Most disappointing holiday/tourist destination/attractions?
Discussion
had ham said:
And if you think that view is 'world class', you clearly haven't travelled much! 
Have to agree with you there I'm afraid. The Lakes District is amassive let down. And that view just has me wondering if I've packed enough coats and wellies. We drove straight through on the way back from a ill-advised "nostalgia" trip to Blackpool illuminations (don't ask). We found precisely one parking space in Pooley Bridge (which someone was prepared to go all road-rage with us for in front of the kids) as they thought "they had seen it first".
A damp, overpopulated, overrated tourist trap.
LuS1fer said:
Loose_Cannon said:
Places I wouldn't recommend just on personal experience;
Gran Canaria; boring rock in sea, hassle from smug begging well dressed yoofs
[/footnote]
Cyprus, on the other hand, I tend to agree is a bit of a let down.
However, as I always like to qualify, disappointment is always proportional to how much you paid. GC is do-able on a reasonably small budget.
JustinF said:
Mont St Michel
Was the halfway destination for a bicycle tour of Normandy, I knew it was popular, didn't realise it's the third most visited attraction in France, whilst impessive from outside once inside wall to wall tat shops and people shuffling along at 1MPH like a herd of zombies, it was like a s
t disneyland without any rides.
I loved our trip there in 2013, but can see exactly where you are coming from re: tat shops, the empty and uninteresting actual monastery, and also my first experience of the joyless Chinese tourist hordes that have seemingly taken over the planet, with multilingual street signs to suit.Was the halfway destination for a bicycle tour of Normandy, I knew it was popular, didn't realise it's the third most visited attraction in France, whilst impessive from outside once inside wall to wall tat shops and people shuffling along at 1MPH like a herd of zombies, it was like a s
t disneyland without any rides.As has been mentioned there are so many variables dictating whether you have the perfect/worst day of your life, usually beyond your control!
Our experience at Mt St Michel was made complete by fantastic weather and the breathtaking view of the bay from the top. Also it was being buzzed at the time by 3 giant troop transport planes (the French paras were doing display drops of 1000 parachutists the next day for the D-Day celebrations at St Mere Eglize). I could have sat there all day.
It also dpends who you go with - my kids were still "kids" if you know what I mean and growing up fast. It wouldn't be long before they would be off on holidays with friends/boyfriends/girlfriends instead of parents and I knew it was a sort of ending to be enjoyed. Still brings a lump to my throat.
Loose_Cannon said:
had ham said:
And if you think that view is 'world class', you clearly haven't travelled much!
Have to agree with you there I'm afraid. The Lakes District is amassive let down. And that view just has me wondering if I've packed enough coats and wellies. We drove straight through on the way back from a ill-advised "nostalgia" trip to Blackpool illuminations (don't ask). We found precisely one parking space in Pooley Bridge (which someone was prepared to go all road-rage with us for in front of the kids) as they thought "they had seen it first".
A damp, overpopulated, overrated tourist trap.
As for traffic in the Lakes it can be horrendous however go out of season and to the less visited North Lakes it's much better, we go every December for a long weekend and it's great, never to busy and loads on to go and do. Of course if your idea of a holiday is sitting by a crowded pool, getting rat arsed and doing as little as possible its not going to appeal.
Now if we're talking about disappointing holiday destinations I'd go with Paris, filthy rat infested hole, even the food it was famous for was crap in all the restaurants around the centre.
cerbfan said:
Now if we're talking about disappointing holiday destinations I'd go with Paris, filthy rat infested hole, even the food it was famous for was crap in all the restaurants around the centre.
Don’t forget to impart this canard to all your friends, in the hope that they all swallow it, and stay away.The last thing that my French relatives and I need, is hordes of rosbifs, trudging around our beautiful Capital, turning their noses up at escargots, grenouilles, and viande de cheval, seeking out McDonalds and Burger King, uttering merci, as if it’s pronounced mercy.
Might I recommend you savour the delights of pie, mash, and liquor, jellied eels, or ubiquitous in this country, fish and chips, by holidaying in those garden spots of the U.K., Rhyl, Blackpool, Skegness or Cleethorpes.
i think there is a common consensus on paris being a dump. yes most big cities have undesirable dirty bits, but paris is mostly that. nice food though imo. rest of france, bar Lens (the worst place on earth, couldnt get out quick enough after the euro 2016, forgoing a nights accommodation cost for 4 of us to escape its awfulness) from what i have seen is lovely.
swerni said:
Frank7 said:
cerbfan said:
Now if we're talking about disappointing holiday destinations I'd go with Paris, filthy rat infested hole, even the food it was famous for was crap in all the restaurants around the centre.
Don’t forget to impart this canard to all your friends, in the hope that they all swallow it, and stay away.The last thing that my French relatives and I need, is hordes of rosbifs, trudging around our beautiful Capital, turning their noses up at escargots, grenouilles, and viande de cheval, seeking out McDonalds and Burger King, uttering merci, as if it’s pronounced mercy.
Might I recommend you savour the delights of pie, mash, and liquor, jellied eels, or ubiquitous in this country, fish and chips, by holidaying in those garden spots of the U.K., Rhyl, Blackpool, Skegness or Cleethorpes.
Parisians on the other hand are awful people.
theplayingmantis said:
i think there is a common consensus on paris being a dump. yes most big cities have undesirable dirty bits, but paris is mostly that. nice food though imo. rest of france, bar Lens (the worst place on earth, couldnt get out quick enough after the euro 2016, forgoing a nights accommodation cost for 4 of us to escape its awfulness) from what i have seen is lovely.
Hélas! Quel dommage! Desoleé, a large chunk of my northern French relatives live around Lens; Loison, Méricourt, Noyelles.During the Euros, they’d send emails, “Les Anglaises sont ici, avec la maladie Anglaise.”
(The English are here, with the English disease). and ”Chaque jour les Russes les combattent.”
(Each day the Russians fight them).
It couldn’t have been good for anyone, neither you guys, nor the locals, you have my sympathy.
Frank7 said:
theplayingmantis said:
i think there is a common consensus on paris being a dump. yes most big cities have undesirable dirty bits, but paris is mostly that. nice food though imo. rest of france, bar Lens (the worst place on earth, couldnt get out quick enough after the euro 2016, forgoing a nights accommodation cost for 4 of us to escape its awfulness) from what i have seen is lovely.
Hélas! Quel dommage! Desoleé, a large chunk of my northern French relatives live around Lens; Loison, Méricourt, Noyelles.During the Euros, they’d send emails, “Les Anglaises sont ici, avec la maladie Anglaise.”
(The English are here, with the English disease). and ”Chaque jour les Russes les combattent.”
(Each day the Russians fight them).
It couldn’t have been good for anyone, neither you guys, nor the locals, you have my sympathy.
Ireland/Sweden in Paris was good, plenty of craic between the fans, and had a good time in Paris, nice hotel, nice bars, but my 4th visit and maintain its a filthy dump (2 nights running there was a human poop on the wall half slithered down, on the slope to our hotels underground/lower than street level car park. lovely. Lille was lovely for Russia and Slovakia, despite the scaremongering before hand given England and wales fans were gathered there in advance of the lens game. my 3 companions and i spent a good few hours with one of the SS news reporters in a Lille bar chewing the fat, and we saw a bit of trouble from idiot England fans, and got kicked out of a bar too as again idiot England fans started helping themselves (the manager ushered a few of us out the back) before the riot police promptly stormed in front and back! and saw the riot police kettling idiotic groups of fans who were throwing chairs at no one. The majority of any trouble in Lille was caused by England/wales fans vs the police.
then Lens, we had managed to secure accommodation in town, but it was 'rustic' the town a dirty coal mining town at the best of times i guess (no offense if there are nice bits, we missed them), was rank and made more so by being full of said morons we had seen in Lille. We didn't even want to drink it was so dispiriting.
Despite ferry booking the next day we forsook that and accommodation and got the hell out of dodge and managed to get a late night tunnel crossing. my 2 cents on Lens!
Loose_Cannon said:
had ham said:
And if you think that view is 'world class', you clearly haven't travelled much!
Have to agree with you there I'm afraid. The Lakes District is amassive let down. And that view just has me wondering if I've packed enough coats and wellies. We drove straight through on the way back from a ill-advised "nostalgia" trip to Blackpool illuminations (don't ask). We found precisely one parking space in Pooley Bridge (which someone was prepared to go all road-rage with us for in front of the kids) as they thought "they had seen it first".
A damp, overpopulated, overrated tourist trap.
Loose_Cannon said:
Made the mistake of forgetting my driving license so no car hire and limited to buses. This definitely added to the misery and precluded exploring quiet bits. Lesson learned and never forgotten.
Ah, well don't write if off just yet, then. It also has the joy of your being able to travel 10 miles within a single square mile, so contorted are the roads.It's rather sad that most tourists only get to see the bad bits of Spain and still think it's amazing.
Loose_Cannon said:
JustinF said:
Mont St Michel
Was the halfway destination for a bicycle tour of Normandy, I knew it was popular, didn't realise it's the third most visited attraction in France, whilst impessive from outside once inside wall to wall tat shops and people shuffling along at 1MPH like a herd of zombies, it was like a st disneyland without any rides.
I loved our trip there in 2013, but can see exactly where you are coming from re: tat shops, the empty and uninteresting actual monastery, and also my first experience of the joyless Chinese tourist hordes that have seemingly taken over the planet, with multilingual street signs to suit.Was the halfway destination for a bicycle tour of Normandy, I knew it was popular, didn't realise it's the third most visited attraction in France, whilst impessive from outside once inside wall to wall tat shops and people shuffling along at 1MPH like a herd of zombies, it was like a s
t disneyland without any rides.As has been mentioned there are so many variables dictating whether you have the perfect/worst day of your life, usually beyond your control!
Our experience at Mt St Michel was made complete by fantastic weather and the breathtaking view of the bay from the top. Also it was being buzzed at the time by 3 giant troop transport planes (the French paras were doing display drops of 1000 parachutists the next day for the D-Day celebrations at St Mere Eglize). I could have sat there all day.
It also dpends who you go with - my kids were still "kids" if you know what I mean and growing up fast. It wouldn't be long before they would be off on holidays with friends/boyfriends/girlfriends instead of parents and I knew it was a sort of ending to be enjoyed. Still brings a lump to my throat.
It's undeniably beautiful and I'd love to explore it uncrowded, but so would the 3 million other visitors I guess.
As an aside the shuttle buses from the car parks have the meekest horns ever, we cycled down and apparently weren't supposed to, there was some 50db meep meep from the buses, we assumed it was for pedestrian safety, but on the ride back out one of the drivers was getting properly expressive with his arms, so our take-away memory of M S M is us sprinting away from an angry frenchman in a bus rather than it's heritage
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