also Gambia, it’s one of the few places where I couldn’t wait for the week to end and we could go home, god awful place.

Tots678 · 21/05/2023 18:38

I was in Egypt maybe 15 years ago.
True we had to dodge round a dead horse in the middle of the road as we approached, and the houses went almost up to the pyramids but it was quite off season and I thought the place was breathtaking. Just astounding and the local camel drivers and handful of locals added to it.
I was in Florida 2010 - west of Tampa on the coast. It was pristine - think that is what I noticed most - not a bit of litter anywhere. And the birdlife was fantastic.

masterblaster · 21/05/2023 18:40

Another vote for downtown LA. You can’t get anywhere without a car. If you stay right next to the walk of fame (there’s a decent hostel!) it’s ok and you can go walking around the area.

theDudesmummy · 21/05/2023 18:40

Paris
Rome
Cape Town

Carpedimum · 21/05/2023 18:43

Soho Farmhouse; the Eiffel Tower - just don’t bother. Absolutely love New York, Venice & Niagara Falls (although the town is very Blackpool, so give that a swerve). I’m a regular visitor to London for work and pleasure, but have never been inside the Tower, it’s on my to-do list.

masterblaster · 21/05/2023 18:43

DemonicCaveMaggot · 20/05/2023 14:35

New York.

I feel I have to stick up for LA though having lived there for nearly 20 years. People say 'I went to LA' but if you literally only went to Los Angeles then no wonder you think it was awful. Greater LA is made up of over 80 different cities each with their own culture and heritage. Burbank is completely different from Santa Monica, Pasadena is nothing like Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes is as much like Bell as Chelsea is like Slough. There is a ton to do in LA from botanical gardens, art museums, theme parks, historical areas, shopping, hiking through mountains, restaurants, beaches, whale watching, boat trips. There has to be something you like there.

I quite liked the bus station, it allowed me to leave LA.

Pammy26 · 21/05/2023 18:45

Marrakesh. I HATED it. I loved the Atlas Mountains though ….

mellybelly1 · 21/05/2023 18:46

Now I LOVED LA! Went expecting to hate it but loved it. For me it's Dubai - can't see the appeal at all. Also almost anywhere in the Caribbean. Fantastic scenery and beaches but not safe to go exploring on your own

masterblaster · 21/05/2023 18:47

UWhatNow · 20/05/2023 15:42

The Grand Canyon - just boring big orange hole.

SERIOUSLY?

ColdHandsHotHead · 21/05/2023 18:50

Budapest. Virtually no outside space and full of backpackers and bars catering to them.

CharlotteRumpling · 21/05/2023 18:51

People always say Egypt on these threads but it is one of the best destinations have ever been to. My vote goes for Vegas. Tacky plastic city with no soul.

teenagetantrums · 21/05/2023 18:53

Definitely Vegas...

ODFOx · 21/05/2023 18:54

Mauritius.
It's a beautiful place but for a small island there is a disproportionally large number of all inclusive resorts and so few other places to stay that anywhere you go is full of bus trippers or stray dogs.

LifesTooShortForYourNonsense · 21/05/2023 18:55

I must be doing these places wrong.
Pisa- beautiful city full of squares, oleander trees, great food, the Arno. ‘The tower’ was actually beautiful, much more ornate than I thought, lovely setting with other fantastic buildings nearby.
Loved Paris too, as did the kids, even riding the metro is an adventure. Rome fantastic, very walkable, Florence great to see. Eden Project we go several times a year, amazing food, ‘after dark’ at Christmas they have bands on.
Trying to think of places I haven’t liked, and I think it’s been because of poor choice of accommodation.

ScotsBluebell · 21/05/2023 18:56

JacobsCrackersCheeseFogg · 20/05/2023 14:40

Toss. Up between Barcelona and Lisbon. I just didn't "get" either place.

Ha - was waiting for someone to say Barcelona. It's my all time favourite city. I could live there - or at least spend several months at a time there. Love it. But I'm an art nouveau/modernisme nut, and it's everywhere. Can never wait to get out of London.