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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Best and worst place you have been on holiday to?!

584 replies

Frosty66611 · 26/01/2019 14:53

My best was definitely Canada. Driving through the Rockies was an unforgettable experience and we got perfect weather and lots of lovely food and hotel stops along the way.

The worst has to be Dublin. I was really underwhelmed by it and found it crazy expensive.

OP posts:
KirstyAllsoppsFatterTwin · 27/01/2019 17:17

Places I wouldn't go back to are Salou

Me neither. It was our one and only experience of mainland Spain and unfortunately it was everything I thought mainland Spain would be - hence why I'd avoided it up until then.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 27/01/2019 17:19

I've booked to go to Malta this year!

I am under no illusion that it's not the most attractive of landscapes, but I have other reasons for wanting to visit there.

UnreasonablyPissedOff · 27/01/2019 17:22

Yabbers Dundee was interesting to visit (was there for work but had a couple of free days too) loved the history of the Beano and Dandy being from there, there is a great art scene there including the Art College and the McManus Galleries and the V&A now, and lots of very nice old style bars etc. I had a great time there! I stayed in the Apex City Quay Hotel there and it was really good. I had a fantastic view of the harbour from my room.

DappledThings · 27/01/2019 17:23

Wow! Malta is getting a hammering on here! It's somewhere I fancy visiting - can people tell me why it's so bad?

I posted earlier in its defence. I suppose it depends what you want but we really liked it. There was loads to do; Mdina and Rabat are lovely to walk round and there are multiple churches with catacombs. Loads of places to learn about the history, the main bits being the 15th century Great Siege and WW2. The cabinet war rooms are really good for that too. Two excellent prehistoric temple sites.

Everywhere really easy to access by bus. Nice cafes and squares to sit in. Apparently the beaches are crap but we were expecting that. Took a boat to one of forts out at Vittoriosa as well which has a really pretty harbourfront.

I'll always defend Malta!

Atalune · 27/01/2019 17:28

Dublin City break we-

Guinness factory- actually brilliant
Temple bar- fighty and full of stags but the pubs and the music were great
Oyester bar- great food and vibe. But the walk through the city? Ropey- so many beggars, junkies, drunks and it was dirty. People smoking on the streets which I find quite rare these days.
Meal out- Michelin star- amazing food. Walk there and back- ropey!
Trinity college- lovely
Hotel in the city- so so noisey from the street.

It feels like a party city and a bit rough. And cos it’s so small there’s not much escape.

Museums, they have their place but I’m not going to museum after museum. I like to wander around and soak up the atmosphere of a city and go where my feet take me.

DappledThings · 27/01/2019 17:29

No idea why I'm so invested in defending Malta but I just looked over some of my photos from there and remembered loads more things we did. Some really pretty photos too!

Mother87 · 27/01/2019 17:30

Saying you're going to 'avoid Turkey' is crazy... i know it's each to their own but it's a huge country...

Kalkan in Turkey has stunning scenery/uncrowded/friendly people/great places to see and eatGrin

So my best :

Singapore
Maldives
Kalkan Turkey
Thailand
Bali
English Lakes
Small Greek Islands
Paris/London & Edinburgh with the right people & 'good' weather

Worst :
Dublin
Malta
Barcelona
Cambodia

I think it's all about who you're with/what your expectations are and lots of other factors/variablesConfused

Mother87 · 27/01/2019 17:31

Oh and another best :

Marrakech...

KirstyAllsoppsFatterTwin · 27/01/2019 17:31

DrMadeline a friend of mine who is very into culture, art, history and architecture went to Malta last year and absolutely LOVED it. I think she stayed in Valletta. She wouldn't have been going any sunbathing or nightclubbing, just soaking up the atmosphere and the culture.

KirstyAllsoppsFatterTwin · 27/01/2019 17:40

I agree about Turkey Mother it will very much depend on the resort you pick and the budget of your accommodation as to what sort of holiday you will get. Old Deniz is gorgeous, and Kalkan/Kas is supposed to be upmarket and very beautiful. On the other hand if you end up in the Turkish equivalent of Benidorm or Magaluf you'll have a very different holiday indeed.

We loved Istanbul but then we stayed in an amazing hotel in an amazing location. There were aspects of Istanbul I didn't enjoy, and if I'd been staying in one of the areas where I felt constantly hassled and uncomfortable then it would have completely changed my perception of the place. Also if I'd been travelling as a young woman with other young women, rather than as a middle aged woman with a husband in tow. It all makes a difference to the experience.

Winnie2019 · 27/01/2019 17:47

We only had a day in Dublin. It was a glorious summers day but the kids were knackered and not up for too much sightseeing so we did the hop on hop off bus and mainly saw the sights from the open top deck.

Food wise we struggled to find anywhere decent (we hadn't researched) and ended up in a bit of a tourist trap.

What really struck me about Dublin was how young the population of the city is. I felt ancient it's full of young 20 somethings!

Whilst I wouldn't rush back I did like the city. It felt like a smaller version of London. I prefer Galway though, felt more Irish and less crowded.

LoniceraJaponica · 27/01/2019 17:50

"Most holiday disasters now are probably due to either not researching or having a crap budget and over-optimistic expectations."

I agree. Thank you for understanding about holidays booked pre internet as well KirstyAllsoppsFatterTwin

I went to Turkey in 1979 way before the tour operators spoiled it, and loved it. It was so interesting - we toured around and visited loads of ancient sites, and everyone was so hospitable and friendly. I don't want to go back because it will spoil the happy memories I have.

I did a rail trip to Morocco in 1974 with my family and a group of travellers. Again, I loved it.

Clearly, I am ancient and visited some of these destinations before the advent of cheap air travel, so I got to see the real deal before commercialism spoiled these places.

C0untDucku1a · 27/01/2019 17:55

Ive never come back from holiday and thought god that was awful. Even when there have been giant toads in the room (while touring cuba), or we have been bitten all over by mozzies. Every experience is part of the adventure. Even on safari in kenya, while staying in a tent with food poisoning and the first time ive ever pooed in the same vacinity as my husband, oh the shame, and not being able to leave our hotel back at the beach for a beach walk without armed guards, wasnt awful. It was an experience.

Places ive absolutely loved have been Greek islands, copenhagen, eindhoven, dublin, barcelona, cuba, switzerland, disneyland paris.

In cities we tend to get a tour bus and see everything we can. In dublin we spent time in the city park with the giants playground and the ‘dead’ museum which we all really enjoyed. Even bulgaria we loved that holiday as we spent time at the beach, by the pool, and visiting the old town and fishing vilages etc.

uncoolnn · 27/01/2019 18:00

Hands down the best place ive ever visited is Iceland. Such a breathtakingly beautiful country.

Harder to pick the worst - possibly Paris but that might be because I was with a boyfriend who I split up with around a week after we got back rather than the place itself Grin

JustDanceAddict · 27/01/2019 18:08

Dublin is v expsensive now sadly.

Holidays have been bad for different reasons: weather, crap food, shitty accommodation or a combo of above!

ComeOnGordon · 27/01/2019 18:20

Cheerymom I didn’t say I wasn’t impressed by the architecture & the tourist sights in London - I just said I wasn’t a fan of the city. Like many capital cities it’s overrun by tourists and very expensive.

TheGoogleMum · 27/01/2019 18:26

Best: Japan

Worst: probably a caravan somewhere in north(ish) France when I was around 10? I remember it being boring and not that warm (I think it was may and similar weather back home :/). We usually went to the south of France which was much nicer although a much longer drive.

Amazed someone earlier didn't feel safe in Japan, it's one of the safest countries in the world!

I have enjoyed Tenerife as a teenager and I have enjoyed Salou as both teenager and adult (yes ok full of tourist tat but if you ignore that there's nice beach and water park and near port aventura which is possibly my favourite theme park! Also last time I went was with DH and we went to a lovely spa in la pineda)

I would quite like to go to Egypt one day but some posts on here putting me off :(

xaphan77 · 27/01/2019 18:28

Best - Cuba
Worst - Egypt

spritesandunicorns · 27/01/2019 18:29

Best Maui, Croatia, California road trip. Worst buggiba in Malta.

rookiemere · 27/01/2019 18:32

Can I just stick up for Tenerife.
We've been a few times - usually staying in a nice hillside apart hotel- and really enjoy it for a bit of October sun. Yes there aren't a huge amount of cultural attractions, but the Del Duque beach is pleasant and clean, there are some good restaurants nearby, the waterpark at Siam Park and DH has trekked to the too of Mount Teide. Found it very pleasant compared to some other resorts and countries we have been to.

TheHobbitMum · 27/01/2019 18:34

Best - the Greek Islands (not large resort towns though, we stick with small villages/quiet towns)

Worst - Santa Ponsa, Majorca - we went as it was a cheap week away and it was awful

hollytom · 27/01/2019 18:36

I find it hard to single out the best holiday I’ve had as I’ve enjoyed most of them. Highlights include
India seeing tigers and the Taj Mahal was great, Japan fascinating and very safe, Maldives, Singapore, California.
We went through a phase of coming home early when the kids were small from Butlins and a French Gite. The weather wasn’t great and there wasn’t much to do. I’m not really a fan of France maybe I’ve picked the wrong places.

antipodeansun · 27/01/2019 18:37

That's the thing, the difference between the city and your experience.
My DH and I were in Paris together at the beginning of our relationship and lots of things went wrong and Paris didn't leave an amazing impression. But I cannot say the city isn't interesting and worth visiting (we still had a good time as we were together and could laugh at misshaps).
My first time in Hong Kong was also my first time in a big Asian city and I was in utter shock: the number of people, the heat, the smells. I actually felt overwhelmed and sick.
But I got used to it and I love it now. We always stop somewhere en route to Europe, recently stopped in Bangkok and had a blast (with kids).

Inniu · 27/01/2019 18:38

Best was the Galapagos. Worst was a heat wave in Majorca with a baby and brokenA/C

Whatdoiwanttohear · 27/01/2019 18:39

Funny isn't it, I absolutely loved the chaos of places like Bangkok right from the first moment, made me feel really alive.