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Original poster

Places you've been underwhelmed by

999 replies

HannaPintura · 20/01/2018 20:59

I just love going away and have really loved most places. One place in particular really Underwhelmed me...Gibraltar...just like Britain in the sun! I'm sure it has so much to offer, but I couldn't wait to cross the border back to Spain!

OP posts:
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7
Feelitstill · 21/01/2018 07:52

Oh dear. Can someone start a ‘places you’ve loved’. thread.
Planning a couple of City breaks this year & this thread is worrying me. Grin
Although we loved NY & Amsterdam.

Quickerthanavicar · 21/01/2018 07:54

Malta - there just seemed nothing going on.

LA - stayed on Hollywood Boulevard it was frightening.

Taffeta · 21/01/2018 07:55

I’ve travelled v widely and the only place I’ve ever felt unsafe is Istanbul. No idea why - just a very strong feeling & I am not a special snowflake, at all. Beautiful city tho.

Am Shock at Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam being listed here by so many.

Went to SF a few times in the 70s/80s and it was wonderful then.

RadioGaGoo · 21/01/2018 07:57

San Francisco was completely underwhelming to me.

treaclesoda · 21/01/2018 07:57

on arrival at Bangkok airport I saw a very flowery, gently worded bill board about leaving children alone

Do you mean that you're warned not to let your children out of your sight because they might be snatched? Not that I'd be leaving them unattended anyway but even so, that sounds scary.

treaclesoda · 21/01/2018 07:58

Malta - there just seemed nothing going on

I've never been to Malta but I'd love to go, and it's exactly because there's nothing going on that it appeals to me!

Amanduh · 21/01/2018 07:59

Agree with PP and Barcelona. The people were horrible and rude, and it was dirty.

EleanorTaylor16 · 21/01/2018 08:00

San Fran I agree!!!
Same with Mousehole...its changed:(
And i was underwhelmed by Cuba

Sweetpea55 · 21/01/2018 08:00

Lisbon--some nice building but full of pushy beggars
Blackpool--Tacky
Manchester--just another city

MsGameandWatching · 21/01/2018 08:02

Do you mean that you're warned not to let your children out of your sight because they might be snatched? Not that I'd be leaving them unattended anyway but even so, that sounds scary.

No, sorry I didn't word that very well, I realised when it read it back. It's meaning was don't sexually abuse the Thai children here, without directly saying it. There was nothing about punishment or warnings or about what would happen to any one who did though, unlike the drug posters, which were very strongly worded.

treaclesoda · 21/01/2018 08:04

MsGame SadAngry That's even worse.

And I agree, the not mentioning punishment whilst stressing the seriousness of drugs offences would disgust me too.

MajesticWhine · 21/01/2018 08:04

Malta is ok if you are explore a bit. The old capital Mdina or boat trips around the island.

Ifailed · 21/01/2018 08:05

Not so much a place, but I've noticed that a lot of famous statues, buildings etc are far, far smaller in reality then any photo (Sphinx, statue of liberty, tower of Pisa, stonehenge etc). In photos they are all made to look far more impressive than they are, so you are immediately disappointed, and it's hard to get back any sense of wonder.
I suspect it's because many of them were built at a time when everything was done by muscle-power and required enormous effort and probable loss of live to put up, whereas we are quite blasé about a structure that our ancestors would be blown-away by.

As to places like Dublin, I too am pretty underwhelmed by them now, whereas liked them first-time around (in the 80s). I think it's because pretty well all western cities have the same chain-stores, the same food-outlets and cater for the same group of people after the same experience.

MajesticWhine · 21/01/2018 08:05

Not been to Thailand. I'll not bother now Grin

Funkyslippers · 21/01/2018 08:05

Barcelona, Las Vegas, San Fransico, central London....

The Tank Museum near Weymouth. But I'd rather go there than back to any of the above!

I grew up in Bath and love it

PenguinsandPandas · 21/01/2018 08:06

Rio is really unsafe Would agree with this, loved Rio but we could hear people being shot from our hotel which was a pretty good one situated on the beach. When someone queried it the waiter just said its Saturday night in the favella, its normal. Shock.

Florence would agree was underwhelming though my Italian friend who lived in Florence warned me it's horrible compared with other places like Rome. So even Italian's don't like it. Grin

Do love Venice thoigh, always found it magical and unique. Barcelona and Amsterdam agree underwhelming but maybe I missed the nice bits. Love Cambridge and Bath.

MsGameandWatching · 21/01/2018 08:09

Yes Treacle it was worded as a pleasant, in passing, if you wouldn't mind dear tourists request rather than what it should have been which was a direct instruction NOT to do it, with information on what action would be taken against you if you did.

Personwithhorse · 21/01/2018 08:09

Hong Kong, LA did not like at all.

Sydney, Rome ( but less crowded out of season), Dubrovnik, New York, Florence, all interesting and nice places to visit but not cheap.

PenguinsandPandas · 21/01/2018 08:10

Cuba was OK but a one visit only type place. Costa Rica loved it, not sure how it could be described as boring, ziplined from few hundred metres in the air, 60 metre high bridges through rainforest, had raccoons coming to our evening meal, waterslide /horseriding through rainforest, cuddled sloth, coatis and geckos wondering round, monkeys and toucans in trees, UK was extremely boring coming back.

Fintress · 21/01/2018 08:11

Barbados, horrible. Love Paris.

WhooooAmI24601 · 21/01/2018 08:12

I don't think I've ever been on a city break and genuinely hated it.

Dublin we went to for my hen weekend and it was great; lots of pubs, clubs, shopping and fun.

San Fran we did on a whistle-stop tour and loved it, though we only spent one night there (and in a fairly fancy place) so there wasn't much time to feel anything but full of food and drink.

We did Barcelona for our anniversary a couple of years back and it was gorgeous. Nobody rude, no dirt and the food and Gaudi buildings were incredible.

Rome and Florence we've done a few times as we have family in Italy. They're touristy and busy, yes, but genuinely stunning and the DCs had a great time of it. The Italians themselves were warm, welcoming and loved that the DCs spoke Italian.

dementedma · 21/01/2018 08:12

I agree with wax about Glasgow. I live in Scotland and have to visit Glasgow regularly for work and just cannot take to the place at all. hate having to go there and the motorway system in and out is a fecking nightmare. Edinburgh wins hands down.

Re Stonehenge, if you get the chance visit the standing stones at Callanish on Lewis. You can walk amongst them and touch them and it is so atmospheric with stunning scenery.

DivisionBelle · 21/01/2018 08:14

BitOfFun: Wild ponies everywhere in the New Forest! It’s lovely, some huge wild areas, hire a bike, cycle through miles of forest trails and across the open land.

londonrach · 21/01/2018 08:14

How on earth can you not like brugges..leave the two streets the tourists stay in and get lost in the rest. Be there over 15 times now. One of the best places in the world. We just walk. Now brussells first time we went i hated it cold, windy over priced but been back and discovered avenue louise area...totally different. Brussels grow on me. This thread making me want to visit brugges and veince again!!!

Plentyoffishnets · 21/01/2018 08:16

I am not a big fan of the lost gardens of heligan. Seems a lot of people recommend it over Eden project but I found it to be much the same as any national trust place. But isn't. So cost a bomb.

I was underwhelmed by Madagascar. I thought it would be a jungle paradise. But it's been massively deforested so there's just bare mud apart from a few small forest reserves. Sad.