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.

We loved Connemara - yes, it rains but that only makes you appreciate the sun more. Very beautiful and very friendly. Also the east Antrim coast which is perhaps the most beautiful bit of Northern Ireland and also the least touristy.

Same for me too, plus there were australians there!!!!😄

Loved Madeira, hated Majorca.

The hotel was near the sewage works and stank, we had a hail storm that landed 10 cm of hailstones on the. balcony. We both got colds and couldn't wait to get home.
Madeira on the other hand was so lovely. From the moment you got off the plane in the balmy air, to the walks over the little canals it was lovely. We took a tomato home that grew into a huge plant, no fruit. And we loved the botanic garden and the market

Hated - Osaka in Japan. Bloody awful. Men openly stared at me like I was for sale, never felt so uneasy and unsafe in my life. Los Angeles. Full of drugged up weirdos.

Loved - Rhodes Town.The mediaeval old town is so gorgeous, cobbled streets and so laid back. I didn't expect Rhodes to be quite so cultural and it was a lovely surprise. Also loved Kenya - friendliest, kindest people and breathtaking beauty.

Kenya - absolutely awful, hated the place, even tried to get an early flight home. Armed guards on the beach and walking around the hotel grounds. Told not to leave the hotel on foot for fear of mugging. Windows closed in taxis and mini buses as thieves reach in to steal jewelry and watches etc. If you go on trips etc, the toilets are literally holes in the ground. Our hotel was 5 star but often had no running water (neither hot nor cold), frequent power cuts, disgusting hygiene in the cafes/restaurants. The only respite was on a safari where the overnight accommodation was remarkable despite being in the middle of nowhere.

Very much disliked Australia for many of the above reasons.
Was seriously underwhelmed by Barbados.
Loved Oregon, which I thought might be dull and adored California as well, which I feared would be shallow and awful.
Myanmar I wasn't sure about visiting, but it ended up being in my top 3 countries, definitely. Amazing place.

I've been to a few places for work that I have found really, unexpectedly lovely too, but it's always hard to get the real measure of a place when someone else is footing the bill. Surprising stand-outs would be San Diego and Zurich but I imagine neither is much fun on a budget.

Crete - unexpected holiday there, horrible place. Still resent that holiday thirty years later .

Much of the Costa del Sol is surprisingly nice - there's a reason why it's been popular for donkey's years.

Love Croatia. What a lovely place. So much to do, friendly and helpful locals.

Hated Madeira. Nasty food, friendly people but so fucking dull. It's geared towards elderly people coming off cruise ships.

I didn't want to go to Jamaica the first time as my friend had been the year before and hated it. I absolutely loved it, the people, the music, the food and of course the Caribbean Sea and the weather. My private mindfulness go to place is under a palm tree on a beach in Runaway Bay, where I'm sunbathing with a virgin pina colada and reading a novel. Then I wade into the warm, turquoise sea till it's deep enough for me to swim languidly among the multicoloured tropical fish. Heaven on earth, we've been back twice, but now DH has decided he doesn't like it

And Zimbabwe before it was ruined starting in 1999/2000 was the best place I have EVER been but it is a sad shadow of its former self now. It might qualify for the best AND worst place I've visited.

Waving to Trashbox... I too hated Dubai.

Liked Barcelona a lot, also Sydney.

Lanzarote & Las Vegas - wouldn't have been places I'd have picked but both great.
Disappointed by Sydney especially Bondi

Loved Monaco-was a bit worried before we got there.

Hated Gran Canaria. Apartment was in a mahoosive complex at the top of a v steep hill. Cockroaches in the bathroom. Everyone cheered when the airport bus turned up.

Oops pressed post too soon.
New year fireworks were ace & I liked western Australia a lot, but the racism is horrible

Another one that felt just meh about Australia, the best bit was the business class flight. I really came away disappointed.

I always thought I wouldn't like France, all those generalisations about the French and English hating each other.

I LOVE France, wherever I have been, it is just so, well so French! It is wonderful, and exotic, and continental and beautiful. I always feel abroad when in France.

I have relatives in the UAE so go there regularly. I've holidayed in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi is by far nicer. Pristine, patrolled beaches, great shopping, amazing restaurants, brunches etc, tons to do. Dubai seems to be more of a place to parade around showing how much money you have (I haven't) and honestly the beaches suck. It's so construction heavy there at the moment that the water feels greasy and grubby and there's no waves because it's not q natural coast line.

NickiF, you are spot on AD is great.

Hated Paris and Pisa.

Love Rome and most of Australia.

Oh and love Monaco and Monte Carlo.

Paris - so dissapointed. Hated every minute.

Oxford - too many students. No parking. Traffic horrendous. Shit shops, all of which stays on my mind more than the pretty architecture.
Salou in Spain. Booked by a friend who I left to arrange a late get away with 8 or 9 years ago. My heart sunk when she said where she'd booked but absolutely loved it once there. Very clean. Fab beach. Lovely prom and atmosphere. Off again for the 5th time soon.

South Wales coast - Vale of Glamorgan and Barry. Again persuaded to visit by a friend for a weekend. Very impressed that first visit and ironically 2 years after that dh got offered a job there that before I wouldn't have been keen on him taking. We ended up moving thereally and spent 3 years living there. Twas lovely and I do miss it.

I couldn't get over all the rules in Australia - when you go into a park or somewhere there's a long list of things you may or may not do.

I loved bits of Sydney, but Perth and Adelaide just felt like bits of Britain with better weather. Not worth the cost and the time, anyway. And I was staying in backpacker hostels and the outright sexism of everyone there - esp the older Australian staff - meant I grew to really dislike my time.

Aah yes, had forgotten about Pisa, what a disappointing hole it is.

I loved Dublin. Went there in December with a stinking cold, loaded up on Irish stew and Guinness in several lovely pubs, found, history, culture, music, nice people - absolutely lived up to my hopes.

Barcelona. Hot. Ugly. Inedible.

Switzerland. Beauty competes with beauty everywhere you look. Friendly, relaxed, easy to navigate, fun, adventurous, glaciers, lakes, wild flowers, mountains, architecture, candlelight, cheese fondue and did I mention Beauty, Beauty, Beauty.

notweaving so glad you liked Oregon! It's a hidden gem! I might be biased though.
I thought I would hate Paris but I love it!
I hated Barcelona the first time I went but went a second time to visit a friend and had a totally different experience.
I went to Vegas as a kid and thought I'd not really like it as an adult but it is amazing. It had changed so much in 20 years!
I've only been to Melbourne but I liked it far more than I expected.