Ever been anywhere that far surpassed your expectations?

[cptartapp]

In contrast to the current thread about places which disappointed, where have you been that far surpassed your expectations?
For me, Seville. And El Djem in Tunisia which topped the Colosseum in Rome. We climbed all over it unaccompanied top to bottom and underground. And no crowds.

Myanmar, and in particular the thousands of temples in Bagan. As a pp has said, it’s such a pity what is going on there. Such gentle people.
Utah and it’s magnificent jaw dropping National Parks.

Rome
Petra
Berlin
San Francisco (stay away from Down Town)
Venice
Whitby
Amsterdam
Grand Canyon
Niagara Falls
Algonquin National Park (Canada)

Outer Hebrides.

Went for a weekend to visit dh (then fiancé) who did a 6 week placement there for his degree.

Loved it much more than I was expecting - so much so that 3 years later we ended up moving there and stayed for 10 years. We still have our house there and it's our retirement plan.

Also Central America. Went to visit friends in Guatemala and were blown away. Also loved Honduras and Nicaragua, but it's currently a very dangerous region and we wouldn't go back anytime soon.

In no particular order:
Wales.
Agree with Venice and Seville.
Nova Scotia.
Really enjoyed Niagara falls.
Monument valley. I was so focused on grand canyon, I hadn't expected to enjoy anything else.

The Shetlands. They're just wonderful. I fell in love with them.

Agree with that. It was an incredible experience. Just a magical place which I desperately want to visit again.

Herculaneum

Uluru. Was expecting it to just be a rock in the desert but I was blown away by its sheer size and the spirituality of the place. I actually felt quite emotional as we watched the sun go down.

Valencia!

Cadiz
Dresden
Bridlington
Peak District

All places I wasn't that bothered about visiting but really liked.

Gdansk-it was only when I got home that I discovered it's nickname was the Venice of the North.

Salzsburg-no words as to how much this beautiful place got under my skin. Up a snowy mountain in the morning, delicious leisurely lunch in one of their many fabulous restaurants and listening to opera in a stunning building at night.

Birmingham-the library, the canals, the atmosphere and a Michelin starred meal all combined to elevate this city far higher than my expectations.

Malaga. Tagged onto a holiday to Granada (which was excellent, but expected it to be good) to catch up with friends, which was the sole point of going. Thought it would be like Benidorm but found it a charming and friendly city.

Oh yes and Valencia. Beautiful city, and they really get the party started!

Outer Hebrides ♥️

St Malo

Aberaeron
Hastings

Whitby
Penrith

Hadrian's Wall.
Hay on Wye
Venice (even with expectations sky high)
Amsterdam
Texas. Yes really. Some gorgeous State and National Parks there.
Bologna. Perfect little Italian city with a dose of real life and fabulous rail connections.

having checked google maps I think Calvi is the best fit for my memory!

it was a cheap last minute student holiday. Got it off teletext deals as it looked interesting 😂.

flew in to an airport one side, got on a bus for hours to get to our hotel on the other. Which was actually a bonus as we got to see a whole lot of the island, stopped at some little places to eat etc.

food is incredible- cross between Italian and French. History is fascinating, and the beach, towns, architecture etc all outstanding as well.

Another vote for Seville - my favourite city break, it had the most wonderful chilled out vibe, just loved it.
Northumberland
The Highlands
Also Gullivers World in Warrington 😄 Took the kids with very low expectations, it is a bit run down and low budget but we had so much more fun than we thought we would, and pound for pound I think it's the best value theme park I've been to for small children (has often been £12 per person)

Innsbruck

The German alps close to the Austrian border and Munich. We went in the summer and were exceptionally lucky to get a heatwave, so the weather was gorgeous for 2 weeks and could swim in several stunning lakes. IMO Germany is a much underrated country for a holiday.

Cornwall, particularly the Eden Project.
Sweden.

I completely agree, it is simply unbeatable.

Isn’t it The Highlands where you get bitten to death by midges?

Agree with you re Tunisia and the colosseum there