Places that were a let down

[DarcyDear]

Have you ever been anywhere on holiday and felt it wasn’t what you thought it would be? My friend is just back from New York and absolutely hated it. I’ve never been let down by a holiday but I remember being really taken aback at the levels of poverty and homelessness when I visited Los Angeles in my youth.

I love Miami. Been several times many years ago and it is the only place (including where I have ever lived and was born ) where I truly feel is my home. I always feel like I have come home.

New York without the rubbish would have been ok

Los Angeles not somewhere I would return
Bit boring

Las Vegas (non drinker who finds gambling and shows boring) Absolutely surprised how much I enjoyed my time there and will be going back as we couldn’t fit everything we wanted to do in.

I completely agree. I’ve been in other places in Portugal and loved it but Algarve was disappointing. I also think is boring.

Madeira. No beaches, Scandi breakfasts, dismal hotel, DP booked it and has never lived it down.

Southern Italy - harassment of tourist women in churches even was endemic.

Rome is wonderful.

It's funny our different expectations.

I've just come back from a Greek island. Clean, quiet, beautiful, friendly, swimming at the cove before breakfast then walking up through the olive grove to a bakery. Such a friendly relaxed beautiful place I wanted to stay.

Paris. Fuerteventura. Really like most of Greece, enjoy the Algarve, love Venice. Like Paphos and love the people. Liked Barbados, St Lucia was disappointing. Used to love Cornwall but it's now too crowded and the parking costs are just silly.

In fairness, isn’t “Paris syndrome” an actual thing?

I went to Athens with friends and liked it a lot but I know one of them was a bit taken aback at how run down it was.

I’m surprised no one has said London. I love London (was born there, live there now) but I often feel sorry for tourists who are trying to fit a lot into a day. It might not be all that fun when it is very hot.

Bulgaria. I've been to Sunny Beach a couple of times and a few other cities. The only place I liked was Varna.

Sofia was particularly awful - full of strip clubs and casinos, and adverts for them too.

We booked a cottage in Ventnor - not realising how steep the place is.

Two weeks there worked wonders for our fitness levels, though. On the first day, our calves hurt from walking DOWN from the cottage at the top of the town to the see.

I love Greece. Been to Corfu, Crete and Kos and had great hoidays at all of them. We stay away from very touristy areas.

But you don't go to Madeira for beaches. There is loads to see and do there. It's a beautiful island worth exploring.

We toured the island, visited wonderful gardens, walked along levadas and went whale watching. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Vegas was awful, but I expected that - it was a compromise so I could have Yosemite on the same trip. The irresponsible overconsumption was revolting, and I'm not a hair shirt austere type by any stretch.

L.A. was the most soulless city I've been to. However, we did have a lot of fun at Universal Studios.

Most of the cities mentioned on this thread are places I absolutely loved! NYC, Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence, Prague, Chicago - brilliant places with good food, great art.

I have definitely been put off Dublin by everyone though 😁. Love Leeds, but it's only 12 miles away so I won't bother travelling to an expensive version of it.

She's researched and knows they aren't the kinds of places that would suit her. So it would be silly to go. That's a sensible attitude.

I did! I actually had a great time! Went to Bletchley Park which was fascinating, and Stowe which was beautiful. And IKEA of course 😂 I'm also fond of the theatre there which has loads of good stuff. Given this thread is about places that didn't live up to expectations, and I had very low expectations of Milton Keynes, I'd say it was a triumph!

I absolutely loved Venice! We had a few days there and it was every bit as magical as I had hoped.
People rave about Scotland - I find it fairly dull (Edinburgh /Glasgow excepted obviously). If you’re not into hill walking etc there’s not a lot else to do.Yes there’s some lovely scenery, but there’s lovely scenery in a lot of places and it invariably rains in Scotland!

Gran Canaria, maybe it was the area first holiday with friends late teens. Street sellers really pushy trying to tie bracelets to you as you walked past. The area wasn’t what I expected either. It was years ago and I wouldn’t go back.

Budapest is great! There's the House of Music, the museum with the sloping roof you can walk up and the beautiful park they are in. I wandered around and found so many things to look at and do. I'm beginning to wonder what people expect to do in a city?

Yes I agree with Paphos too, hotel was stunning but the area outside dirty and dusty . Paphos old town was a major disappointment we kept looking for the old buildings etc. and realised there was nothing of any architectural beauty there .

Not the whole of Bulgaria! Bansko is lovely and I'd imagine away from the tourist hotspots, most places are similarly fine - and far safer than many towns in the UK.

Eurocamp, I’ve been to two now, both made butlins look posh, spotlessly clean and full of high class visitors.

I loved my holiday in NYC, but it's true that the city was different from my expectations. I was indeed imagining it to exude wealth a bit like Dubai, and be clean and cutting edge everywhere. Which it wasn't. Still had a great time though.

These threads are always so interesting! I don't think I've hated anywhere personally, and have always found something to love. Malta is beautiful in parts (I wish we'd spent more time in Valetta) as is Rhodes (Rhodes Town is lovely). Venice is glorious (move around early morning/late at night to feel the best of it) and Florence is wonderful.

So many places are swamped with tourism and when you go there you are adding to that ... But don't then blame busyness for your disappointments.

Big cities can be problematic absolutely anywhere, but there is always so much to do. I love Amsterdam, New York, Rome, Paris, Naples, Palermo etc etc.

I wouldn't go anywhere I think I wouldn't like after a bit of research (for me Egypt, Dubai, Las Vegas, India, Turkey, Centre Parks etc) but do appreciate others might love them.

You honestly went to NYC and expected it to be “clean everywhere” and to be a “bit like Dubai”?

where did you stay on holiday in MK?

Rome - noisy, full of traffic and beggars. Verona is much nicer and has a great colleseum.

Another vote for LA. I kept thinking when are we actually going to get to the “city”. But there was no such thing - just an ugly, massive urban spread for miles and miles, reminded me of an endless giant retail park. Didn’t realise that LA is actually formed of lots of “cities”. Taxi driver at LAX asked us “Which city?” In my naivety I told him “Well, LA!” How he must have laughed…