To ask what you dreamed would be fabulous but is actually maybe a bit shit

[hitsvilleuk]

I think this about lots of things to do with celebrity lives, when I was younger I thought it all would amazing now not so sure.

A particular one I have is that I always longed for a villa on the Italian lakes. We went to a hotel there one year for 5 days ( in the same village as George Clooney ) It pissed down for 3 days. Everything was dark and damp and that combined with the endless queuing for flights and the thought of maintaining a property in another country sort of did for the dream. Not achievable without a lottery win anyway but now I don't even want it.

Anyone else got stuff like this or that they actually got and then thought 'meh'. I seem to have it about more and more things as I get on - I just don't want stuff anymore. Is it just to do with age?

I love New York, even the much maligned Times Square

Bungalows - always a tiny bit damp with a side serving of mould and gardens the size of fields that you can never get on top of.

Monaco and several other places along that coastline. Weird intense lifeless feel to the whole place. Casino was shit.

@BrownEyedGirl80

Dublin.The nightlife was brilliant but the food was very expensive.80 euros for 4 bowls of fish chowder and 4 drinks.

Ive kept a receipt from Temple Bar as a souvenir from a hen do I went on there. €18 for a single gin and tonic.

@GettingUntrapped

Went whale watching in New Zealand. I was so seasick (most others on board were too). Couldn't wait to get off and never, ever do that activity again.

You need the electronic wristbands. I get dreadful travel sickness but wanted to go whale watching. I know I don't do well on boats but it was the only way to see the,]m. We found an eco service which had boats without the diesel type smell and who had these wristbands (apparently nasa was involved in their development previously) and they did work. Maybe it was psychosomatic but it really helped, whereas everything else I've used before or since hasn't. I did look to buy one but they aren't cheap.

The Statue of Liberty. I loved my trip to NY, but was a bit disappointed with the S of L. I’d seen it lots - pictures, movies TV programs, but when we visited I thought it looked way smaller in real life.

@ginghamtablecloths

As a child I thought it would be great to live by the seaside, despite Mum having lived by the sea in her youth and telling us it wasn't that great. It's nice but not wonderful. There are fewer jobs with lower wages, very crowded in summer, property is much more expensive, community charge much higher, public transport is poor so you're a bit out on a limb if you don't drive, fewer theatres, cinemas etc.

I have a completely different experience. I live 3 roads up from the sea and on the front we have a cinema and a theatre. Also lots of transport. I'm one road away from the train station and there are buses everywhere.

I agree with it being busy in summer though. On nice days it can be heaving.

We went to St Lucia for a friend's wedding.

The resort was all inclusive and was quite isolated from the rest of the island. There were 4 restaurants but all very Ramey really. The in-house band played every night and got boring.

To make matters worse we went during a very unseasonal rainy spell. The resort was not geared up for it as all the activities were geared up for sunny weather. 3 of the 4 restaurants were open to the elements so we were soaked. Also it hadn't been built with that much rain and the drainage was shit, we were walking round and there were parts where the puddles were up to our ankles, unlike the uk where pavemenrrs etc have a camber to them to drain rainwater off.

The following year we went to Cornwall and fell in love with thdd place and have returned several times since.

India. Non stop sexual harassment and hassle. Horrible treatment of the poor. Definitely not a spiritual awakening.
LA. Bland and the beaches are dirty.
Sydney Opera house. Really beautiful from an aerial photo, but just a big lump of concrete up close. (Although I love the interior)
Disney land. My parents saved up for ages to take us when I was 14. I was probably a bit old for the 'magic' but I just remember queuing and feeling like I was in a giant shopping mall. And going out for dinner in Orlando was scary, we spotted a few people carrying guns.

Prosecco. Most people bang on about how great Prosecco is. So I tried it. Absolutely disgusting.

Much prefer champagne. So wish it was the other way round.

@joysexreno. Oh, and snorkeling. It basically gave me a panic attack
Me too! Found it totally claustrophobic and I’d wanted to try it for years!

Dublin is truly awful. It really is. I feel sad any time that I am there, (I am always travelling through) I get hassled by junkies every time that I am there, looking for money

I did most of my travelling before the advent of really cheap flights, and am disappointed to see that so many places that posters have been to have been disappointing. It sounds like mass tourism really has spoiled so many places.

I agree with this, most iconic sights and places are now too crowded to be able to enjoy them properly.

@Bumblebee1980a

Prosecco. Most people bang on about how great Prosecco is. So I tried it. Absolutely disgusting.

Much prefer champagne. So wish it was the other way round.

I quite like champagne and Prosecco but there are other nice sparkling wines such as NZ Oyster Bay.

I went to Dublin in 1990 and thought it was really dirty with woman selling stuff from old prams - hadn't seen that at home for decades. We thought we'd go out for a stroll in the evening and do some window shopping but all the shops had metal shutters so nothing to see.

Wouldn't go back as it now seems to be very expensive as well.

Agree with afternoon tea, I never learn. The sandwiches are bland and either soggy or curling at the edges, the cakes are always far too sweet and it is too much food. I enjoy the scones, I should just go for a cup of tea and a scone.

I have had both experiences of Paris, I went for the first time about 17 years ago with my Dsiss and our cousin. I was prepared to be be underwhelmed, but loved it so much. I've been twice since with DH and it was pretty awful: dirty, threatening (got pick pocketed on the Metro), terrible food, hassled by street vendors, mentally ill homeless people. Both times I hoped to recreate that first experience, but it seemed like a different universe.

Buying a more expensive car. It is lovely to drive, but I am in it so infrequently and the DC have still managed to make it filthy.

Camping, some people pretend to like it in some weird superiority thing. It is like being at home, but far worse.

Agree with Prosecco! But there are other nice options (eg cremant) that are cheaper than champagne.

Can’t believe a pp is dissing bungalows. I love bungalows. And bridge. I’d make an excellent pensioner

Thanks @CounsellorTroi might give it a try.

I will continue to taste cava's as they have a more similar taste to champagne than Prosecco.

The ice hotel in Sweden - horrific nights sleep but I was old and not pissed. You get a certificate afterwards which says it all. Also northern lights were fabulous but lasted about 10 seconds so it just made me want more.

Promotion. Get job you love, do it well. Get promoted... For a tiny fraction more money you get to do loads of paperwork and manage other people doing the job you loved. None of whom appear to love it...

Surely most everyone prefers champagne but drinks prosecco due to price????

I had to come on this thread to say I LOVE BUTLINS. It's a great holiday for kids with brilliant pools and shows and a fairground all free in the price. However as I child I always wanted a Mr. Frosty and the a la cart kitchen where the child woke up her Dad for breakfast which was a jam swiss roll wedged into a plate of beans. (any one else remember that advert? ) I also bought the chocolate coin maker as mentioned by a previous poster. Melted a 500g bar of dairy milk and got about 3 chocolate coins!! Still don't know what happened to all the chocolate?

@Sarahtrue11

Dublin is truly awful. It really is. I feel sad any time that I am there, (I am always travelling through) I get hassled by junkies every time that I am there, looking for money

Sadly true. I'd advice anyone visiting to jump on the train to Howth or Dun Laoghaire. Or at any rate avoid Temple Bar.

@Houseofvelour same here. Love living by the sea. Best thing we ever did was move to the seaside. Got the theatre, cinema, big shops independent shops and some of the most fantastic restaurants. Loads for kids to do. Lots of events and parades.

The summer is MANIC, though. No point driving if you don’t have to. The roads are rammed.

It depends which seaside town you choose to move to. There are lots I wouldn’t want to live in no matter how beautiful the view.

I’ve just thought of another, the film La La Land. Everyone raved about it and that I’d apparently love it! I thought it was probably the most overrated film I’ve ever had to sit through.

@Mummadeze

The Great Barrier Reef. The coral was much more amazing in Thailand and Mexico. V v disappointed!

The Great Barrier Reef is dying, isn’t it?

I’ve thought of another one - truffles (the fungus kind). I spent £8.50 on two black truffles the size of button mushrooms. I’m glad I tried them, but they didn’t have much flavour. I really don’t understand what the fuss is about.