Where is the most overrated holiday destination you’ve been?

[phoanymoany]

Where have you been on holiday and thought “wow, that was a waste of my time and money”.

Mine was travelling to a fairly remote tropical island where people were supposed to be so friendly. Unfortunately we found the people we interacted with in the hotels and restaurants to be anything but nice. It piddled down with rain and then we almost got scammed.

Hurghada, looking forward to getting back to Greece, where I feel safe and welcome

I’m going in 3 weeks, what’s awful about Dubai please. Can’t say I’m super excited.

Most places I've been in USA in recent years, particularly San Francisco - the poverty is shocking for such a wealthy country. Also, the tipping culture is so off-putting to me.

Morocco
Dublin
Berlin
Krakow

It has a definite smell around the city centre and rats are far too common but yes over flowing with culture and beauty.

I think a few posters are remembering trips from early 2000's and prior. Maybe we should be quantifying when we last went there...as I said, the last 10-15 yrs have changed travel destinations a lot, mostly cities but areas around them too.

Cornwall.

Roads were packed, car parks were full, took ages to get anywhere, weather was terrible, dog poo on beaches (and yes I know there are a few that don’t allow dogs), pretty awful food in general and a lot of miserable Brits!!

sorry to all Cornwall lovers.

I've also travelled quite a bit and been to many of the mentioned places. Never do all inc and very rarely stay in hotels., I prefer Airbnbs. Loved Barbados, we had a lovely place on the west coast and drove all over the island. Lovely beaches, met great people, surfed, dived, had some great walks in the forest and by the sea. Always felt safe, had the beach sellers but the nicest kind possible. A simple friendly no thank you was enough. In so many countries the beach sellers can be relentless, some of the popular beaches in Bali for example.
Loved Bali though, stayed for a month each on 2 separate occasions. Had bikes and cycled all over the island one time
, and had a car the second. There is a lot more to Bali than the backpacker beaches. We have Balinese friends so went to a lot of places off the beaten track (yes, it's possible even in a touristy place like Bali). Love Bali. Went to other islands too near Bali. All good.

Most places I ve been to I have always found something to enjoy. I was less keen on Marrakesh and didn't love the the Gambia. Also, parts of India are really hard going but have been back several times. Love Nepal. Like an India light.
Los Angeles, was only there for 5 days. Liked the farmers markets, museums, travelled all over on public transport which was interesting. Found LA people so chatty, would have interesting conversations on every bus I was on. So many different life stories.
Oh, and somebody mentioned Lanzarote as rubbish. They have some great unspoilt beaches in the south. You have to drive along unmade roads to get there but there are no hotels or any houses but a couple of cafes, no sun loungers, no shops etc. Just long, beautiful, natural beaches. There is the volcano and cool landscape of Lanzarote too. Some really cute villages and stunning coastal walks. We have been through the really heavy, older tourist spots with English pubs etc so if you went there, I can see why you wouldn't like it.

Los Angeles for me too. Maybe I was expecting too much but I expected more than roads, ugly buildings, and Disney Land.

It’s soulless and underneath the rich holiday makers luxury break lies terrible treatment of staff who the ‘locals’ treat like absolute garbage. We got into an altercation in the taxi (hotel driver) and he was told he had to reverse (even though he wasn’t in the wrong) as he was a service worker. That just summed up the way those who come miles from home to work there are treated. Taxi driver spoke same language as my ex and he told them about the conditions and how much he has pay of his salary to the rich owners. Works 7 days a week for 2yrs before he gets a couple of months off to return home to India. Honestly this was just scratching the surface. I don’t see why people don’t see it when they go as it couldn’t be more obvious. The people who built that big shopping centre weren’t even allowed to set foot in it. There’s a lot on google. You may have a great time, they certainly want the tourists to and not to see any of this, but that’s not the type of person I am who can ignore that and order another G&T to my sun bed. It upset me

I enjoyed Paris when I went but I guess some people go with high expectations of being swept away with romance. And yeah, I didn’t see that, but I went with my son and mother!

I don’t remember seeing a lot of dog poo but when I was in Brussels staying with my ex with the kids when he lived there for a year the street was full of dog poo, and these raised beds on the pavement was full of it. I had my dog with me and picked it up of course but I guess people don’t pick up poo in other parts of Europe!

I also love Lanzarote, but go right away from the tourist hot spots (we go to the North, to a quiet fishing village), and it's wonderful. Beautiful, empty beaches, gorgeous seafood, and relaxed friendly locals, and sun in February. What's not to love?

I enjoyed Paris when I went but I guess some people go with high expectations of being swept away with romance

Paris disappointment is such a real thing in Japan that it has a actual name: "Paris syndrome"- people getting overwhelmed with sadness that its not what they thought it was going to be

Morocco - I’ve been to 80+ countries and never felt more unsafe. Marrakech is over busy and full of scam artists, Rabat I was mugged at knifepoint in broad daylight, Fez- taxis wouldn’t use the meter, Meknes - threatened by the supposed guide.

No more than Liverpool, Birmingham, London, Glasgow....

We were blown away by Lanzarote but stayed in a house inland not a resort and had a car. Totally exceeded all my expectations. Stunning beaches the modern art and volcano trip.

How do you work out where to stay? I would love some recommendations. I hate touristy, crowded places with English pubs.

We did hire a car in Lanzarote and that was the best part. We went around the island in one day and I do remember a great viewpoint in the north but I just found the black rocks and sand a bit off putting. We went in January and it was so windy, lots of windsurfing. I guess a lot depends on the weather . I’ll add this was 20+ years ago.

Tunisia awful place in would never return, I manage to find something enjoyable about every place I've been except here, I couldn't wait to leave. I have never felt so unwelcome in a place although my cash was!

A shopkeeper grabbed my young DD and tried to steer her in a shop when she was skipping in front of us.

We had concrete barriers around the hotels to stop cars being driven near it (told by the many security guards it was to stop terrorism)

Everytime we set foot outside the hotel we were mobbed by people trying to sell us flowers.

We ended up in hospital after an awful accident when the horse and carriage we were in turned over because the driver whipped the horse to gallop and then tried to turn a sharp corner. I was knocked unconscious, another lady had a very badly cut leg, DH had whiplash type injuries. We had to have a Dr visit the hotel everyday after to check on us, I was covered in bruises. Dd had seen the whole thing from the back of a donkey and thought I was dead and was traumatised afterwards and I had to take her to the GP who suggested therapy.

Our hotel was just a short walk from the one where a couple years later a lot of tourists were shot on the beach.

If anyone ever asks if I've been to Tunisia and what's it like I advise then to go somewhere else.

I do think people should be careful posting about places they’ve not visited for years places change massively. I recommended a deserted chilled out fishing village to my parents that I had visited when back packing. They went a few years later it was basically a mini Cancun.

Also in Tunsia walking down the road and some guy tried to tell us he was the chef in our hotel and recognised us and he would like to show us his friends restaurant (we had already been warned about this scam by our rep who said if we went with him he would take us into the medina get us lost and want cash ti helpful fine our way out) and then a few minutes down the road after we got rid of him a woman approached and claimed to be the maid in our hotel.

I've been all over the world and I've never felt unsafe, on edge or keen to leave except Tunisia

Bali - open sewers, very very dirty, people touching you for luck if you were pale and blonde, everyone I met got food poisoning (even though stayed in an amazing hotel with private beach), and Nyepi where we were confined to the hotel and not allowed any lights on for fear the religious police would smash windows. Beach was lovely by day and the rice fields beautiful but couldn’t make up for all the bad points

Reykjavik was a let down. Iceland is a wonderful experience but we the capital was disappointing. We had a full day to explore but it was raining. There's not a lot to see at all. It's only a small town really. Very expensive and honestly really stinky. The farty smell of sulphur combined with cooking fat.

It’s also quickly become known as the place where people with a bit of cash, but not a bone of class in their body, go to holiday.

Even if you were to put aside the moral bankruptcy of being able to overlook the treatment of staff, it’s essentially a glorified shopping centre. Everything is so fake it feels bizarre.

My local McDonald’s has more culture.

I read an article in a newspaper about it and booked it! I book with these guys in Arietta: https://lanzaroteretreats.com/accommodation/