Page 18 | What is the most overrated destination you have ever been?

Amwondering69 · 04/09/2023 22:59

Paris very underwhelming
Absolutely loved Venice
Am still stalling going to NZ but not sure why!!

BlowDryRat · 04/09/2023 23:01

Port de Polença in Mallorca. I'd read about it being beautiful on here so was looking forward to visiting. I didn't see the attraction TBH. It was lined with hotels and shops selling pool inflatables, just like the rest of the island. Beautiful clear water and views of the mountains but again, nothing different to anywhere else we went.

The pyramids and other historical sites in Cairo are phenomenal. The hotels and the men are bloody horrible. I'd only ever go back if DH stayed by my side at all times.

Robinni · 04/09/2023 23:05

IcedPurple · 04/09/2023 22:21

The statue of Desperate Dan and a tiny branch of the Victoria and Albert museum.

And that's pretty much it.

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@IcedPurple I remember sitting in the tesco car park in Dundee looking at the river, and thinking if I have to spend 4 years here I’m going to end up in there.

Really friendly people pp is right, but man the boredom would have been mind numbing.

Hear what people are saying about Cancun, New York, Barcelona, Paris, Dublin, Edinburgh etc

Trouble is where a destination is popular you will have pickpockets, graffiti and people trying to cash in.

Forward planning and research is required to avoid the negatives (though I’ve ruled out typical west coast of America destinations/Dubai/Bali from what people have said here)

Algarve - hire a car, it’s more interesting when you can move around and try different towns/beaches.

Dublin - stay southside somewhere like dun laoghaire and take the dart in and out. But there is not that much to do by comparison to other big cities, unless you are going for a specific event.

SiobhanSharpe · 04/09/2023 23:10

I have liked or loved everywhere i have visited, or lived, around the world, apart from two places.
The first was Tunis which was incredibly crowded but almost all the people thronging the streets were men. The few women you did see were walking a few steps behind their male companions. Yes, it’s their culture but it’s still shit — I was brought up in a Middle Eastern country where women were far more respected. (Not the UAE, or Saudi.) It was very intimidating.

The other was Naples. So, so dirty with huge piles of rubbish everywhere and a nasty, threatening vibe. Scary and depressing.

user1469796848 · 04/09/2023 23:10

Paris for me

Crikeyalmighty · 04/09/2023 23:11

My H would definitely say Rio - he thought it was scary, food was mainly a total carb fest , and lots of it very run down and truly anxious making, lots of sound of gun fire etc - sewers straight into sea- not nice at all.

suburbophobe · 04/09/2023 23:13

The streets were literally lined with people shooting up and passing out. The levels of deprivation in probably the wealthiest area in the world was absolutely hideous.

I was in San Francisco in the 90's. Beautiful place.

Fentanyl has fucked it up totally. So sad. Even in Vancouver area where a friend was just a month or two ago. Junks all over the place.

It's laced into cocaine etc. Dead before you know it.

Ozgirl75 · 04/09/2023 23:14

Funnily enough my parents are also very well travelled and positive about places and they say Naples was the only place they genuinely felt they would be mugged in broad daylight. They said “See Naples and Die” took on a whole new meaning.

ohsuzannah · 04/09/2023 23:15

Hollyhead · 04/09/2023 18:56

New York, too built up made me feel trapped.

I liked Central Park, and the thrift shops, like Aladdin's caves 😂

FMLWTF · 04/09/2023 23:16

Wow. This thread will save me a fortune. Stay at home! The entire world is shit. 😆

TattoedLady · 04/09/2023 23:17

Evanna13 · 04/09/2023 22:30

I am from Dublin and not surprised to see the dislike here. If I came as a tourist and went to Temple Bar and the Guinness Factory I would not be impressed either. Especially if the weather was bad.
However there are so many lovely places and things to do here I feel that tourists often miss out. It is a great city with mountains and coastline, lovely coastal villages, castles, mountain walks, amazing parks, theatre, museums and amazing restaurants (outside of the tourist hotspots). But much of the inner city is very similar to inner city of majority of UK cities. Also very expensive for people from the UK as wages are much higher here.

Came here to say the same thing - Temple Bar is/was known for loud, obnoxious visiting stag/hen dos. So it's fine if you're on said stag/hen...but if you're looking for more than a boozey wkend, nope. Avoid, avoid.

100% agree there is so much more to do outside of the immediate city centre - visit Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty, or Christ Church, take a tour of Glasnevin cemetery, take a day trip on the DART to Howth and have seaside fish & chips, or Teddy's in Dun Laoghaire, tour Kilmainham Gaol, see the Book of Kells in Trinity, drive up the Dublin mountains and hike to the Hellfire Club, have pub grub in Johnnie Fox's. If you did hire a car there's Powerscourt and Glendalough only a short drive away. So much to see/do and it's a shame that some many people on this thread have clearly missed out.

explainthistomeplease · 04/09/2023 23:22

@TattoedLady so most of those good things about Dublin aren't actually in Dublin 😂

J007 · 04/09/2023 23:26

My experience on the places mentioned:
Rome- love it (food, history - best bit is the other side of the river the non-tourist part)
Florence - love the food
New York - boring concrete jungle
Vegas - very underwhelming
Cornwall - perfect if done right (timing and locations)
Monaco - love the palace and being able to do it all in a day or two.
Dubai - false. Horrible vibe - attitude everywhere.
Amsterdam - great vibe - love the canals and food
Den Haag - great vibe, great food, creat city and beach resort all in one. Dutch are so friendly
Tunisia, Turkey, Morocco - bad vibe. Victim of crime(theft) in the first two.
Tel Aviv /Jerusalem - historic area, trendy beach but, bad vibe in places(especially when air raid sirens go off)
Riyad - similar to Dubai. Didn't feel safe outside of the ex pat area.
Dublin - overpriced and too touristy
Paris - see Dublin..
Belfast - great food but run down
Giants causeway - underwhelming as the stones don't look as good on TV and there are loads of tourists. Great coastal walk and soo much better when it's raining!
Prague - beautiful historic city especially in the winter/Christmas
Krakow - great at Christmas and cheap
Singapore - too man made
Oslo/Stockholm - lovely but super expensive

My top 3 most underwhelming:

New York
Vegas
Dubai (although this might be harsh as I kind of expected it to be like it was)

On the flip side the place that most exceeded my expectations was India, Bangalore, Goa, Mumbai and a few others. Unfortunately, you do get to experience what real deprivation means.

Gahhhhereheisagain · 04/09/2023 23:26

What I've come to realise with tourism is that it's how you spend your time which matters.
For so many years I tried to cram everything in to the few days we have in a place, that very Instagram idea of checking things off, taking the photos, it's the very opposite of experiencing a country.
Now I try to slow down and just enjoy being in another culture. I like to sit and listen, and to get public transport and just get off in the middle of nowhere and walk around. Stay in hotels off the main streets. Find parks, go in local libraries or community centres.
These are the moments when you see the real city or country.
I really want to book a months stay in New York, because I'm pretty sure if I tried to cram everything into four days I would feel underwhelmed too. It's the idea of getting up, making breakfast, developing a routine and focusing on a different part of the city each day. That's what appeals to me now.
We need to lose the allure of mini breaks and cramming as many 'experiences' in as possible. Not only is it awful for the planet but you're left with a sort of travellers ennui.

TattoedLady · 04/09/2023 23:27

explainthistomeplease · 04/09/2023 23:22

@TattoedLady so most of those good things about Dublin aren't actually in Dublin 😂

No worries, I will explain...Powerscourt and Glendalough are in Wicklow. Everything else is in Dublin.

SalviaDivinorum · 04/09/2023 23:28

San Francisco.

Thighdentitycrisis · 04/09/2023 23:29

Blackpool
😁

Pistypoll · 04/09/2023 23:32

Los Angeles

BlackForestCake · 04/09/2023 23:34

To be fair to Dundee, it's better than Aberdeen.

UnwantedOpinionBelow · 04/09/2023 23:35

Funnily enough Dubai is the best destination I have visited!

I would say Dominican Republic - bad smells, a lot of poverty outside the resort which was horrible to see considering the resorts are luxury, staff being rude and constantly pressuring for tips and food poisoning...never again

ClairDeLaLune · 04/09/2023 23:36

Ozgirl75 · 04/09/2023 23:14

Funnily enough my parents are also very well travelled and positive about places and they say Naples was the only place they genuinely felt they would be mugged in broad daylight. They said “See Naples and Die” took on a whole new meaning.

Naples is awesome! Tons of character, great vibe, loads to see.

BlackForestCake · 04/09/2023 23:36

Amsterdam is OK but everything that's good about it can be experienced in Haarlem, Rotterdam or Utrecht with cheaper accommodation and without the pervasive smell of weed everywhere.

melmos · 04/09/2023 23:37

B&M i wanted to love it like home bargains but it's just not the same

BlackForestCake · 04/09/2023 23:38

Oxford is like any other English city except 40% more expensive for hotels and restaurants for no reason.

MistyTrains2 · 04/09/2023 23:40

@Meltinthemiddle I feel better too! And crossed San Francisco off the dream destination list.