Ever been on holiday where you couldn't wait to come home

[GardeningQuestionTime]

OK I'm in the sun and it's February...but I'm stuck on an where nothing to do except snorkel and its too windy.

The hotel needs serious updating, there are cocks crowing all night, the breakfast was minimal. The advertised beach is lovely but literally a beach. My alternative plan of lying on the beach reading are scuppered by no umbrella or lounger.

The hire car is a worryingly battered piece of shit.

I'm being churlish but there's a long 5 days stretching out in front of me.

Honestly some stories of shit holidays would help!

@the80sweregreat - it probably sounds ridiculous but I was actually shaking just now, as I was typing the above - I try to believe that most people are good most of the time, but those of us on those two flights experienced some of the worst of human nature, (all whilst meant to be on holiday!)

Not long after we got home, I told a close friend. She didn’t believe me as she loved, (still does) Portugal and my experience couldn’t square with hers. I think that hurt me, even more than my holiday from hell😿

I mentioned Egypt earlier but I think the worst ones are when your relationship is going up the Swanee but hasn't come to a head and you are kind of stuck and feel you have to be seen to be having a good time when really you are thinking 'I would enjoy this- on my own or with a friend'

Tuscany, in the hills above Florence, in a little cottage. Woke up the first morning with about 100 mosquito bites- 17 of them on one side of my swollen face.

The temperature was 40+.

We left early and drove to the coast, which was much cooler. Stayed on a really weird campsite, which was full of hippies- it was great!

@the80sweregreat I must admit I don't like the Algarve- been twice in September , had terrible weather both times, food not the greatest and you are a bit stuffed if it rains- this was Lagos too -so not a grot hole. I find that many who love it often haven't been to loads of other places - there really are way nicer places- both big and small-to show I'm not a snob I actually preferred Benidorm by a long way

Snap! I hated the place and are Hotel was dire-food terrible and nothing to do at night what so ever.
I got very drunk twice out of sheer boredom and one day was sat on my sun bed bored to literal tears!!!!

I went to Brussels with my boyfriend in the early 2010s. When the taxi driver dropped us off at the hotel he said ‘I am so sorry to be leaving you here. Be careful.’ We looked at the hotel and the area and it was in such a state.

We went for a walk that evening and were followed and never had I felt so uncomfortable and unsafe. I cried with relief when we reached a cafe. There were gunshots in the street overnight. Blood all over the pavements.

After that we stayed in the room for 48 hours, only coming down for breakfast and making that last all day. On the last day we waited near the train station at a park and gangs of men were going round harassing and assaulting lone women.

We were not surprised that it was the area that the Bataclan terrorists came from a few years later.

Yes, she really was called Dakota Marie. But after a day or so of that, she was Dakota Effing Marie and her Mum "Useless Bint first Chrissake make that kid do what it's told". Her dad was Useless Deaf Cunt.

For chrissake.....

Just read back to see a lot of mentions of Tenerife here. Guess where mine was 😁

Loving these ! Have had so many similar myself. Really hope this has cheered you up OP😂😂😂😂

I've had two (cos I don't bloody learn the first time)

Years ago,I was a skint single mum and had saved and saved to take the kids on a caravan holiday (it's what I would afford)

I was also 8 months pregnant

It pissed it down the whole week,no tv,a freezing cold caravan,most of the activities where closed,dd had bloody nits and I was constipated with zero chances of getting to a chemist or off site as I don't drive

The only activities that where open,cost a fortune

To do a wash was £4+ and I then had the pain of trying to dry it all

Got home,and the first words out of my mother's mouth was to confront me over my stealing off £350 (I hadnt-id been miles away-my druggie,golden child brother is 99% the one who did)

Anyway,as I don't learn the first time and when my best mate of 20+years asked if I'd like to go back (her parents had a posh caravan on site) I agreed

Saved and saved again-she had her mum drive her but I had to catch the train (fine)

Got there-id left my suitcase at home-i had the clothes I stood up in-I had to wash and dry them overnight

We where in a grotty,drafty and tiny caravan and she had her parents large,spotless luxury van at the other side if the park

She was heavily pregnant and decided that my older kids where her nanny to her younger and very spoilt kids (I ended up with them as my then 10 year old isn't a bloody nanny)

She wanted to do the arcades all day,the expensive activities,shopping and to eat out every night as she has parents she can phone for more cash-i had a very limited budget and no top-ups from anyone

She also spent a fortune in the shop on crap for them,it got to the point we couldn't walk past without her spending £50

Her kids would stand there,showing off and bragging about the tat they'd just been bought,while I couldn't afford to buy mine the same,but as soon as they'd got the satisfaction of upsetting my lot,they'd nag again to go to the shop

We had to do whatever her kids wanted even if we didn't (I did put my foot down) and it caused rows when I refused and said we'd do our own thing

I'd cook and her kids would refuse to eat it so she'd dump dinner in the bin and then buy them takeaway and eat it in front of mine,if the kids where required to help,hers would sulk off leaving mine to do the work (I did call them out on it but she stuck up for them) and they refused to share anything from their toys to sweets but expect mine to-to the point her eldest tried to take my ds's sweets and then tried to deny it even though I'd just watched him

Her ds threw my ds's bedding in the local river while she stood and watched him-and the denied he'd done it,while I'd popped to the loo-that cost me money I didn't have to replace it

The final straw (!) was when her family came to pick us up,the sil (married to her brother) decided she hated me,was unbelievably rude to my face (friend said nothing) and kept clicking her fingers at my kids to tell them to do something for her-the one time ds did (I hadn't seen him-i think it was to get her a drink) she screamed at him for not being fast enough for her liking-that ended in a row as I told her to get off her fat arse and do it herself-her family stuck up for the sil

Honest to God,how we stayed mates after that,I do not know (we've drifted apart now-only friends on fb)

I refused to speak to her for a month afterwards and she thinks I was in the wrong

I used to be too easy-going (read,very keen to keep the peace and a complete mug)

Now I'd be on the first train home at the first sight of trouble

Longest week of my bloody life

Went to Turkey when I was 17 with a mate and we got harassed then whole time. It was hellish. Had to call the police night as we were followed home and men tried to get into our apartment.

After my divorce my sister and BIL invited me on holiday with them and my nephew, who was about 3yrs old I think at the time. Said they had an extra bed so it wouldn’t cost anything. It was a Haven type place.

Turns out they wanted me as a babysitter. They slept upstairs in the cottage and I did downstairs with my nephew, who woke up by 6am every day. I ensured more Thomas The Tank Engine than I ever had before that week. Everything revolved around them, we’d have breakfast when they wanted, dinner when wanted - we were had board. Then they’d say they fancied coffee while out, then said they’d get a table leaving me to order and pay.

One afternoon I went back to the cottage for a sleep while they were doing an activity, only for them to turn up five minutes later saying they thought it was a great idea. Cue them going upstairs and leaving me with my nephew downstairs.

Never again!

@Doyouthinktheyknow

Heatwave of 40c, ds1 who is ginger and pale couldn’t cope with it.

One of my sons is pale-skinned and ginger. I have to be really mindful of him in the heat - he can’t cope. His tolerance is so low for the heat. And the rest of us are dark haired and olive-skinned and we love the heat! So we tend to go to Southern Europe in April/May for a nice holiday when it’s warm but not overly so and then July/August in Northern Europe

Yes.. inlaws booked holiday villa set on steep cliff edge, no barriers, pool with no fence round etc, for a toddler.
Heart in my mouth for a week.

Oh yes, this reminds me of a holiday in Menorca. We went at Easter and Easter was early that year so the resort hadn’t fully opened for the season. Not much was open, so we had little to do. No heating in the hotel, and it was cold and rained a lot. I remember going back to the room and huddling in bed with a 2-litre pop bottle filled up with hot water (from the bathroom tap) to warm up!

Oh yes!

Hotel in Portugal that I’d failed to research properly. Absolutely nothing to do, postage stamp sized pool, people smoking everywhere. I had a temperature and was being sick. My supervisor at work kept emailing me every half an hour about something I had done wrong (I was a trainee at the time had told her I had no idea what I was doing and she needed to check it before sending it out - she didn’t - and the emails were just telling me how crap I was rather than actually getting me to fix it or tell her anything). I couldn’t stop crying as I thought I was going to be in serious shit when I got back (no one ever mentioned it again).

Thank god it was a long weekend rather than a full holiday. That was the last time I ever booked a special offer rather than doing proper research and the last time I did any work for that supervisor despite repeated requests.

Are you in Lanzarote by any chance? We had such shit hire cars there

Cornwall twice.
Damp smelling accommodation and miserable/odd locals

Nice in France. everyone I know who has been there raves about it. was a surprise present for a big birthday from my husband his family and mine. also note it was 1st hols in 5 years due to being crippled by recession. plane delayed taking off and delayed landing. finally got to hotel. Hotel had been booked through a third party website who without us knowing gone bust and our reservation was cancelled. fully booked too. walking around nice looking for a hotel (conveniently a carnival on and also at a time where Internet and WiFi wasn't easy acces) finally found a hotel not grotty for three times the price. room was tiny no dining either. had to pay to use the beach himself got food poisoning the 4th day in bed for the day. me went shopping ( been taking money out every day at bank machine yet the bank marked my card declined in zara) que an hour on phone to get in unblocked. then I got food poisoning. people were so rude. sweet f all to do there also. we were due to fly out at 3pm we were on the airport by 9am. this was aftrr parents tried to book is on earlier flights. himself didn't speak a word of French nor understood it so got mad. thought I was fluent as done a bit for mu leaving cert. blazing row every second day trying to translate. never ever been so glad to be home and haven't stepped foot back on France in 15 years

@GardeningQuestionTime I was going to suggest lanzagrotty

A week in a static caravan with a teen, a tween, a toddler and a newborn, in torrential rain and with not enough beds.
We came home early.

There was one holiday that was so bad we did leave a day early. We took 8yo DS and 2yo DD (at the time) on a Haven holiday to Cornwall. We have been many times before and after but this one was awful. DD had a stinking cold and just screamed the entire time. Those caravan walls are thin! Nobody slept the whole trip. It pissed it down with rain every single day. We did attempt some day trips out but between the rain and our (understandably) miserable toddler, nobody was feeling it and we gave up! I'm just thankful we were only a few hours away from home and it wasn't a particularly expensive holiday.

Yes Sharm in Egypt. I went with a friend who unfortunately had to leave early to come back to the UK (long story but it was work related). Anyways, I stayed as I needed a break, the weather was fabulous and I had lots of books and could just relax and chill for the remaining 11 days. Friend had only been with me 3 nights out of 14 ☹️.

The problem was, and I know this will sound awful, I was the only English person left in the hotel. Now, I am not xenophobic but all the other guests were, I believe, Russian. It was awful. Nobody smiled and despite trying to be polite and say Good Morning or hello……nothing. Cold, hard stares, rudeness and open hostility towards me.
And don’t get me started on the horrendous mealtimes. I’d never seen such an ill mannered horde of guests in all my years. It was shocking.

My background is the travel industry, both working overseas and in the UK until the very large airline I worked for collapsed in October 17.

In the end I walked along the beach to one of the nearby TUI hotels and got friendly with the TUI rep (she felt sorry for a ex Rep I think) who managed to get me a wristband to use their pool area during the day - no food or drinks obvs but I took my own (most hotels in Sharm are all inclusive). I still slept and ate at my hotel but at least the daylight hours were more pleasant.

I actually had a little tear when the flight departed for home, it was at times a miserable and lonely experience.

Two weeks in Italy with our kids, another couple and their kids. The relationship was on the rocks and they spent the entire holiday at each others throats. They also used their two older kids (teenagers) to wind each other up. It was horrendous. They split up within 24 hours of getting home...