Most disappointing destination/holiday

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For me, it was the Norwegian fjords. Not because they weren’t beautiful (what we saw of them, they were!) but because it was cold, rainy and foggy when we went. One town known for being very pretty was ridiculously busy and there was a cruise ship blocking the view from the restaurant we booked. We knew the prices were going to be high, but expected good quality… when you pay over £100 for a train ticket, you expect there to be toilet roll and soap in the toilets!

where have you been that was disappointing?

Egypt was a hell hole.

Barcelona was a dump. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be looking at.that was so beautiful.

Tunisia. I kept getting harassed by men to the point I left early. Felt very unsafe.
My first holiday abroad was to Gran Canaria. I hated every minute of it.

The Sagrada Familia, perhaps? Or Parc Guell?

I must admit I’ve felt like that about Florence when I’ve visited before (two day trips). I think it was because it was so hot though and DH insisted on trekking around everywhere with his guidebook whereas I would have just found a nice cafe in the shade and taken in the atmosphere.

However, I’m actually quite interested to visit again think I would enjoy it more now. Plus which we would now go during a much cooler time of year.

I'm with you! Much prefer the north.

I will add, controversially, Washington DC. Felt a bit dodgy (might have been the area we we staying in) but also rats running around on the pavements. Good museums though😆

Maldives. Grinding poverty in Mali and horrible conditions/rubbish on the service islands. Bored shitless after 3 days, crap food. Weird sense of menace not helped by DH’s monologue about it being an OBVIOUS PLACE for an Islamic terror attack, being full of western tourists who had NO WAY OUT. Most relaxing I don’t think. 🙄

Santorini. Compleyely overrated.

Cant move on the streets without being knocked off pavements by teenagers taking selfies or Americans with selfie sticks.

Awful place.

Melbourne. Cultural wasteland and nothing to boast about in terms of a modern city either I.e. like Miami, New York.

I am not a fan of Barcelona either. Dusty, crowded, sketchy muggers lurking on every corner.

Malta - just wasn't enough to do and we were bored ! Beautiful island if you like to sit by the pool so it really depends what you like to on holiday.

Barcelona was another city we didn’t particularly enjoy (again visited it as a day trip) but I think we planned the day badly (actually didn’t plan it at all). DH has no interest in going back as he doesn’t like Gaudi, but I would be happy to give it another go, perhaps with a friend.

Agreed. No idea why people rave about Malta

That was completely the opposite experience I had of Malta! We went for 10 days and explored a different town/ancient site/museum/fort etc every day. Going back this year and there's loads more we want to see.

We only had one afternoon at the pool.

Kefalonia. Nice food but pretty boring.
TBF I am not a beach holiday fan.

I think Siena is nicer than Florence in many ways, it's more of a working city and although undoubtedly a tourist destination, it's not nearly as crowded.
The Campo is lovely but also the narrow streets and alleys behind it with stylish shops and good restaurants. The cathedral and bell tower are magnificent.
But we used to spend all day at our rented villa with pool and just go into the city in the late afternoon when it was cooler and quieter. And we never went when the Palio was on, it's totally rammed then.

Cannes.
I didn't hate it but I wouldn't be in a hurry to go back. There just wasn't enough to do for me. We watched a night of the fireworks competition from a boat in the harbour one night which was fabulous but otherwise I was a bit bored to be honest. I'm sure if you're a multi millionaire with a beautiful yacht to sail it's great but I'm not!
To be fair to the place, I was still recovering from some broken bones and it was very hot - even hotter than usual for the time of year - so by the time I'd hopped a few hundred yards on my crutches I was exhausted. Had I been fit we'd probably have done some watersports, hired bikes and explored the surrounding countryside and I might have felt quite differently about the area. But mainly it was a week of me getting bored, over heated and eaten alive by some kind of mosquito type things.

In terms of destinations, I went to Ellis Island in New York when I was much younger. Never EVER again. Really bad vibe, felt claustrophobic and very stressed as soon as I set foot on it. Lifted a soon as I left.

Glastonbury. Again, very bad vibe (which eased a bit in the lovely church grounds, but not completely). I was looking forward to it but couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Los Angeles/Santa Monica. Sadly, there were homeless people everywhere and men would come up to you if you were eating outside, asking if you were finished and could they have your food. The roads were parked up by people living in old cars & vans. It didn’t feel safe at all.

For the person who said Miami (which is amazing), you probably need to know where to go. The private islands off the city centre/downtown, hidden beaches, and oh my goodness the FOOD!!! I can see how, if you don’t know where to go, you could end up in a not nice bit (similar to London, NYC, Hong Kong). Not to mention it’s close to other beautiful places (St Pete’s for example, other small islands off the coast).

My disappointment was Athens - felt dirty, cramped, and so many stray cats. Loved Corfu and Crete though!

Bulgaria, in particular Sunny Beach, absolute hell hole! ,dirty grubby, unsafe, complete rip off wouldn't go back if it was offered to me for free

Paris was so underwhelming. Overpriced, unfriendly and just generally crap.

Egypt was quite terrible too although that may be because my friend and I (teenagers at the time) were repeatedly groped and (in my case) had a random shopkeeper thrust his erection at me whilst I was trying to buy some food. Beautiful country though!

There was a tv show made about Sunny Beach and how awful it was!

Oh I agree. I went on a bit of an American road trip with my best friend after we graduated and we were quite scared in Washington DC. We took a wrong turn heading for the Smithsonian and found ourselves in an area that definitely didn't feel like somewhere where two female tourists in their early 20s should be. We enjoyed the museums but couldn't get away from the city fast enough otherwise.

Tangiers, Morocco. Dirty, constant hassle from men (and I was a teenager at the time), smelly & cockroaches everywhere at dusk. I just don’t see the attraction.

Likewise. Everything feels servile, cheap & tacky, with an undertone of deprivation as soon as you leave the Strip. Couldn't wait to leave.

Agreed. No idea why people rave about Malta

Mumsnet seems to hate Malta and I really don't understand why. Presumably people don't research, get there, and are shocked by the lack of sandy beaches and the fact you can get around the main Island in an afternoon.