Holiday destinations that were unexpectedly lovely OR awful.

[NickiFury]

Torremolinos - ex booked it and I really didn't want to go. It was beautiful, amazing food, beach, perfect for kids, been back loads since.

Thailand - I hated it from the moment I left Bangkok airport, Krabi down by the coast was ok but the rest of the time was awful, I actually cried with relief when we touched down at Heathrow.

Thanks NickiFury

To the other poster, sorry I've RTFT and I can't find your post, forgot to bookmark it, you live in AD (snails?)

We normally stay at the BR connected to the AD mall.
As we're frequent visitors we usually get Club Level upgrade which makes us almost AI.
Looking for the 27/8 - 3/9
Flexible in departure from 22/8 need to be back by 4/9.

Sorry for slight derail, thanks!

Should have said awful start to a holiday.

Bali .... Absolutely hated it, pretty to look at but filthy dirty and local men tried to grab you. I cried tears of joy when I landed in Australia

Venice ... Not a fan, really smelly, food awful, everything overpriced and threw up on my gondola ride although that may have been more to do with morning sickness

France .... Been lots of times everywhere from Paris to La Rochelle to Bordeaux and Disneyland Paris and have absolutely loved it. The food is great, the countryside is beautiful, the people are friendly and lots to do and see with or without children

Kent .Garden of England .''s
so pretty' Went in April .All I can say is it might be better in summer.Some nice gardens and not much else. But weather was vile .And Brighton which DH and I visited when we first met was cold ,expensive and horrible .Its true you should never go back .Can't think of anywhere else I found disappointing !And am quite well travelled
Vienna was surprisingly interesting though it took about three days to 'get'the place
Berlin was fabulous .Both above visited at DH request so had no great hopes

Off to Japan in Nov and Cuba in the spring and have great expectations .

Really liked
Italian Lakes, Sienna, Lucca, Sorento, Capri, Barbados, Chicago, Sydney, Bath, St Ives Cornwall, Lindos in Rhodes, Budapest, York

Underwhelmed by
Barcelona, Florence, Padstow, San Fransisco, LA, Toronto, Brighton

Really Disliked and would never return
Cap Dadge in S France v tacky and nasty resort not at all what you imagine the S of France to be like more like Blackpool with sun and a few yachts , Olu Deniz Turkey just too hot for me and creepy men

Agree with posters who hated Disney Land Paris. It was dull, expensive and tiring.
The queues were horrendous.
Agree about Slovenian people being lovely

Malta - loved it. Went with work first of all and then back for a holiday with DH. So much historical stuff crammed in a small island. Valletta is beautiful. Lovely people. Food kind of average, though.

Granada was a bit grim. Loved the Alhambra but it was too crowded. We were then left to our own devices for a few hours. Far, far too hot and we were pestered by gypsies trying to sell heather, etc.

Paid a fortune for a very average hotel on the outskirts of Torremolinos quite a few years ago (school hols). While we were there, a child was killed in the hotel by a falling statue - tragic. Then a large party of teenagers who had managed to get the hotel as a cheap break made everyone's life hell with their noisy partying. Would be willing to try Torremolinos again some time, though.

I'm in agreement with many of these. In particular, I didn't expect to like las Vegas but I loved it. There's simply no other place like it-=a definite place everyone should experience .
Also love somewhere not yet mentioned I don't think - Norway. Both summer and winter - simply stunning. As is Luxembourg.

Hated ( like other people) Jamaica. Went for a honeymoon, but did not feel safe to leave the hotel, so certainly not the holiday of a lifetime.

Mitzy Thanks - I'm sure it'll be fine! Will take ear plugs.

I would never go back to either Salou or Gran Canaria. Salou was a does-what-it-says-on-the-tin beach resort with no character. Gran Canaria appeared to solely a tourist island- although we did hire a car to the capital Las Palmas and that had some lovely squares and lots of character.

I didn't really take to Vienna. I can't put my finger on why. It looks a bit like a film set. It was so immaculate that it felt as if you were not allowed to touch anything.

Loved Paris, Edinburgh, Krakow, Bratislava and all of France.

Loved Barcelona the vibe was great. Some people were kinda rude but overall friendly vibe with great restaurants idk where others went but the traditional places were 5/5!

Rome was overrated... Great weather in October but much too touristy for me.. I preferred the traditional areas where locals lived. Colloseum was very overrated (despite learning lots about it before going)...

Tossa de Mar - no expectations and thought we may have made a mistake on the bus ride from Barcelona - but it is a lovely Spanish resort with great food and we found a secluded little beach - would go back. Love anywhere in Italy, Iceland, Palolem and the Gower! Love London so much I moved there nearly 20 years ago and every day pinch myself for making such a good decision! Don't think I've hated anywhere as always good to experience somewhere else - want to try S America next year as not been - hope I'm not disappointed!

Loved, loved, loved San Diego and San Francisco.
Not fussed for Cornwall.

Yes to Norway! Most beautiful scenery and fjords and mountains.
Ruddy gorgeous! V V pricey mind!

My daughter had her phone nicked in Tossa

Really loved:
Seattle
Iceland
Dordogne area in France
North Wales (Prestatyn)

Didn't really like:
Malta
Paris
Washington DC

I would love to go to Lanzarote, Las Vegas and the Yorkshire Dales .

I have never been as disappointed with anywhere as I was with Capri, I had wanted to see it for ages but it was just full of extremely expensive designer stores of the kind that the assistant looked at you with disdain if you ventured in to. It cost a fortune on the ferry, we looked around and then got the next one back.

OMG, yes, yes, yes. We paid €20 for 4 drinks in a cafe - 2 hot chocolates, a miniscule iced coffee & an iced tea. If it hadn't been for the wilting heat DH might have thought we'd fallen through a wormhole to Oslo.

Turkey! We booked an amazing kids water park hotel and were really looking forward to it. Within 2 days we had a hospital trip for stitches in DS chin (awful awful experience) had suggestive leers and comments from local men (I'm overweight so really wasn't flashing the flesh) and was assaulted by the hotel cleaner who pinned me up against a wall and put his tongue on my mouth! NEVER EVER AGAIN!

Favourite place ever is Aruba :) I was a little nervous after some stories about safety on Caribbean islands (especially Dominican Republic) but I've never visited a happier, safer, friendlier place :) they don't call it One Happy Isald for nothing!!

Finland/Lapland in winter - I wasn't really looking forward to it as I like warmth and cities but it was the best place I've ever been. Absolutely magical and beautiful place (helped by the northern lights which I could have watched all night if it wasn't -5c) I almost cried when the plane took off to come home because I didn't want to leave

I went to Santa Ponsa in June for 4 days. Had ages at time although...

I didn't leave the hotel, it was total luxury, we had a swim up room with hot tub at the Iberostar Jardins

Also Majorca, loved Cala Bona and Cala Millor.
DD and I hired bikes for 5€ a day and cycled for miles. It's totally flat!

Can recommend Javea in Spain not a usual holiday destination. My daughter lives there! Very few hotels but villas for rent. Beautiful beach and a sand bar so safe for little ones! On the east coast halfway between Alicante and Valencia.

Isn't this fascinating, just underlines how there is something to suit everyone! Various on my 'love' list are on lots of other people's hate lists, and vice versa.

Haven't been anywhere I've expected to hate (cos I wouldn't have gone there!) but LOVE:

New York
Venice (those who think it's crowded and smelly, try it again earlier in the year, magical)
Istanbul (and indeed lots of other places in Turkey)
Marrakech
Bangkok

Wouldn't go again if you paid me:

Cuba (although I accept that 9 days of food poisoning - for someone who can normally eat anything - and therefore mostly just eating bread and when I got brave some cheese will have coloured my judgement)
Cancun - had holidayed in less developed parts of Mexico and loved it
Singapore - dull and sterile!

Our worst holidays are the ones we spend most money on and build up the most, but we seem to pick totally wrong, weep! Cancun was our honeymoon, Cuba our 10th anniversary.

For those fancying Celebration, Florida ... we have relatives who live there, so have stayed a lot. It's looking a bit less 'Stepford Wives' as it ages, used to be really quite odd - but very picturesque and lovely little centre.

France - DLP, soulless, save your money for Florida!

Spain - Benidorm, ok.
Estepona, lovely.
Marbella Old Town, fab.
Puerto Banus, love it, great night out.
Madrid, very much a business district.
Barcelona, great tapas, wonderful architecture.
Minorca, pretty.
Majorca, brilliant.
Ibiza, fantastic.
Tenerife, really disliked the volcanic beaches.
Gran canaria, went in December, freezing at night!
Lanzarote, not feeling the love, sorry. Found it expensive to self cater. Ended up eating out as is it was same price.
Fuerteventura, windy.

Gibraltar, cute, likes the little England feel, the Barbary Apes were different!

Switzerland, spectacular scenery.

Italy, not been to a single place in Italy that I didn't adore.
Lake Garda
Venice
Verona
Vatican City
Rome (my absolute favourite, visually spectacular!)

Belgium, ok.

Luxembourg, see Belgium!

America, again loved everywhere we've been.
Orlando
Miami
New York
Las Vegas
Arizona

Egypt, went to Taba as a gateway to Jordan and Israel.
Was so sick within 24 hours of arriving we missed the next scheduled stops!

Dubai, love it. Not a popular view, awesome for a few days fly and flop and a bit of shopping!

Abu Dhabi, I leave a little bit of my heart there every time I come home. It's my happy place.
Love the weather, the hotel we stay in, the people, the culture.

Greece, Zante can't remember much other than smugglers cove (the famous wreck photo that's in every brochure)
Kefalonia, gorgeous
Crete, would never go back purely because of Heraklion airport
Kos, my one and only time at a holiday village. What. The. Hell.

Jamaica, lovely and chilled.

Mexico, don't drink the tequila! Wow!

Cayman Islands, I liked the looooong beach!

Malta, everywhere you look there's a church, lack of beaches!
Gozo, see Malta.

Turkey, mentioned up thread, we too went to Side.
Beautiful, warm clear sea, fab ruins, lovely people and a by law passed by the mayor to stop vendors harassing you.

Portugal, Vale do Lobo, nice but pretentious.
Praia Da Luz, loved. Was sad to see the decline in the town from 2007 due to events beyond its control.

Bulgaria, oh no, never again!
Sex shop on e wry corner, prostitutes, drug users, shall I go on? (sunny beach area)

Tunisia, went after the Sousse attack last year but before the Port El Kantoui attack.
Hotel, spa and weather we're all lovely. Sadly, would not go back.

Amsterdam, vibrant city, felt very safe, bonus being just a hours flight from UK.

Australia, probably my favourite place in the whole world to date.
Love Brisbane, Sydney and the Whitsundays (especially Hamilton) the GBR is breathtaking.
In response to the previous comments, our "Big Bus Tour" driver shouted something racist at a taxi driver. I went fucking crazy at him. Not on.

Off to dish dinner up. Back later.
Love this thread!

I hated New York, I just found it so enclosed. I felt so sick because of all the skyscrapers, I just wanted to see sky! It didn't help that it was Oct, cold and gloomy.

I loved San Diego and San Fransisco

Waves to Mrsguy as I am also in Kraków next week.
Booked a last minute holiday for peanuts to Ibiza for some sunshine. Fell in love with it.

Valencia is the most fabulous city. Perfect short break destination.

Skala in Kefalonia is perfection.

Have always made the best of where