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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Destinations that turned out to be surprisingly good

461 replies

Pluvia · 27/01/2022 22:25

Salamanca. On a trip through Spain we randomly stopped there for a night at Salamanca and loved it. Inexpensive bars and restaurants, lots of locals, no tourist hotspots — so much so that we spent the day looking round and stayed a second night.

Cardiff. A lovely, bustling, buzzy city with a beautiful river, park, castle, shopping, cafes and a harbour and history. I'd gone for the weekend to visit an old friend, ended up moving there.

Lucca. So beautiful and lots to do and see.

OP posts:
Frazzled2207 · 29/01/2022 23:24

Marseille
Most Polish cities (lived in PL for a year)
Washington DC
Hiroshima
Malaga
Aberdeen

Regarding Blackpool, I would never stay there but we went in October for a day trip with the kids with super low expectations and actually had a great time.

Frazzled2207 · 29/01/2022 23:27

[quote theDudesmummy]@MissAmbrosia nice to hear that about Wroclaw, my daughter lives there (is studying there) and I haven't visited there yet and plan to I am glad it is a nice place, for her sake too.[/quote]
Lived there for a year and can confirm it’s a lovely place. I remember walking round the first day I got there and thinking “wow!”

Aria999 · 29/01/2022 23:37

@ZZTopGuitarSolo I love that you like Pittsburgh. We live there now, but moved just before covid so haven't had a chance to discover it much. The centre is stunning with all the bridges and rivers though.

JaninaDuszejko · 29/01/2022 23:40

What I find interesting is how many places on this thread also appeared on the other thread about over-rated places! Tends to prove that it's all about perception and what one's looking for.

Well yes, I also think some people will hate anywhere (e.g. all the comments about how smelly Venice is) whereas some of us will find something to love about anywhere.

Places I've really liked in the UK: Knaresborough, Dunkeld, Avesbury, Inverness, Shropshire, Northumberland, Fife.

theDudesmummy · 30/01/2022 09:44

@Frazzled2207 I am definitely going to visit my daughter later this year!

sweetbellyhigh · 30/01/2022 10:01

@DinkyDiggies

Krakow, and Poland in general really. Thought it would be dull, concrete Cold War stuff with just cabbage to eat. How wrong I was. Beautiful old city, really good food.
I so agree, Krakow is wonderful (and delicious! Ate better there than anywhere else I e been)
sweetbellyhigh · 30/01/2022 10:03

Israel blew my tiny mind. Extraordinary place teeming with history and modern day wonders. The marine life is exquisite.

Also Verona, drinking wine from clay jugs and the locals dancing in the street in the evenings.

sweetbellyhigh · 30/01/2022 10:10

@theDudesmummy

Maybe no one mentioned Montreal because they expected it to be fabulous?

J'adore Montreal... such an interesting city and oh the summer festival season...

sweetbellyhigh · 30/01/2022 10:12

I know it's the wrong thread but

A place that I was told was amazing and that I hated... Jordan. My god the entire place stinks like a urinal that has never been cleaned, the heat is unbearable and the whole place is awash with beggars. Could not wait to get out.

sweetbellyhigh · 30/01/2022 10:14

@OVienna

Grand Canyon. We splurged on a helicopter ride into it. Breathtaking, proper "Wow" from me. Loved it.
I agree. The only place I would describe as truly breathtaking. I literally inhaled sharply upon arrival. Unbelievable.
sweetbellyhigh · 30/01/2022 10:16

@Pluvia

No, Janis, this is specifically a thread for people to give others recommendations for lesser-known but lovely places. Not for listing all the world-famous places they (and millions of others) have been to.
You sound very bad tempered
sweetbellyhigh · 30/01/2022 10:17

@TheFishWillSeeYouNow

Every place I've been in America! Always exceeds expectations, and I think I've just been lucky based on some of the responses on the 'surprisingly shit' thread. Haven't been to NYC or LA so maybe that it Grin
NYC and LA are fantastic 👌
sweetbellyhigh · 30/01/2022 10:20

@XelaM

Liverpool is one of the ugliest and most horrible places I have ever been to. Can't believe people are trying to pretend it's somehow beautiful on here. I even had to cut an overnight stay short because I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible
😂 😂

I feel the same way about Birmingham and Cardiff. My god anyone who thinks those places are wonderful needs to get out more.

sweetbellyhigh · 30/01/2022 10:22

@Iamthewombat

York - loved the wall and the river.

You’re easily pleased then. York is a huge world heritage site attracting visitors in droves for that reason and yet you found it surprisingly good because it has a wall and a river. OK.

You also say that Bradford has a ‘great university’. It currently ranks 89th amongst British universities. Are you talking up your alma mater?

Gosh your posts are rude.
theDudesmummy · 30/01/2022 10:22

@sweetbellyhigh that's probably true. I however didn't really have any specific expectations of Montreal, just went there for a work thing so didnt specifically choose to go there, expected a city like any other (I do like most cities, so expected to like it, but it definitely exceeded just "liking"it, it stood out from the many cities i have been to).

sweetbellyhigh · 30/01/2022 10:24

@MissAmbrosia

Wroclaw in Poland was fabulous for a long weekend. I also really like Zakopane.
Did you go up in the cable car? We lined up for FIVE HOURS 😂 😂 yet when we reached the top it was so cloudy we could see no further than a metre. Queues to get down were too long v so we skidded our way back down the mountain. Truly wonderfully mad outing, I'll always remember.
Cuwins · 30/01/2022 11:31

I would agree with both Belfast- took my mum for a long weekend a few years ago and loved the atmosphere of the place, and Liverpool- only been for the day but it really surprised me

Iamthewombat · 30/01/2022 12:36

Gosh your posts are rude.

Yes, they are. Write daft things and people will laugh at you. It’s a rule of life.

The OP asked for destinations that were surprisingly good. As in, foreign destinations that are little visited by tourists but with a surprising amount to offer, or U.K. cities that people wouldn’t consider visiting as a tourist but are actually great fun and more attractive than you would think.

Predictably, a load of people have read the OP and thought, well, I don’t really have a response that fits the question but I really want to talk about myself and/or boast about my exotic travels. Thus I will mention that I have seen dawn breaking over the pyramids, or that the Grand Canyon took my breath away, or that one of the most visited cities in Europe, stuffed full of historical jewels (York) was ‘surprisingly good’ because it’s got, er, a wall and a river. Or that Venice is beautiful. Or I might just hijack the thread to inform everyone that the university I attended is ‘really good’ even when it isn’t, because somebody mentioned the city it is in.

Because all of the places I listed by name in the previous paragraph are so little regarded by tourists that any visitor would be pleasantly surprised.

When, unsurprisingly, this disingenuous nonsense is laughed at, the response is either (1) you’re so rude and cruel, why won’t you just let me get on with boasting about my travels? or (2) er, what I really meant was, I thought that [insert name of world heritage site here] would be rubbish because of being crowded but it wasn’t, all right?

As if crowds would make e.g. Abu Simbel less impressive. Although somebody upthread said that Cardiff was rubbish because of the rain, so nothing would surprise me.

JanisMoplin · 30/01/2022 13:24

I think a pp mentioned Oklahoma City and I would love to know why.

SnotMikeUpPuffedHe · 30/01/2022 13:27

The OP asked for destinations that were surprisingly good. As in, foreign destinations that are little visited by tourists but with a surprising amount to offer, or U.K. cities that people wouldn’t consider visiting as a tourist but are actually great fun and more attractive than you would think.

The only bit of that which is in the OP is the first sentence (which is in the title of the thread). All the rest is your interpretation, and others have interpreted it differently.

Youngstreet · 30/01/2022 13:40

@sweetbellyhigh

Israel blew my tiny mind. Extraordinary place teeming with history and modern day wonders. The marine life is exquisite.

Also Verona, drinking wine from clay jugs and the locals dancing in the street in the evenings.

Been to Verona twice, loved it but didn’t drink wine from clay jugs so feeling short changed now.

Only 2 days in Israel. Fantastic, would love to return.

Crikeyalmighty · 30/01/2022 13:44

Following the ‘surprisingly good’ theme rather than the ‘well feted as lovely’

Palma— we actually stay there rather than resorts — love it, like a safer cleaner Barcelona and more compact

Malaga— exceptionally liveable and attractive city , totally surprised me as had only ever dashed to and from airport

Cardiff and Liverpool— as others have said, I really liked both these a lot more than I thought I would- although Cardiff was a bit ‘rough’ and lairy at night.

Benidorm— if you stay away from the very very English lads on stag nights bit— (and it’s easy to do so) and forget the inner snob lots of us have, its a very family friendly resort with fabulous beaches, extremely clean , lots to do and really reasonable and fun! I’ve been tons of times and I’m a snob!! But I never fail to have a great time, enjoyed it far more than Dubai etc.

TheAbbotOfUnreason · 30/01/2022 13:57

I had a field trip to Benidorm many years ago - we spent all day hiking around the spectacular scenery inland and the evening making the most of the Benidorm nightlife. Good times indeed.

Pugdogmom · 30/01/2022 14:09

I agree about Bologna. My daughter is at Uni there. It's a smaller city, but beautiful and restaurants are fantastic. University is the oldest in the world. Very walkable and buildings are gorgeous.

The other city I loved was Warsaw. Went on a cheap flight for a long weekend and we adored it.

Cheeseandlobster · 30/01/2022 14:37

@Iamthewombat

Gosh your posts are rude.

Yes, they are. Write daft things and people will laugh at you. It’s a rule of life.

The OP asked for destinations that were surprisingly good. As in, foreign destinations that are little visited by tourists but with a surprising amount to offer, or U.K. cities that people wouldn’t consider visiting as a tourist but are actually great fun and more attractive than you would think.

Predictably, a load of people have read the OP and thought, well, I don’t really have a response that fits the question but I really want to talk about myself and/or boast about my exotic travels. Thus I will mention that I have seen dawn breaking over the pyramids, or that the Grand Canyon took my breath away, or that one of the most visited cities in Europe, stuffed full of historical jewels (York) was ‘surprisingly good’ because it’s got, er, a wall and a river. Or that Venice is beautiful. Or I might just hijack the thread to inform everyone that the university I attended is ‘really good’ even when it isn’t, because somebody mentioned the city it is in.

Because all of the places I listed by name in the previous paragraph are so little regarded by tourists that any visitor would be pleasantly surprised.

When, unsurprisingly, this disingenuous nonsense is laughed at, the response is either (1) you’re so rude and cruel, why won’t you just let me get on with boasting about my travels? or (2) er, what I really meant was, I thought that [insert name of world heritage site here] would be rubbish because of being crowded but it wasn’t, all right?

As if crowds would make e.g. Abu Simbel less impressive. Although somebody upthread said that Cardiff was rubbish because of the rain, so nothing would surprise me.

You are very rude. And the op mentioned Cardiff so obviously not just looking for foreign destinations Hmm
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