Vacation spots your friends talked up but you hated

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outerbanks NC.

+1. Was so disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wasn’t impressed at all by Honolulu. The fact there are people out there who go all that way just for Waikiki and such is crazy to me!

That said we LOVE both Maui and Kauai. Hoping to check out the Big Island soon.

I've been to Hawaii a bunch and love it. I can see why you would be disappointed if you only go to Honolulu, and specifically Waikiki.

If you venture out, you shouldn't be disappointed. It's absolutely beautiful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Captiva Island, specifically South Seas resort. It was just OK and it was also ALL white, no diversity. All of Sanibel/Captiva was. Never again.

This is the weirdest vacation criteria ever. Nice weather - check, nice beaches - check, nice accommodations - check, good food - check, convenient to fly in/out - check, good value - check. Not enough diversity? Oh, then I guess we won't go there. I've been to beaches all over the world, and I've got news for you, it's ALWAYS mostly white people.

Best joke of the day!

[Anonymous]

I can honestly say I've never hated - or even disliked - a vacation spot. My husband says I'm a relentless Pollyanna, but I've found stuff to love everywhere I've been, from Denali to Rehoboth to Cape Town.

The only one I wouldn't do again is an overnight stay in an igloo. It was a lot of fun, and I'm glad I did it, but now I've done it and don't need to do it again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outerbanks NC.

+1. Was so disappointed.

Is it just the lack of stuff to do? My family had such a great time when I was a kid that my dad bought land there! He sold it eventually and I haven't been back in 15 years.

[Anonymous]

Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Total waste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outerbanks NC.

+1. Was so disappointed.

Is it just the lack of stuff to do? My family had such a great time when I was a kid that my dad bought land there! He sold it eventually and I haven't been back in 15 years.

Didn't you answer your own question by saying you haven't been back in 15 years since you were a kid? Why don't you go back? I don't like the driving, strip malls, lack of walking amenities there. I like a livelier beach experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outerbanks NC.

+1. Was so disappointed.

Is it just the lack of stuff to do? My family had such a great time when I was a kid that my dad bought land there! He sold it eventually and I haven't been back in 15 years.

Didn't you answer your own question by saying you haven't been back in 15 years since you were a kid? Why don't you go back? I don't like the driving, strip malls, lack of walking amenities there. I like a livelier beach experience.

Another who doesn't like the Outer Banks. The drive there is so miserable. I grew up on the lower Eastern Shore and many family and friends vacation on the outer banks, which is weird to me but I guess they want less crowded beaches. Living in DC, the drive there is SO miserable that the rest of it isn't worth it. And there's just not enough to do there (I'm very fair skinned so a full day in the sun isn't great for me).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outerbanks NC.

+1. Was so disappointed.

Is it just the lack of stuff to do? My family had such a great time when I was a kid that my dad bought land there! He sold it eventually and I haven't been back in 15 years.

Didn't you answer your own question by saying you haven't been back in 15 years since you were a kid? Why don't you go back? I don't like the driving, strip malls, lack of walking amenities there. I like a livelier beach experience.

I own a timeshare in Hilton Head and a DVC membership so I vacation there. I didn't answer my own question. But thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can honestly say I've never hated - or even disliked - a vacation spot. My husband says I'm a relentless Pollyanna, but I've found stuff to love everywhere I've been, from Denali to Rehoboth to Cape Town.

The only one I wouldn't do again is an overnight stay in an igloo. It was a lot of fun, and I'm glad I did it, but now I've done it and don't need to do it again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wasn’t impressed at all by Honolulu. The fact there are people out there who go all that way just for Waikiki and such is crazy to me!

That said we LOVE both Maui and Kauai. Hoping to check out the Big Island soon.

+1. On my fourth trip to Hawaii, I finally went to Honolulu. It wasn't awful, but I didn't really like it all that much and definitely wouldn't fly 12 hours to go there. My favorites are the Big Island and Kauai -- those are both like paradise. I've only spent about 5 days on Maui, so not sure I'm qualified to judge it. I did really like it, but just not as much as the other two. I do wonder if the people who are not that into Hawaii spent too much time in Honolulu.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rehobeth/Delaware beaches. Seriously, the only thing going for it is location and proximity to DC.

Florence- was really bored by all the same, religious art in the famous museums.

+1

NJ beaches are a comparable distance and a million times nicer.

+totally agree with this. NJ beaches are so much nicer.

Awful. If you want beaches, go south. The only people I know who like northern beaches are the people who grew up in NY, PA, etc., and spent their childhood going to the "shore."

I go to the beach to swim and lay in the sun. If driving, you gotta go to the outer banks or farther. If flying, head to Florida, Mexico or the Caribbean.

I'm with you. My ILs owned a house on one of the nicer NJ beaches and I just hated it. The water was so cold and the surf was so rough. And it was always either too hot on the beach, or too windy with sand flying everywhere. And the food in the beach town was incredibly over-priced. Like worse than Hawaii -- they were just bilking all these old rich New Yorkers. I admit I'm not a huge beach person, but I have enjoyed going to the beach in places like Hawaii, Mexico, the Carribean, Costa del Sol, Hilton Head. I really don't get the appeal of the NJ beaches, other than that they are close to NY and NJ. I've never been to the MD/Del beaches, so can't compare them to NJ. I've avoided them because I assumed they were similar to NJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outerbanks NC.

+1. Was so disappointed.

Is it just the lack of stuff to do? My family had such a great time when I was a kid that my dad bought land there! He sold it eventually and I haven't been back in 15 years.

Didn't you answer your own question by saying you haven't been back in 15 years since you were a kid? Why don't you go back? I don't like the driving, strip malls, lack of walking amenities there. I like a livelier beach experience.

Another who doesn't like the Outer Banks. The drive there is so miserable. I grew up on the lower Eastern Shore and many family and friends vacation on the outer banks, which is weird to me but I guess they want less crowded beaches. Living in DC, the drive there is SO miserable that the rest of it isn't worth it. And there's just not enough to do there (I'm very fair skinned so a full day in the sun isn't great for me).

Isn't it great that the east coast offers so many different types of beaches? There are beaches for people who love a lively experience, and beaches for people who want to sit back and chill in the sand. It shouldn't be a judgement on the place itself (one beach being "better" than another), just recognition that we all look for different things in a vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wasn’t impressed at all by Honolulu. The fact there are people out there who go all that way just for Waikiki and such is crazy to me!

That said we LOVE both Maui and Kauai. Hoping to check out the Big Island soon.

+1. On my fourth trip to Hawaii, I finally went to Honolulu. It wasn't awful, but I didn't really like it all that much and definitely wouldn't fly 12 hours to go there. My favorites are the Big Island and Kauai -- those are both like paradise. I've only spent about 5 days on Maui, so not sure I'm qualified to judge it. I did really like it, but just not as much as the other two. I do wonder if the people who are not that into Hawaii spent too much time in Honolulu.

+2 we did five days on Oahu and six Kauai. Pearl Harbor was fascinating and hiking Diamond Head was neat but it wasn’t until we got to Kauai that I really felt that “bliss” and magic I was expecting from Hawaii.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Captiva Island, specifically South Seas resort. It was just OK and it was also ALL white, no diversity. All of Sanibel/Captiva was. Never again.

This is the weirdest vacation criteria ever. Nice weather - check, nice beaches - check, nice accommodations - check, good food - check, convenient to fly in/out - check, good value - check. Not enough diversity? Oh, then I guess we won't go there. I've been to beaches all over the world, and I've got news for you, it's ALWAYS mostly white people.

Aren't you privileged. It makes people uncomfortable to be the only minority in a vacation destination, as if we can't relaxed. Plus, you must lead a very sheltered life if you only vacation where it is only mostly white people.

I’m the South Seas PP who didn’t like it. Yes, this. I’m actually white but my DH and kids are not. People stared and were not overly friendly. The not-overly-friendly part isn’t a big deal, we live in the DC metro so we are used to that. But we literally saw ONE black family and one Asian family the whole week we were there. So while it’s not like people were overtly rude or racist, DH felt uncomfortable as as “only,” which I understand as I’ve been in reverse situations with him where I’m the only white person, so I get it.

Besides that, I think I’m just not a fan of the Gulf side of Florida. We went in the summer so the water was like bath water. The food on the island wasn’t very good. The accommodations were just OK, nothing special. It wasn’t like it was the worst vacation ever or anything, but we had never been and we had high hopes. YMMV.