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Original poster

What is the most overrated destination you have ever been?

809 replies

Meltinthemiddle · 04/09/2023 18:24

Mine is Dubai l.

OP posts:
Ozgirl75 · 04/09/2023 21:21

Oh and I love Paris as well. In fact I can’t think of anywhere I’ve been underwhelmed by, I’ve always found something I like about places and often loads of things.
In fact in 30 years of travelling about, I think the only place I’ve ever left early was…….Myrtle Beach. And even then it wasn’t that bad, but we were travelling down the east coast and just figured the next town would be better.

Nyz9213 · 04/09/2023 21:21

Cape Town - there I've said it. I've been 3 times and still don't get what's so great about it.

Lilsoph · 04/09/2023 21:22

Barcelona.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 04/09/2023 21:22

FettleOfKish · 04/09/2023 19:55

Ooh one more. Monaco. WTF do people see in it? Just of grubby looking apartment blocks and roadworks when I was there 🤷🏻‍♀️

Did you go up the rock to the old city - Monaco-Ville - to where the palace is? It's nice for a wander round up there and to have a meal. Or was 30 years ago. When many people say Monaco they are only thinking of the very overcrowded Monte Carlo part down below. It was great in the 80s watching the fireweorks overlooking the marina from the steps on the hill up near the old town.

I agree that Monte Carlo itself is meh... rich women wandering round with little dogs to get their hair done, or rich men shopping for Rolexes, or people on the boats being hooray Henry types and thinking they're captain of the bloody world.

Elphamouche · 04/09/2023 21:23

Amsterdam. Hated it.

PinkPondQueen · 04/09/2023 21:23

OvaHere · 04/09/2023 21:07

I've seen Santorini mentioned a few times in this thread. It looks so beautiful in photos but I've wondered if it might be a bit boring as a destination once you've taken the obligatory OMG this is gorgeous photos. Hence why I've considered it a few times but never booked.

Is that why people are underwhelmed by it?

Santorini is just like every other island in Greece - but without the stunning beaches- with the exception of the views of the caldera along the west coast and in particular of the typical blue dome buildings in Oia. Otherwise there is nothing special about it. If you could afford one of the resorts in Oia or Thira built into the cliffs with your own plunge pool and see the amazing sunsets you'd probably feel a lot differently about it than if you were stuck in a hotel on the other side of the island. And when the cruise ships are in it gets insanely busy!

Museya15 · 04/09/2023 21:23

We went to northern ireland and we did the Glenn's of antrim, this was stunning. Also, there's a beach called ballyhornan, its breathtaking.

Sureaseggs44 · 04/09/2023 21:24

Loved venice . Just wander the back streets away from the tourist centre . It’s so interesting . Find the small out of the way cafes . Also love cornwall although not in school holidays . Everyone to their own .

Lampzade · 04/09/2023 21:25

Definitely LA/ Las Vegas- Grim AF

RogersOrganismicProcess · 04/09/2023 21:25

Another one for centreparcs: grotty, militant, overpriced, commercialised, shite! I haemorrhaged money that week and wasn’t even allowed to park anywhere near the sodding accommodation for the privilege of doing so!

After a five hour journey I was less than impressed with a fifty minute walk in a thunderstorm to try to find the accommodation with nothing but a useless ripped and soggy paper map!

Also San Francisco, but let’s be right, I would rather perpetually smell like Alcatraz, than go back to centreparcs!

Moveoverdarlin · 04/09/2023 21:25

Disneyland Paris.

Zomb · 04/09/2023 21:25

Allthatwegotisthispalebluedot · 04/09/2023 20:15

This thread is bordering on a farce tbh. Who goes to Las Vegas and claims it’s ‘tacky’ so they don’t like it. That’s kind of the point of Las Vegas. Surely if you say that then the problem is you?

I enjoyed my longish holiday to Australia, but found it quite underwhelming as a whole country. I saw quite a lot of it, so feel like I can make that assessment on Brisbane - Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, Adelaide and Perth. The cities had a little bit of a dated feel and were nothing particularly special (including Melbourne which everyone I know raves about!) and although some of the beaches are lovely, so are the ones in Cornwall (although also an arse to get to most of the time). There was barely any people in bloody Tasmania!, the weather was INSANE and everything was SO expensive. And I live in London, so I’m used to being ripped off. Also no offence lads, but the Australian music and culture scene is not it. Everyone was mad for Ed Sheeran when I was there. And that was it.

Kangroos are fucking brilliant though. There’s loads to like about Australia but I wasn’t as enchanted as I thought I would be. I was glad to be home and had absolutely no desire to move to the other side of the world to live there!

Agree re: Las Vegas we had a good time but I expected it to be what it was.

Gotta I say don’t think this is an accurate description of Australia/Australian culture, if you couldn’t find anything good on the music scene (especially if you were in Melbourne), you weren’t looking very hard. I’ve been to a lot of beaches in travels (DH a big surfer) and Gold Coast beaches (bar surfers paradise) trump 99% of them. It’s also very safe (for those who are concerned about pickpockets). But Australia is spread out, not like New York where you have everything amazing packed into a tiny area.

OvaHere · 04/09/2023 21:26

PinkPondQueen · 04/09/2023 21:23

Santorini is just like every other island in Greece - but without the stunning beaches- with the exception of the views of the caldera along the west coast and in particular of the typical blue dome buildings in Oia. Otherwise there is nothing special about it. If you could afford one of the resorts in Oia or Thira built into the cliffs with your own plunge pool and see the amazing sunsets you'd probably feel a lot differently about it than if you were stuck in a hotel on the other side of the island. And when the cruise ships are in it gets insanely busy!

Show quote history

Thanks for the explanation. The stunning views from private pools are the photos you tend to see! 😁

alltoomuchrightnow · 04/09/2023 21:27

LA

Lampzade · 04/09/2023 21:27

Agree about Barbados being a disappointment.
Much prefer other Caribbean Islands such as St Lucia , Trinidad and Tobago

Ibizafun · 04/09/2023 21:28

Vegas, San Francisco.. and LA

101jobs · 04/09/2023 21:28

Corfu
Barcelona
Algarve

Ibizafun · 04/09/2023 21:29

AlisonDonut · 04/09/2023 18:47

Rome.

Graffiti ridden pick pocketing nasty creepy men all in a stinking hot shithole

Are you serious? Not the place I know.

Delatron · 04/09/2023 21:29

Ozgirl75 · 04/09/2023 21:14

I honestly think some of you are seeing totally different cities. Barcelona?? It’s got the most beautiful architecture and loads to do. Barbados? Did you leave your AI hotel to actually explore? The west coast and St Lucy have these amazing windswept beaches and the people are friendly, welcoming and just lovely. Some of the most amazing fish I’ve ever eaten in restaurants there.
New York?? The most vibrant place with so much going on?
So odd.
I wouldn’t expect these places to all be perfect and pristine, they’re living cities and you have to take them warts and all.
And writing off the whole of France? Absolutely hilarious.

It’s not ‘odd’ at all for everyone to like different things.

Doesn’t mean people are unwilling to try new things or aren’t well travelled!

For example, I loved Iceland - someone on here hates it. I accept we have different tastes rather than claim ‘oh but what about the beautiful scenery’.

I don’t like Barcelona I prefer Seville. That’s just my opinion.

I love Berlin, I don’t like Paris. I love Lyon, I don’t like New York..

Brumbies · 04/09/2023 21:29

KnickerlessParsons · 04/09/2023 18:55

Barbados

Really?

Love the West coast

ForbiddenColour · 04/09/2023 21:30

The Algarve - was expecting so much more. Much prefer north of Lisbon.

FettleOfKish · 04/09/2023 21:30

@Applesaarenttheonlyfruit Thank you for sharing your Bali experience, I feel a bit better now!

It's a big trip for us and we've really splashed out on our accommodation (Ubud and then Uluwatu, plus a possible side trip to Gili islands) so I hope I'm not underwhelmed. I don't need overwhelmed either though, just comfortably whelmed will be fine GrinGrin

ColinRobinsonsFart · 04/09/2023 21:32

Pamukkale - Turkey

DH and I drove for a whole day from our lovely hotel to stay one night and look at the pools. He had been in the early 80s when he had a gap year so travelled across Turkey and other countries.
He said it was magical

Shite

Utter shite

World and his wife and mother were there. Hotel was crap too.

Best thing was seeing untouristy Turkey on the way and back.

AtticusMcPlatypus · 04/09/2023 21:33

We did four weeks in Australia last year and Sydney was underwhelming to say the least. The CBD is a bit crap and once you've seen the bridge, the Opera House, been on a ferry and visited the beach, there's not much else to see. Bondi Beach in particular is not nice at all. I much preferred Melbourne, even though the rain was something else.

Zanatdy · 04/09/2023 21:34

Dubai too, horrible place