Page 30 | Most overrated destination you’ve visited?

IWasOlderThen · 22/05/2023 15:46

FinestIllusion · 20/05/2023 14:44

Durdle Door. Once was too much, never again.

Some lovely surrounding beaches though

Scalottia · 22/05/2023 15:53

AngelinaSpin · 22/05/2023 12:01

nah, of course I did not! Just winged it with a last moment booking.
I believed the hype about the beauty of the place (stumbled upon prison type servants quarters in the centre), peace (only the sound of the surf; became like a water torture to my ears eventually), and water sports (at Richard Branson prices).
But this thread is merely looking for opinions.
And this, about the Maldives, is mine. However foolish my preconceptions were, and my lack of forward reading.
Another reader might benefit from hearing the reality rather than ‘winging it’ as I did.

What other sound did you expect, than the sound of the surf? That's not their fault, it wasn't false adertising, YOU got sick of the sound! I guess you couldn't have predicted that however.

Did you honestly expect anything other than 'Richard Branson' prices? It's the Maldives. I can't see how researching this beforehand wasn't possible.

As for the servants quarters, well yeah that's pretty shit, not going to lie.

adriftabroad · 22/05/2023 16:07

I have just thought of St Ives.
I am sure it is fabulous in winter but in smmer... not so much!

thecatsthecats · 22/05/2023 16:11

Croatia.

Loads of friends raving about it.

It's... Fine? Annoyingly oversaturated with Game of Thrones gubbins. Not as hospitable as Bosnia. Overwhelmed with cruise ship parties on the coast. Expensive and not very interesting, IMO.

LeverageLevel · 22/05/2023 16:12

I liked Athens 🇬🇷! Well - I was there accidentally for starters (air traffic controllers strike). I got stuck there and whilst it’s not a place I would plan to go to, something about it appealed to me. It was a bit run down for sure, not pretty, but down-to-earth and had a ‘free’, old fashioned relaxed kind of vibe for want of a better word. I then had an extra day and went to see The Parthenon - which was an unexpectedly special experience. It easily eclipsed my island hopping which was the main reason I went there in the first place. If I went back would I feel the same - I don’t know - I think the surprise factor has a lot to do with it too.

thecatsthecats · 22/05/2023 16:17

AgneathaTheCat · 22/05/2023 15:34

For me, the Lake District.
It is very beautiful, but the mad crush of vehicles and stressed out visitors crammed into tiny streets creates a really hectic, unpleasant atmosphere.
It seems to have become the darling of the UK staycation market, with prices to match.
We often have to visit to see relatives, and have stayed in a few holiday cottages over the years - and these seem to have become more bland, run down and yet ten times more expensive with each year. It isn't somewhere I would choose to go, and can never understand what people see in it, apart from the scenery obvs.

I love the Lakes - grew up there, and am moving back to the nearby area.

Note the last two words! I'm lucky to have grown up in a very overlooked valley, but if we visit in peak season now, we prioritise the places outside our house. My parents refuse to drive us through the masses.

Best compromise for us is living somewhere with close, easy access, because it really does swarm with people high season.

florriegirl · 22/05/2023 16:19

Legoland. Ridiculously expensive, huge queues.

Strawberrypicnic · 22/05/2023 16:42

'Overrated' might not be the right word, but Santorini - the sea views were incredible and we had a lovely time at the hotel but there is something a tiny bit sad-feeling about the island as a whole. It's like a theme park, the whole place is just set up to service tourists. You can't get much of a sense of a local way of life. (I realise how ironic it is that I am writing this as a tourist myself.)

sidorek · 22/05/2023 16:45

Cuba. Absolutely hated it.

Lollygaggle · 22/05/2023 16:50

Loved Cuba, music, people places. However the youngsters with us hated it. They had never travelled in a communist style country before and couldn't get their heads around there being no such thing as private enterprise , so if the boat is'nt going somewhere you just can't hire another, service is what it is and often you have to be flexible and adaptable.
Weve travelled in pre Iron curtain Bulgaria etc which was grim but prepared you for non free market travel.

Bideshi · 22/05/2023 16:54

55balloons · 22/05/2023 12:25

My issue with Rome also involves being parched. I bought 2 bottles of water from a seller outside the collesseum. I paid what I owed & he handed me 2 bottle of frozen water, blocks of ice... I asked him for non frozen water & he started shouting & roaring at me in Italian..
Then 5 minute's later, a man dressed as a gladiator comes up & puts a headdress on my head & put his arm around me telling DH to take a photo, DH did & the next thing he started demanding 10 euro.. We paid him as he was huge & had fellow "gladiators" nearby..
I didn't think the food in Rome was particularly good either..

Show quote history

Did you know that all the water in Rome's very many street fountains is completely safe to drink, pure, and pretty cold too? No. Thought not. You'll see Romans (and clued up tourists) filling their water bottles on just about every street corner. It comes from high in the mountains probably the same place as much of the bottled water comes from. The poorness of Roman food is a bit of a joke in Italy too, but if you look for the local places where families eat you'll get a decent meal, even if not up to Bologna standards.

Idontcareboutthestateofmyhair · 22/05/2023 16:55

Budikka · 20/05/2023 18:24

I agree with most of the posters on here, so I am a bit sad about NYC, as I have always wanted to visit! I am not into SATC, but I always read about the 1970s punk scene, Andy Warhol, films like "Smithereens". I have always thought I would love to see the places I have heard about in songs, like Queens, Rockaway Beach, Coney Island, the skyscrapers, etc. Is it all gone?

Don't believe everything you read about NYC.. we went 10 nights last June and loved it (3rd visit). While it is a bit dirty and didn't feel quite as safe as before covid we still had a ball. (Most places have changed since covid, including here in the UK, our local cities are shit holes) You can still visit Coney Island. We also went to two Broadway shows (one starred Sam Rockwell and Laurence fishbourne) a Yankees baseball game, hung about central park for the day as it was very warm. We just laid on the grass with thousands of NYers, eating massive sandwiches from a deli and iced tea! Went to Brooklyn, ate loads of street food, went to dive bars. Went to art galleries etc. Did the Summit Vanderbilt viewing platform which was amazing and Rise NY. We also went on the train to DC for the day and seen the white house, capitol hill etc. There is literally so much to do and see in NYC you would need to visit several times. Plenty of old restaurants and jazz clubs/piano bars to visit too. We moved about by public ferry and subway..easy and cheap and pretty safe tbh.

midsomermurderess · 22/05/2023 17:08

@Bideshi Did you know that asking a question and immediately answering ‘No. Thought not’ is one of the most idiotic and irritating things a person can do?

Whichnumbers · 22/05/2023 17:11

ColdHandsHotHead · 21/05/2023 19:29

More than a dog-strewn bit of grass. ONE park in a city that size is rubbish. Even people who love it say it is not a green city.

Show quote history

there are several parks in Budapest, look at a map of the city. The island park was lovely, hardly a dog strewn bit of grass and the fountains to music were pleasant

Namechange9625 · 22/05/2023 17:14

Idontcareboutthestateofmyhair · 22/05/2023 16:55

Don't believe everything you read about NYC.. we went 10 nights last June and loved it (3rd visit). While it is a bit dirty and didn't feel quite as safe as before covid we still had a ball. (Most places have changed since covid, including here in the UK, our local cities are shit holes) You can still visit Coney Island. We also went to two Broadway shows (one starred Sam Rockwell and Laurence fishbourne) a Yankees baseball game, hung about central park for the day as it was very warm. We just laid on the grass with thousands of NYers, eating massive sandwiches from a deli and iced tea! Went to Brooklyn, ate loads of street food, went to dive bars. Went to art galleries etc. Did the Summit Vanderbilt viewing platform which was amazing and Rise NY. We also went on the train to DC for the day and seen the white house, capitol hill etc. There is literally so much to do and see in NYC you would need to visit several times. Plenty of old restaurants and jazz clubs/piano bars to visit too. We moved about by public ferry and subway..easy and cheap and pretty safe tbh.

Show quote history

I loved NYC. Went for 4 days and had an amazing (but extremely tiring) time

Cieloazzurro · 22/05/2023 17:21

SoCalLiving · 22/05/2023 07:29

See I understand the LA hate on this thread but not the Santa Monica hate! It's our favorite place in this city (we live here) and like the one place I recommend visitors to come to!

Show quote history

I also love Santa Monica. Can see why people are underwhelmed with downtown LA but the wider area has some great places

IWasOlderThen · 22/05/2023 17:32

CC4712 · 20/05/2023 14:35

Lands End

Tacky souvenir shops and a dodgy 'fun fair' you have to walk through to actually get to the sea. You have to pay for parking and also if you want a photo with the iconic sign!

I hate what they've done to Lands End. Criminal.

midsomermurderess · 22/05/2023 17:35

I think the Cliffs of Moher modelled the experience they offer on that at Lands End.

IWasOlderThen · 22/05/2023 17:43

mjf981 · 22/05/2023 01:56

Berlin. I'm quite alternative but didn't 'get' it. Ugly modern architecture, rude people, miserable winter weather.

Manchester. Like Berlin, I found most of it ugly, damp and depressing.

Toronto. Massive, sprawling, flat. Nothing appealing about the place aside from Lake Ontario.

On reflection, maybe I'm not a city person..

Toronto, I agree. . Did enjoy Niagara Falls but meh to everything else..

Berlin, haven't been and am not fussed about going .

Manchester though I love the place.

LeverageLevel · 22/05/2023 17:53

IWasOlderThen · 22/05/2023 17:32

I hate what they've done to Lands End. Criminal.

Show quote history

That’s how I felt about Northern Ireland’s “Giant Causeway” - totally unnecessary commercialisation with OTT “visitor centre”, over-subscribed parking etc.

kierenthecommunity · 22/05/2023 17:53

Wouldlovetobeinthesun · 22/05/2023 05:47

Im afraid it's Liverpool, which I know won't go down well on here. The two cathedrals were beautiful and tiles outside the Cavern Club were interesting but otherwise I just didn't get it.

We went to Liverpool last year, it didn’t help it was alternatively snowing and pissing it down (not something that is unique to Liverpool in December to be fair.) I thought it was ok. The shops were quite good, the museums were interesting and they had a decent Xmas market. But still just thought it was ok. I wouldn’t recommend it to all my friends as as must go place.

Twentyfirstcenturymumma · 22/05/2023 18:01

Miriam101 · 22/05/2023 14:51

Sorry, is that a dig at me? I was hoping to find satire tbh to counter some of the absolute lunacy and ignorance of the replies- but gave up after 2 or 3 pages of "Rome. Paris. The Pyramids." DP and I were howling. But then gave up.

Show quote history

But were they ignorant and lunatic or satirical and funny.... which you perhaps missed? 🤷‍♀️

Just a thought... rhetorical question, no need to reply

Bideshi · 22/05/2023 18:06

midsomermurderess · 22/05/2023 17:08

@Bideshi Did you know that asking a question and immediately answering ‘No. Thought not’ is one of the most idiotic and irritating things a person can do?

Possibly. Irritating for sure. Idiotic? I can think of worse. And certainly not half as irritating as the blinkered, insular and small minded posts on this thread.

Miriam101 · 22/05/2023 18:29

@Twentyfirstcenturymumma Well, I only read the first two pages of the thread- at which point not much satire was in evidence tbh. I'm sure it came later- and I'm v glad it did!

Scalottia · 22/05/2023 18:44

Twentyfirstcenturymumma · 22/05/2023 18:01

But were they ignorant and lunatic or satirical and funny.... which you perhaps missed? 🤷‍♀️

Just a thought... rhetorical question, no need to reply

Show quote history

Gee it's almost like it's sometimes hard to tell what the tone of a post is because it's written instead of spoken. I guess we can't all be as smart as you. Get over yourself.