Disappointing places
Discussion
Bondi is definitely up there... So many better beaches to go to like Manly.
Cairns is another place that Im glad we were only passing through as on a live-aboard for diving at GBR...
Both full of Chavs, Bogans and backpackers and very very disappointing beachs.
The only thing I like about Bondi was Bondi Icebergs pool... very cool and fun to use.
Cairns is another place that Im glad we were only passing through as on a live-aboard for diving at GBR...
Both full of Chavs, Bogans and backpackers and very very disappointing beachs.
The only thing I like about Bondi was Bondi Icebergs pool... very cool and fun to use.
Pit Pony said:
i4got said:
curlyks2 said:
Paris, Moscow, Milan, Blackpool.
I have to ask. What exactly were you expecting from Blackpool? 
blingybongy said:
Looks like I'll be the first, so here we go.
Las Vegas.
I went for the first and only time in about 1995.
A toilet of a city with lots of lights at night and not a single redeeming factor during daylight other than you can drive somewhere nicer.
It thought everyone knew it was a dive? Like a charged up magaluf.Las Vegas.
I went for the first and only time in about 1995.
A toilet of a city with lots of lights at night and not a single redeeming factor during daylight other than you can drive somewhere nicer.
MiniMan64 said:
The general consensus on this thread seems to be places where everyone else goes are crap
They all start out as great unspoiled places, then they become popular with tourists and Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi lyrics ring true."They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot"
blingybongy said:
Looks like I'll be the first, so here we go.
Las Vegas.
I went for the first and only time in about 1995.
A toilet of a city with lots of lights at night and not a single redeeming factor during daylight other than you can drive somewhere nicer.
I lived in North Las Vegas for 7 years, and it hasn't changed.Las Vegas.
I went for the first and only time in about 1995.
A toilet of a city with lots of lights at night and not a single redeeming factor during daylight other than you can drive somewhere nicer.
HTP99 said:
Barcelona, heard great things about it!
Stank of drains and piss, at night it was full of hookers, pick pockets and people hassling you, the go to; Las Ramblas, was meh, the Cathedral is a building site.
Most abiding memory is waiting outside a restaurant in the pissing rain seeing a multi plug socket, leading up to the restaurant, sat in a puddle of water.
I've been to worse places but they've not been bigged up as being amazing so I'd not been expecting great things, Barcelona to me was a dump and very disappointing.
Not just a dump, also full of pickpockets and thieves in general.Stank of drains and piss, at night it was full of hookers, pick pockets and people hassling you, the go to; Las Ramblas, was meh, the Cathedral is a building site.
Most abiding memory is waiting outside a restaurant in the pissing rain seeing a multi plug socket, leading up to the restaurant, sat in a puddle of water.
I've been to worse places but they've not been bigged up as being amazing so I'd not been expecting great things, Barcelona to me was a dump and very disappointing.
F20CN16 said:
It thought everyone knew it was a dive? Like a charged up magaluf.
It's not that nice.I used to go there a lot for business conferences. No gambling.
Only upsides:
- For conferences that happened later in the year it was quite nice to have drinks in open air bars at night when it is a very nice temperature
- No need to carry an umbrella
- Some okay restaurant choices when the company or client is paying
- The hotel room quality is pretty good in the likes of the Venetian
Hub said:
Pisa - the tower area is it, and that is overrun with crowds. The rest of the city is dead and boring.
Agreed.We went to Tuscany on our honeymoon and stayed in a converted barn in the hills just outside Lucca. It was and is beautiful as were the surrounding towns (Montecatini and Montecatini Alto.
While we were there we got the train the Pisa and I was shocked how bad it was. The bit with the tower was breathtaking but it's in an industrial zone and you're assaulted by 'looky looky' men as soon as you get near it.
Also went to Florence and I thought that was grubby too. In fact, the best bits of Tuscany for me were the bits off the tourist trail like Lucca, Barga, Montecatini, etc, etc.
Agree with Dubai in spades.
However...
- The people were among the friendliest we've encountered...and we've been all over SE Asia, to Japan and to NZ (all friendlier than the UK by a country mile, except in Hanoi, which should have been nuked by the Yanks)
- The beaches (west coast) were definitely on a par with anything mediterranean. Swimming with turtles was pretty damn cool too...
- Sorry, but you must have eaten in the wrong places. Most meals we had were good to very good, and Tides was nudging michelin-star quality. Had far worse meals in the UK at 'rated' places...
And as for NZ - one of our most enjoyable holidays. OK, Taupo is a stereotypical backwater, and Rotorua smells. But the Coromandel peninsula has some good beaches and great roads, Auckland has more stuff within a couple of hours drive than any capital deserves, while South Island is full of...just very cool stuff. Properly good vineyards, adventure sports all year round in Qu'town, overnight boat cruises in Fiordland (try Doubtful over Milford), beautiful mountains to photograph and play on, whale watching, hiking... ... ... Just don't break the speed limit, m'kay!
However...
shirt said:
barbados. the 'best' restaurants would be 'good' at best even in your average uk city. there's no real charm anywhere and the beaches aren't that great as to make the rest worthwhile.
We were there in 2011...- The people were among the friendliest we've encountered...and we've been all over SE Asia, to Japan and to NZ (all friendlier than the UK by a country mile, except in Hanoi, which should have been nuked by the Yanks)
- The beaches (west coast) were definitely on a par with anything mediterranean. Swimming with turtles was pretty damn cool too...
- Sorry, but you must have eaten in the wrong places. Most meals we had were good to very good, and Tides was nudging michelin-star quality. Had far worse meals in the UK at 'rated' places...
PomBstard said:
For those disappointed with Australia, please remember the entire country is Council AF! Start with that premise, and whilst we're not all the same, you'll be prepared for some of the people, esp outside the major cities.
Ah. Interesting perspective. On reflection I can believe that. Might drop it down our bucket list a bit then...And as for NZ - one of our most enjoyable holidays. OK, Taupo is a stereotypical backwater, and Rotorua smells. But the Coromandel peninsula has some good beaches and great roads, Auckland has more stuff within a couple of hours drive than any capital deserves, while South Island is full of...just very cool stuff. Properly good vineyards, adventure sports all year round in Qu'town, overnight boat cruises in Fiordland (try Doubtful over Milford), beautiful mountains to photograph and play on, whale watching, hiking... ... ... Just don't break the speed limit, m'kay!
Edited by havoc on Sunday 29th November 21:57
Surprised Naples hasn't been mentioned. I've travelled around Europe a lot, but this place was a dump. The bumhole of Europe.
I visited Skopje on a work trip. Amazed at the number of people disturbing my beer and/or dinner begging for money. Not a nice place really.
I liked NY, Venice and Brussels. However, places elsewhere in Belgium are far nicer (Bruges, Leuven, Mechelen etc).
I visited Skopje on a work trip. Amazed at the number of people disturbing my beer and/or dinner begging for money. Not a nice place really.
I liked NY, Venice and Brussels. However, places elsewhere in Belgium are far nicer (Bruges, Leuven, Mechelen etc).
Times Square, NYC - I loved the rest of New York, but this was a fourth rate Piccadilly Circus
Milan - only been the once, but struck me as massively dull, covered in graffiti, and full of shady geezers punting fake Louis Vuitton handbags.
Venice Beach, LA. I liked the rest of LA, but Venice seems to be a parody of itself, full of shops selling pot memorabilia and generally being a bit like Blackpool with nicer weather.
Meribel - I have skied in pretty much every major global ski resort. Meribel is head and shoulders above the rest in being filled with chinless wonders with the collar turned up on their polo shirt. Possibly more a thing about the clientele it attracts rather than the place itself. However it also suffers from s
te snow compared to its supposedly inferior neighbour Val Thorens, which looks council but is actually far better for skiing on account of its higher altitude.
Brighton - has tickets on itself as a supposedly cool place. Tries too hard and has a st beach. Devon and Cornwall laugh at it.
Milan - only been the once, but struck me as massively dull, covered in graffiti, and full of shady geezers punting fake Louis Vuitton handbags.
Venice Beach, LA. I liked the rest of LA, but Venice seems to be a parody of itself, full of shops selling pot memorabilia and generally being a bit like Blackpool with nicer weather.
Meribel - I have skied in pretty much every major global ski resort. Meribel is head and shoulders above the rest in being filled with chinless wonders with the collar turned up on their polo shirt. Possibly more a thing about the clientele it attracts rather than the place itself. However it also suffers from s
te snow compared to its supposedly inferior neighbour Val Thorens, which looks council but is actually far better for skiing on account of its higher altitude. Brighton - has tickets on itself as a supposedly cool place. Tries too hard and has a s
t beach. Devon and Cornwall laugh at it. Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff