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.

Lots of places that I've absolutely loved:

• Madrid - was expecting it to be a second rate Barcelona, but found it had it's own vibe, things to do and an indoor tapas bar thing which was fab

• Tofino - on Vancouver Island, totally amazing beach, it's DH and I's witness relocation location of of choice

• Tenerife - people may mock it but we love the beaches and the atmosphere around the Costa Adele area

Places I've not enjoyed so much:

• Albufeira in Portugal - people raved about the old town. We walked through many streets, the main square had tacky cheap restaurants and lots of boozed up Brits, there was one street that seemed more pleasant, perhaps that was it?

• Venice - am glad I have been and we had a nice hotel, but it was overwhelmingly busy, prices of everything were such a rip off and I almost got shunted into the canal at one point when trying to get on a canal bus. Oh and we would have missed our plane had DH not used his sharp elbows to push past the poorly managed queue to get on the boat bus to the airport

• Gairloch in Scotland - lovely scenery but very blustery and windy and even though everyone was saying how nice the weather was, I was still cold with 5 layers on at Easter time. Once you'd admired the scenery and done a few walks there was nothing else to do.

• Las Vegas - fine but if you're not a gambler it's a bit of a waste of time. Plus despite the fact the hotels are beside each other it takes an age to walk anywhere because of all the people and the monorail usually takes you to the very deepest recesses of any casino.

I see nobody's mentioned Benidorm yet DH and I went there for our honeymoon, and we fully expected hoped for it to be like the TV series, maybe worse. We stayed at the quieter Poniente end as opposed to the egg n'chips end, and we were amazed how beautiful and clean the beaches were. The locals were particularly friendly if you made the effort to speak Spanish. We absolutely fell in love with the place, which some of our snobbier acquaintances think is hilarious.

Kefalonia yes, lovely. We went after mandolin and still seemed untouristy and unspoilt.

Agree with Tenby and also Rhossilli are really nice places. Also just thought of Laugharne in South Wales. We went there spur of the moment because of the Dylan Thomas connection and it was breathtaking.

Loved Bali and Kenya.

Loved Zante/Zakinthos hated Kos - filthy beaches etc

Hated sharm el sheik, staff at hotel totally ignored women unless you were one of several wives accompanying tens of incredibly badly behaved children. Went to dinner on my own one night with dc as dh was so ill with stomach issues he couldn't face it and it was as much as I could do to get drinks for us.

Glad I didn't see this thread last month, blind booked Sidari for our holiday. Luckily, we were not in main town and where we were was quiet, family led and quite, quite beautiful.
Also loved Gran Canaria, Crete, Paris and Florence. Maybe am just easy to please. 😄😄

Loved Prague , but went and stayed with people who actually lived there , so only saw the tourist bits in passing and avoided the crowds.

Chester , fab city , great for shopping , spent a really lovely weekend there .

Newquay , didn't get it at all . Felt the same about Padstow until I spent a week there in October , totally different vibe and really enjoyed myself .

Brighton , okish , still astounded the carboot sale charged more for entry before 11am than after , the scounderels ! Prefer Lewes .

And another close to home - Brownsea Island. Felt like a little slice of paradise (but watch out for ticks, the presence of which marks it out somewhat from paradise). Had no idea.

I adore Iceland have done it in winter and summer and it's just amazing. Hated Turkey too much hassling just want peace on holiday.

I actually liked Benidorm Beauty, but I was too embarrassed to admit it! Wouldn't choose to book there but when I went by chance I was very pleasantly impressed.

About the only place I can think of that I wouldn't go back happily to is Los Angeles , I hate it has no heart but is one big sprawl. I agree Florence traffic ruins the place and Vegas is Marmite. I went to attend an event and loved the place , I think if offers far more than most people realise. Orlando again lots of preconceptions and an awful lot of people are pleasantly surprised.

Dublin I love but I wouldn't go near Temple Bar so never see the stag groups. Culture, lovely resturants, great beach to walk along, super music venues , you can't go wrong (except in Temple Bar lol)

Oh Mexico , loved everything except the hawkers. Why the hell would I want to buy a blanket when it's 40 degrees Arghhh lol

Ghent- stayed there as it was cheaper than Bruges and it is a hidden gem.

Loved Croatia, especially Dubrovnik, will definitely go back.

Seville is on my list, keeping hearing great things about it

Stockholm great for long weekend

Didn't like Bangkok, loved Tokyo, felt very scared in Cairo

The place that surprised me was Washington, its so impressive, great museums, huge buildings, not too spread out, you could just feel the power there!

Cornwall: not keen on Padstow but love arty St Ives with its beaches and the coastal walk from St Ives to Zennor on a sunny, turquoise sea day will stay with me forever, stunning.

But most wow, utterly breathtaking place I have ever seen was the North Rim at Grand Canyon.

Tunisia - it looked amazing but it was awful. Disgusting food, blatantly treated as dirt for being female, rude hotel staff, the list is endless. I wouldn't go back if I was paid to.

California - I'd expected to hate it but the bits I saw were amazing and everyone was super friendly.

There are so many places in the world that I love, too many to mention. Thailand is my favorite country overall.

I didn't like Rhodes as it was far too windy and like a building site. Fuerteventura was boring and fake.

I loved Copenhagen! We're not long back from a week there. I didn't see any stag or hen parties, sex shops, smoky bits, and I spent all of Sunday shopping (and popped into the tourist info)! Lots of great parks and things to do with kids. I don't think I waited more than 5mins on any public transport. Very friendly people! But it is expensive!!

Ooh, on Venice? Go there for Christmas. It was enchanting, we went to the opera on Christmas Eve, and truly had the city to ourselves and the locals with not a single wheelie suitcase being dragged over a bridge until Boxing Day, I don't think I would want to see it any other way. There are plenty of better places to go for a summery holiday.

Las Vegas is my absolute favourite city in the world. Talked DH into going for our honeymoon, he was skeptical but loved it too. I had been when I was 16 with a church group and loved it then. Edinburgh is second.

I hated Manchester.

I was hugely surprised by how nice Copenhagen was. I can see it is dividing opinion here but I went on a business trip in a very cross frame of mind (was filling in for a colleague) and had a really nice time. Every single Danish person I met was really nice (and a high proportion of them were v attractive).

Love Tokyo.

Might have to whisper this, but am always underwhelmed by both Paris and Parisians.

Hated Monte Carlo. Imagined that it would be glamourous but it just felt utterly devoid of any soul. Horrible place.

Not expecting much but enjoyed:
Valencia - had the best time there in early October, no tourists, beautiful weather, beaches and city centre.
Bologna - fabulous food
Las Vegas - yes it's tacky but good fun and loads to do (I don't gamble)
Tokyo - really interesting city

Underwhelming:
Sorrento - claustrophobic and dog poo everywhere
Hong Kong - Kowloon was crowded, hot and dirty. Nothing much to do on the island itself.
Fuerta Ventura - worst weather in 30 years when we visited and there was very little to do in the pissing cold rain. Probably lovely in the sun though.

The one I unexpectedly loved was Ibiza. Went for a girls' holiday but loved the vibe and I would certainly go back for a family holiday.

The one I unexpectedly hated was Kalami in Corfu. Generally we love Greece and thought it looked so unspoilt there. Alas, our hotel was not relaxing with loud pool music, the food was dreadful in all but one of the tavernas (never thought I would say that about Greek food) and it just lacked the atmosphere. Wouldn't ever go back.

Love: Arran off the west coast of Scotland, Prague, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Madrid, Lanzarote, Vancouver and trail up west of Canada to the ski resorts, Oslo, Copenhagen, Nanitaal (sp? In India), langkawi in Malaysia, San Francisco, New York, Essouoaira (sp?) in Morocco, Heidelberg

Ok: Paris, Brussels, Fukuoka, Mumbai, Munich, Leiden, The Hague, Washington DC

Dislike: Delhi, Marrakech

I'm amazed by much of this thread - many posters seem to dislike places in a really unreasonable way e.g. Oxford too full of students! Isn't that he point of Oxford?
Loads of places I love others seem to hate for reasons I can't understand. I don't think I've been anywhere I've really hated except a Hacen park in Devon. I've been to a variety of up and win market, touristy and non-touristy places across 4 continents. It's about research and positivity I think.

Excuse typos

Sauze douxe .....Been to dozens of ski resorts but hated this one ! No idea why!