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.

Eurocamp
Lisbon (but over 20 years ago - might be lovely now)
Dublin more than anywhere

We were there nine years ago and loved it. Couldn't fit in in a week all the museums and everything else we wanted to see. Travelled to a few different bits and never got a sense of it as a building site. Going back in October. It always comes up in these threads but I think it's a wonderful place

I dislike travel whiners and I get fed up of Wetherspoons bashers too. Most people who sneer at them haven't been in one. Some are in beautiful buildings with interesting local history, most have excellent toilets and the beer is cheap. Go in lunchtime when it's quieter.

You mean you Don’t think the cathedrals in Florence are too ornate?

Are you suggesting that the algarve is not mainland Portugal? I’m very confused ….

Did you go to the Archaeological Park and the Valley of the Kings? I thought they were amazing

A cheap travelodge. Why?

You travelled far? How long did you stay for?

as someone who grew up not far from MK… I’m genuinely intrigued what made you and your family (kids too?) head to MK for a holiday.

It’s the clientele

Obviously wealthy a bit like Dubai, yes. Obviously I didn't expect it to be like Dubai in other ways. I thought of it like America's flagship city!

Went to Rome in 2005, it was amazing. Went again in 2013, it was awful.

Have lived and holidayed in the US. Loved Chicago; loathed New York and Los Angeles. Was actually shocked by the state of retail in New York (this was in 2018) - the major, headline shopping streets were so grubby, and the huge, headline department stores looked like the ram-raiders had been in! I'm not much of a shopper, but give me a branch of John Lewis any day!

Venice, however, I loved, plus Norway (went to the three biggest towns and did the fjords/northern lights thing).

1.5 hours drive and stayed for three nights.
We went there specifically to visit Bletchley because we like war history, and Stowe because of the "For Your Tomorrow" exhibition.

Stopped in Messina on a cruise. Dog shit capital of the world.

I also loved Cambodia but went maybe 2008 amd while there were tourists it’s wasn’t crazy. Went to temples that no one was at. It was glorious! When my friends have described it after recent trips it doesn’t sound the same. I’ve other friends who live there and love it - but they stay away from the tourist places.

I also didn’t love Indonesia but went over Christmas / new year. Left Flores early on Xmas day as it wasn’t great. Thought Bali and Gili T were a dump - never seen so much rubbish embedded in the sand and for miles. But also have friends who raved but went at a better time.

Oh don’t be such a grinch!

I find this thread amusing and refreshing…

on social media, so many po faced travellers guffing on about magical experiences by the Ganges.

the truth is a lot of it is marketing and
most people in uk can find everything they need for a good holiday within 100 miles ( whether it’s history/ city life/countryside/beach or mountains)

I say that as someone who is widely travelled and loves visiting other countries, and experiencing new cultures.

but in recent years, places are becoming more generic. The focus is on taking insta style photos at the usual sites, rather than taking time to experience a place

My sibling went to Stowe school!

I would agree with NYC. I certainly didnt "hate" it but it was a huge let down.

Firstly, it's horrifically polluted - they have no pollution controls like London for example. I remember waking up in the morning and opening the hotel window and the smog just hits you in the face.

The people were lovely but the city itself is just very "meh". London has everything NYC has plus it has much more interesting and varied historical sites to visit. If you like city life then just go to London, it's far less polluted, less far to travel, and has more to see.

After watching SATC I guess I was expecting glam fashion and something amazing but the fashion was really dull - same designer shops as anywhere else and I saw much more interesting fashion in Europe.

Go to Avebury. No charge apart from the car park and you can walk around the stones and touch them if you wish. There is also a manor house(NT) which was unfortunately closed as it had been flooded - due to open again this year but very beautiful gardens, a small museum which was interesting and an enormous tithe barn. Didn't have time to visit the church.

I was lucky enough to go to Stonehenge before all the commercialisation, arrived at 8am in the morning, as we were on our way on holiday. Handful of people around, it was stunning. You could touch the stones, no ropes etc,

The only place I've not really enjoyed was Marseille. Didn't feel very safe 40+ years ago but it may have changed.

When I went to NY many years ago I said to people it was just like the movies! It even had all that steam coming up through the grates.

Which includes me and some of my respectable, professional friends! I've not seen anyone behaving any differently in a Wetherspoons than in any other pub. Most times we'll sit for an hour or two and chat while everyone around us does the same. What is it about the clientele that you don't like?

Hypocrite @HalloweenGrinch

I agree completely with this comment. The harbour area of Paphos and the area around the Kings Mall is not indicative of Paphos. The old town is lovely and within 30 minutes drive of the beach you are in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains.

Not the place itself but the resort for sure. Dreams Resort in Corfu. The island was beautiful and the resort was nice enough but for the price it didn’t meet the high end luxury expectation it pitches itself as.

Santorini. It’s a very small island which is pretty and geologically interesting but there’s not really anything there. All the Greeks islands have the white buildings and blue and the views. Perhaps once upon a time it was an untouched piece of heaven. But now it’s just an overcrowded tourist trap.

You thought NYC was “going to be clean everywhere”?