Biggest disappointment and nicest surprise

[Kejan]

Any place you've been to that was a huge disappointment, or the opposite?

I'm an easily pleased and simple man, and often can see charm in shitholes especially if there's a bit of sun, so I'm racking my brains thinking of somewhere I was hugely dissapointed to see, but a place where I was pleasantly surprised was Los Angeles. I was only there for 3 days and no hire car - public transport isn't great - but managed to see a fair bit of it, go to a couple of TV shows/tours. Surprised as the small amount of people I've heard or met who've been here often talk it down. 

 

[Northboy]

Biggest disappointment was New York - I'd always wanted to go there but found it tacky, commercial and expensive. Most pleasant surprise was Colombia (Bogota and Medellin) - turned out to be a lovely, welcoming country.

[Jeek]

Dissapointed with Marrakech, we were there a week which was probably too long on reflection but we didn't really like it. you accept that on holiday you'll get ripped off a bit but it was taking the piss, absolutely everybody was out to con you. This in turn made you not hang around and sightsee like you'd want to. having said that. the riads can be fantastic and the trips to the Atlas mountains and the Sahara desert overnight were good. Essaouira on the coast was nice.

 

Surprised with Prague, we went on a holiday pirates deal with Lady Jeek, £90 for 4 nights 4* hotel, flights and transfers. found the place really nice, lots to see and do, she loves architecture / art type stuff so going round the umpteen statues was good. decided to do it not as part of a tour, but if you're struggling to find the statues (they're often hidden away) they can be useful....... also cheap beer!

[atfccfc]

I was disappointed with Hamburg. Heard really good things about it before we went, but I just didn't really like it. 

Pleasantly surprised by Berlin and Madrid. Thought Berlin was fantastic and Madrid seems to be a Spanish city that gets either played down for forgotten about. But is a superb place. 

[Waspy]

I was disappointed with Hamburg. Heard really good things about it before we went, but I just didn't really like it. 
Pleasantly surprised by Berlin and Madrid. Thought Berlin was fantastic and Madrid seems to be a Spanish city that gets either played down for forgotten about. But is a superb place. 

I agree with you on Madrid, excellent city.

[AsimButtHitsASix]

Disappointment was Prague. Gorgeous place during the day and would love to go back but, at night, turned into a shithole. Nothing but drug dealers, whores, stag parties and strip clubs. Got a mate who stays there now says if ye know where ye going ye can steer clear of all that part of it but that was no use to me at the time.

Surprise  was a village called Uberlingen Nussdorf in the south of Germany by Lake Konstanz. Spent all day travelling there to meet a pal from Linz. I loved Linz and was staying with a tasty redhead lassie and wanted to stay but my pal was spending the summer at a house there and I promised her I'd see her and that was the only weekend she was free. Was brilliant. Great pubs, great food, even tho' it's quite touristy the locals were friendly, scenery was beautiful. Great place.

4 hours ago, atfccfc said:

I was disappointed with Hamburg. Heard really good things about it before we went, but I just didn't really like it. 

 

I went to Hamburg, found a place to stay, got changed, walked out the hostel to buy some food, shat myself, and went back to the hostel and spent the night in the shower shitting and vomiting everywhere thanks to a dodgy kebab in Munich.

Had to leave the next day.

 

5 hours ago, Jeek said:

Dissapointed with Marrakech, we were there a week which was probably too long on reflection but we didn't really like it. you accept that on holiday you'll get ripped off a bit but it was taking the piss, absolutely everybody was out to con you. This in turn made you not hang around and sightsee like you'd want to. having said that. the riads can be fantastic and the trips to the Atlas mountains and the Sahara desert overnight were good. Essaouira on the coast was nice.

 

Agreed with all of that. Loved the mountains and beach in Morocco and Marrakech was fun for a day but it's exhausting.

[welshbairn]

Albufeira in Portugal as the best place. I only went because it was ridiculously cheap and expected it to be full of fat people from Oldham with Union Flag tattoos. Got a lovely split level apartment overlooking the sea, and there were a few Portuguese people about as well as Dutch. It was the off season though.

Barcelona is the the worst place. Just think that every other city in Spain is more relaxed and enjoyable, and ok, they might not have the Sagrada Familia, but they've all got stunning architecture. Why did we knock most of ours down?

[pandarilla]

Biggest disappointment was New York - I'd always wanted to go there but found it tacky, commercial and expensive. Most pleasant surprise was Colombia (Bogota and Medellin) - turned out to be a lovely, welcoming country.

Did you expect new york to be cheap and not commercial?

[atfccfc]

1 hour ago, AsimButtHitsASix said:

Disappointment was Prague. Gorgeous place during the day and would love to go back but, at night, turned into a shithole. Nothing but drug dealers, whores, stag parties and strip clubs. Got a mate who stays there now says if ye know where ye going ye can steer clear of all that part of it but that was no use to me at the time.

Surprise  was a village called Uberlingen Nussdorf in the south of Germany by Lake Konstanz. Spent all day travelling there to meet a pal from Linz. I loved Linz and was staying with a tasty redhead lassie and wanted to stay but my pal was spending the summer at a house there and I promised her I'd see her and that was the only weekend she was free. Was brilliant. Great pubs, great food, even tho' it's quite touristy the locals were friendly, scenery was beautiful. Great place.

I went to Hamburg, found a place to stay, got changed, walked out the hostel to buy some food, shat myself, and went back to the hostel and spent the night in the shower shitting and vomiting everywhere thanks to a dodgy kebab in Munich.

Had to leave the next day.

 

 

Agreed with all of that. Loved the mountains and beach in Morocco and Marrakech was fun for a day but it's exhausting.

So jealous. You had a better time than I did 

Note to self. Don't get a Kebab if in Munich.

[AsimButtHitsASix]

2 hours ago, atfccfc said:

So jealous. You had a better time than I did 

Note to self. Don't get a Kebab if in Munich.

Not the ones next to the train station anyway.

Off teh Hamburg for a stag do in a coupla months. Gonna head over on my todd either a week early or stay a week later and do another inter rail tour. Cannae wait.

[ArabGaz]

I was really disappointed with Vienna. It's quite pretty to look at (in places) but I found it incredibly dull. Two or three hours east on a train and you could be in the vastly superior (and cheaper) Budapest.

[invergowrie arab]

Barcelona - shitehole. The ramblas at night an absolute pit.

Best Valencia - wasnt expecting too much but really friendly, relaxed and beautiful city.

[fanny paddery]

2 hours ago, ArabGaz said:

I was really disappointed with Vienna. It's quite pretty to look at (in places) but I found it incredibly dull. Two or three hours east on a train and you could be in the vastly superior (and cheaper) Budapest.
 

Fully agree with that. Probably one of the dullest places I have been to in Europe!!

[Fuctifano]

Biggest disappointment was probably Rio de Janeiro. Don’t know whether it was just cos it was the first place I’d been to in South America but I felt I was on my guard 24/7, that I was being ripped off constantly, and as such it was much pricier than I’d thought it would be.

Flipside is Montevideo, which I expected to be a bit of a grimy midden, was an excellent medium-size city with lots to see and do, great food, and fantastic value for money.

[budmiester1]

For me it was Santa Monica that was the biggest disappointment, looked nice from the tour bus but I quickly realised that it was full of down and outs. Continually pestered by panhandlers. I suppose it was my own fault for thinking it would be this great place on the beach with everyone surfing with Baywatch lookalikes LOL

[DiegoDiego]

Biggest disappointment was Baku, full of Aberdonians and oil wanks.
Nicest surprise was probably Sarajevo. I wasn't sure what to expect but it's in a beautiful location with incredible history and a lively arts scene. I also saw Bosnia take down Turkey 3-2 there.

In terms of countries the biggest disappointments were Guatemala, which was not a patch on neighbouring Mexico or El Salvador, and Egypt, which incredible monuments aside is essentially just the Nile's anus.
The nicest surprises were Kosovo, a really interesting place with a lot in a small area; Androrra, from which I expected nothing but was surprisingly entertained by its foibles; and Algeria, which is likely the most fascinating country you've never thought of visiting.

[marty_j]

Disappointment: Amsterdam just found it overatted and overpriced
Surprise: Zakopane on Polish\Slovak border. Cheap beautiful and well worth the sub three hour bus ride from Karakow. Had first family holiday to Majorca this year too - was expecting it to be shitty place but loved it stayed in Palma Nova which was very pleasant.

[JakeSAFC]

Disappointment: Paris, overpriced smelly shitehole.

Special mention to Kavos to, that was to be expected though.

Surprise: Almeria, one of the best holidays I have been on.

Special mention to Nerja, another brilliant place.

[alta-pete]

Echo the disappointed calls for Barcelona. Really didn't get it.

Biggest surprise was (off season) Benidorm old town. Very Spanish, chilled and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[hk blues]

Bahamas was a let down. Expensive as you'd expect but not much going on outside the hotels, and the entertainment in the hotels pretty 2nd or even 3rd rate.

San Francisco was much more convenient to get around than I'd expected considering it's a fairly big city.