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.

Loved New York & LA and lots of SoCal. Did not like Miami, Boston or San Francisco. Absolutely hated Las Vegas.
Loved Florence and Umbria. Did not like Venice.
Loved Belize - but we had a guide, so suspect we were protected from the scary bits.
Found Seville a dead bore and couldn't wait to go home - though the smell of orange blossom was spectacular.
Love Berlin. Love the Gower. Love the Isle of Wight. In each case, I was expecting not to.

How can anybody diss Bridport and Dorset ..... spent so many childhood holidays in my Aunt's cottage next to an idyllic farm ..... proper Enid Blyton stuff - remember it all 55 years later; and, yes, it's all still gorgeous there. Also love St Ives. Worst place was the west coast of France .... blimey, most exciting trips were days out to the Hypermarche .... and that wasn't anything to compare to ours.

Cannot imagine being 'meh' about Rome shock

I know

PrivatePike there sure are some amazing sights but Vatican was horrendously too busy to properly enjoy (and we were on one of their booked tours!) as were the other "musts". I hate crowds so that spoiled it ergo overall experience was meh. Food was a bit meh with one exception but maybe we were unlucky.

My 6yo is desperate to go, but we said she must be a bit older, so will return no doubt.

Also it was not in the summer but Spring IIRC

Anybody staying in/near Carcassonne, if you like castles & you've got a car have a look at some of the other Cathar castles

We've been to Peyrepertuse & Queribus - both are stunning. (Lots of sweaty climbing though)

The Réserve Africaine de Sigean (safari park) is a good day out too.

I didn't love Rome - not because the sights weren't amazing, they were, but because they were all behind lanes and lanes of noisy tough traffic. Also most of the restaurants were pretty poor - I guess catering for one-visit tourists. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't go again.

Oh and loved Antigua (safely ensconced in a fabulous club). Also hated Dublin.

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dreamingofsun we went to Puerto Rico in Gran Canaria and it was very nice (this was a few years ago now so not sure if it's changed). On that same holiday we took a day trip into Las Palmas (which I believe is the capital city?) and I loved it so much there that I went back alone for a city break last year. I really enjoyed it

curilox I don't know if your comments were aimed at me but just to let you know I love a bit of history and always read up and research where we are going. Frolicking in fountains yes lovely but - no use if your family are a bit older. Compared to other castles in the area and in Italy where we often go Carcasonne Castle is a bit empty and tbh boring IMHO.

I think this thread shows that we are all different and look for different things from our visits but we shouldn't assume that other people are unprepared (or stupid) just because we have different opinions.

thanks theeternal - we can catch the bus to las palmas - so that's definately one day trip i'll be doing

dreaming - it's definitely worth it. We went on one of the open top hop-on-hop-off tour buses when we were in Las Palmas which was pretty cheap and lovely to sit on. The city is pretty big so we got to see all of it this way, especially when we were only there for the day. We jumped off in the old town and took a tour around that bit which was brilliant, highly recommend it. We had lunch there as well in a tiny little bistro as it was amazing. I'd been practising "do you serve vegetarian food" in Spanish for ages and they were so lovely there and made me a special meal using every type of fruit and vegetable they had! Definitely recommend going on the hop on bus and stopping off in the old town. It was stunning.

oops and it was amazing, not as

Stevie, the secret to Rome is skip the line entry to attractions, or small private tours not organized by the Vatican, or early bird entrance where you enter the Vatican about 2 hours before everyone else. You can also do it in the evening after closing time. You can even do a breakfast with tour included, or a dinner one in the evening.

None of these cost and arm and a leg

HTH 😊

most of the restaurants were pretty poor - I guess catering for one-visit tourists

There is the Real Roman Food Movement that pretty much guarantees you a lovely meal, as well as excellent restaurants who are part of the Slow Food Movement.

I have absolutely loved reading this thread over the last few days. Not going away this year and it is killing me as I live for travelling.

I don't think I have ever been massively disappointed by anywhere I have been but there are definitely places I wouldn't rush back to.

Australia - loved the Northern Territories - Cape Tribulation, Daintree and Kakadu are just stunning. Cities are ok. Racism yep.

New Zealand is extraordinarily beautiful esp if you love hiking and stunning scenery. It felt like Eden to me, places like the Milford Track oh boy what a feast for the eye.

Indonesia - fascinating just loved Lombok, Bali and the Gilli Islands. Balinese people are so unbelievably lovely - I want to retire there and sit in a bar on Nusatengarra.

Thailand - loved it but then I am a sucker for any of those gorgeous South East Asian cultures. The rainforest and beaches were just something else. OP we loved Krabi sad that you didn't like it.

Singapore - bored the first time I went there really liked it the second time.

Malaysia - Cameron Highlands are lovely - Tioman gorgeous.

Nepal - my favourite people on earth along with the Balinese. Scenery and hiking is just incredible. Would love to trek the Annapurna Circuit one day.

India - spent months there and it is exhausting but fascinating. Glad I went when I was younger as not sure my digestive system would cope anymore! Definitely preferred Kerala and the south.

Africa - loved Zimbabwe but this was 20 years ago, Malawi - the loveliest people, Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya mmmm not so keen.

Egypt - I go against the general grain on here. Have been twice but again a long time ago and loved it both times. How someone can say it is man-made and that the Pyramids disappointed I cannot imagine.

South America - Peru - Oh I loved it! Trekked the Inca Trail and oh wow. Some of those mountain cities were just incredible. Macchu Picchu one of the few places that I have been to which was much more beautiful than even the pictures depicted.

Mexico - loved the whole Indiana Jones feeling to it all that jungle and temples! Wonderful.

America - the National Parks are incredible - Zion, Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, loved all of them for very different reasons. Loathed Las Vegas and LA but then I am not a city person so didn't expect to like them. New York fun, San Francisco nice enough.

Canada - only been to Vancouver in the winter, nice enough and skied at Lake Louise which was out of this world, would love to go back in the summer and hike.

Europe - Austria is gorgeous as is Switzerland but yes a bit sterile, Italy - love the people and their way of life, I am also saving France for when I can't go further afield as really prefer an exotic location - the more long haul the better!

So no-where I've been massively disappointed in except perhaps Niagara Falls - surrounded by industrial area and really didn't know that before I went.

I am obsessed with travel and have soooo enjoyed this thread.

Never stop exploring

Cornwall: overcrowded with Johnny Boden types, expensive, and the locals hate tourists- South Wales same scenery with less of the above.
Rome, archaeological sites great but the pollution and traffic meh
Florence - Rome without the archeology
Copenhagen- dirty, bad weather, touristy shops
Boston : not old, locals grumpy

Didn't like Scottish Highlands, we went for the 2nd part of our honeymoon and stayed on Loch Awe, I love the Lakes and expected it to be a bigger version of that but found it vast and bleak, it was impossible to find anywhere to pull over to walk the dogs because there were hardly any pull ins or car parks and when we did find one it was miles of boggy marshland.

Loved Edinburgh, we went thinking it'd be just another city but found it fascinating with lovely people.

A few years back, we went to an all-inclusive in St Lucia for a wedding. Never again.

Firstly, I prefer self catering. An aparthotel is a good compromise for me-has benefits of both. Self catering to me means freedom to get up when I want and still have breakfast and being able to eat when and where I want. This resort had 4 restaurants which you had to book in the morning so no room for spontaneity. They were supposedly all different but really were very samey.

The resort was off the beaten track, when you'd eaten it was too late to go anywhere else except the hotel bar, and you needed taxis anyway. We only went out in the evening once. The resident band were boring once you'd seen them 5 nights on the trot.

The accommodation had ants. One of our party had money stolen, the cleaners were suspected.

We had unseasonable torrential rain. Now I can't blame the resort for that, but it was badly designed for rain. The drainage round the pool was shit, so the puddles were nearly up to our ankles. 3 of the 4 restaurants were open to the elements so not great. All the activities were all dependant on sunny weather-at least the UK/Ireland is geared for rain so there is more to do on wet days.

The wedding itself was nothing special, there was about 8 of us including the B&G and afterwards we all sat round in the bar area thinking ''is that it?'' My own wedding in suburban London was far better . The couple themselves got divorced a few years later. (He was my husband's best mate, though me and him don't get on.)

I was soooo happy to touch down in Gatwick.

The following year we went to St Ives in Cornwall, which we enjoyed so much it started an everlasting luurrve for the area.

Why waterfall you have travelled I'm so jealous I wish I done half of that travelling that's probably my biggest regret not travelling as much as I should've done

I loved Las Vegas, even though I don't drink and we didn't gamble. Restaurants were excellent and the atmosphere was incredible.

Lanzarote was shit. Not going back there in a hurry.

First visit to New York - I was convinced I was going to get mugged on the Subway so was a gibbering wreck the whole time. Have since visited it twice more and love it now.

Rio de Janeiro, yes quite intimidating but a real experience. Loved the brazilian and argentinian food, beef to die for.
Iguazu Falls - breathtaking. It makes Niagra seem like just a bit of a splash and Iguazu is twice as tall, not as commercialised and is in a national park. Going over them in a helicopter is breathtaking - the sheer size and vastness of them and such fun on a boat, the swell was enormous as we got closer and closer... I will never forget that trip.

toadgirl I think I am a bit obsessed though which is not necessarily a good thing! Mortgage will never be paid off whilst others my age have finished paying theirs off and living a more comfortable life financially at least. Still I don't regret one jot of it I have to say.

Oh I forgot, flying over Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe goodness that was fun!

Would love to see Iguazu, did spend some time in the Amazon which was extraordinary - makes you feel extremely insignificant I must say!