Vacation spots your friends talked up but you hated

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also thought Hawaii was just ok. for the amount of time it took to get there, I really wanted everything to be just over the top amazing, and while it was all really nice, I was a little underwhelmed.

+100. And the cost of everything! Outrageous. The Caribbean is way better, closer, more beautiful and less expensive.

How can anyone possibly say the Caribbean is more beautiful than Hawaii?

They haven't been to Kauai.

PP here. Neither have I. I've only been to Oahu and I thought it was gorgeous. And truthfully, I had always suspected that Hawaii was overrated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also thought Hawaii was just ok. for the amount of time it took to get there, I really wanted everything to be just over the top amazing, and while it was all really nice, I was a little underwhelmed.

+100. And the cost of everything! Outrageous. The Caribbean is way better, closer, more beautiful and less expensive.

How can anyone possibly say the Caribbean is more beautiful than Hawaii?

They haven't been to Kauai.

Are you the same PP who keeps touting Kauai, Kauai, Kauai?? Give it a rest. Some of us were simply not that impressed with Hawaii. Even - yes - Kauai.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:OBX -- horrible! Confederate Flags and rednecks all over the place

Is this true?

Not really. I know people on here love to bash the Outer Banks, but we love it. I can see if you stayed in Kitty Hawk or Nags Head that it may not be your thing. It's a little commercialized there and some of the beaches aren't the best, but south of Oregon Inlet on Hatteras is pretty nice. Beaches are nicer, water's warmer, there's lots of water sports on ocean and the sound. It's pretty quiet, some may call it boring, but it's perfect for us. Bashing all of the Outer Banks is like bashing all of Cape Cod. Cape Cod, like the Outer Banks, has some really fantastic spots, but mixed in are some places that aren't that fantastic. Final thing with OBX, unfortunately all of the horror stories about driving there are mostly true, but that can be said for most of the region from DC to Boston. We have our route to the beach. It's longer, but bypasses the madness of I95 and 64.

I posted a couple pages ago that the drive is really only terrible if you go on Saturday with the intent of arriving between 10am -6 pm.

I do the drive about 20 times a year and live in Annapolis it is typically about 4:45-5.5 hours, with gas and food stops.

Obviously if you are leaving weekday evening in the middle of rush hour it will take longer.

Meant to say it is only really bad if you plan to arrive between 10-6 on Saturday.

The drive is painful anytime, that is just part of the problem. That, and there are MUCH nicer beaches within or close to that distance. Since you brought it up.

[Anonymous]

Isle of palms SC
Scottsdale AZ
Helen GA (the worst!)
Siesta Key FL
Clearwater Beach FL
Nashville TN

[Anonymous]

The Bahamas has hundreds of islands. How can you say you hate an entire country when you only visited one city there?

The Out Islands in the Bahamas are some of my favorite places on earth! Check them out next time. They are nothing like Nassau, Atlantis or Freeport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OBX -- horrible! Confederate Flags and rednecks all over the place

Is this true?

Not really. I know people on here love to bash the Outer Banks, but we love it. I can see if you stayed in Kitty Hawk or Nags Head that it may not be your thing. It's a little commercialized there and some of the beaches aren't the best, but south of Oregon Inlet on Hatteras is pretty nice. Beaches are nicer, water's warmer, there's lots of water sports on ocean and the sound. It's pretty quiet, some may call it boring, but it's perfect for us. Bashing all of the Outer Banks is like bashing all of Cape Cod. Cape Cod, like the Outer Banks, has some really fantastic spots, but mixed in are some places that aren't that fantastic. Final thing with OBX, unfortunately all of the horror stories about driving there are mostly true, but that can be said for most of the region from DC to Boston. We have our route to the beach. It's longer, but bypasses the madness of I95 and 64.

I posted a couple pages ago that the drive is really only terrible if you go on Saturday with the intent of arriving between 10am -6 pm.

I do the drive about 20 times a year and live in Annapolis it is typically about 4:45-5.5 hours, with gas and food stops.

Which are the best times and days of the week to drive there and SC beaches? We're planning to go for the first time this summer.

Obviously if you are leaving weekday evening in the middle of rush hour it will take longer.

Meant to say it is only really bad if you plan to arrive between 10-6 on Saturday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OBX -- horrible! Confederate Flags and rednecks all over the place

Is this true?

No. Our family has gone for decades and never have encountered what pp says.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OBX -- horrible! Confederate Flags and rednecks all over the place

Is this true?

No. Our family has gone for decades and never have encountered what pp says.

But, NC.

[Anonymous]

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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.

Huh- I was just considering this for Spring Break? Details?

Lol, I just booked this for spring break after reading reviews here and elsewhere. And we’re AA—lucky us.

Oh wow-us too! We are white but appreciate living in a diverse area. Now rethinking!!

It used to be called south seas plantation, and it's an overpriced dump. Plus, there are sharks all over the resort (by the pier and the beaches). We didn't have to pay for our trip (relative worked there, and rooms were comped), so I can't really complain.

Except you are (complaining). And characterizing an entire area based on your one experience at one resort. I would suggest that pp take this with a grain of salt.

Well, it’s not like there are tons of resorts around there. South Seas is kind of the main deal, though there certainly are other hotels and condos. I’m the first PP who posted about our experience at South Seas, not the one immediately quoted above, but it seems to me it’s not just one person’s outlying experience. But as I said before, YMMV. Someone else may have a completely different experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[quotel=Anonymous]Can we please move on from OBX? And back to the original topic? I was enjoying it before.

I thought Ireland was pretty lame. People talk it up so much I don't get it. Some one up thread said they hated Morocco. I loved it. One of my favorite trips.

Tell me more about Ireland- why was it lame? I wanted to plan a trip there.

Depends on what you're looking for. As others pointed out, it's almost always wet to some degree, it's almost always overcast to some degree, food is indifferent and not reliable unless you do very, very careful research and are willing to go well out of your way to this or that restaurant. Dublin is small and provincial compared to, say, London or Paris and doesn't have the charms of Edinburgh or Prague or Munich. A lot of Ireland has a dreariness to it despite the very lovely countryside. Maybe it's the rain! I'd still happily go back because a part of me likes that misty gray weather, especially along the rugged west coast of Ireland. But if you're looking for interesting and different (or lots of) culture, you're not going to find that in Ireland.

Can't find lots of culture on an island with Neolithic sites that are older than The Pyramids? K.....

[Anonymous]

I didn’t enjoy Barcelona. There were some nice moments but overall I was bored. I think it’s because I didn’t care for the architecture and that’s a big part of the appeal to many people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OBX -- horrible! Confederate Flags and rednecks all over the place

Is this true?

Not really. I know people on here love to bash the Outer Banks, but we love it. I can see if you stayed in Kitty Hawk or Nags Head that it may not be your thing. It's a little commercialized there and some of the beaches aren't the best, but south of Oregon Inlet on Hatteras is pretty nice. Beaches are nicer, water's warmer, there's lots of water sports on ocean and the sound. It's pretty quiet, some may call it boring, but it's perfect for us. Bashing all of the Outer Banks is like bashing all of Cape Cod. Cape Cod, like the Outer Banks, has some really fantastic spots, but mixed in are some places that aren't that fantastic. Final thing with OBX, unfortunately all of the horror stories about driving there are mostly true, but that can be said for most of the region from DC to Boston. We have our route to the beach. It's longer, but bypasses the madness of I95 and 64.

I posted a couple pages ago that the drive is really only terrible if you go on Saturday with the intent of arriving between 10am -6 pm.

I do the drive about 20 times a year and live in Annapolis it is typically about 4:45-5.5 hours, with gas and food stops.

Obviously if you are leaving weekday evening in the middle of rush hour it will take longer.

Meant to say it is only really bad if you plan to arrive between 10-6 on Saturday.

The drive is painful anytime, that is just part of the problem. That, and there are MUCH nicer beaches within or close to that distance. Since you brought it up.

5-5.5 hours is painful for a week long or more vacation? What are these other beaches you speak of?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OBX -- horrible! Confederate Flags and rednecks all over the place

Is this true?

Not really. I know people on here love to bash the Outer Banks, but we love it. I can see if you stayed in Kitty Hawk or Nags Head that it may not be your thing. It's a little commercialized there and some of the beaches aren't the best, but south of Oregon Inlet on Hatteras is pretty nice. Beaches are nicer, water's warmer, there's lots of water sports on ocean and the sound. It's pretty quiet, some may call it boring, but it's perfect for us. Bashing all of the Outer Banks is like bashing all of Cape Cod. Cape Cod, like the Outer Banks, has some really fantastic spots, but mixed in are some places that aren't that fantastic. Final thing with OBX, unfortunately all of the horror stories about driving there are mostly true, but that can be said for most of the region from DC to Boston. We have our route to the beach. It's longer, but bypasses the madness of I95 and 64.

I posted a couple pages ago that the drive is really only terrible if you go on Saturday with the intent of arriving between 10am -6 pm.

I do the drive about 20 times a year and live in Annapolis it is typically about 4:45-5.5 hours, with gas and food stops.

Obviously if you are leaving weekday evening in the middle of rush hour it will take longer.

Meant to say it is only really bad if you plan to arrive between 10-6 on Saturday.

The drive is painful anytime, that is just part of the problem. That, and there are MUCH nicer beaches within or close to that distance. Since you brought it up.

5-5.5 hours is painful for a week long or more vacation? What are these other beaches you speak of?

The drive is never less than 6 hours, anytime, sadly. That, and it is just not worth it. If you like OBX, you won't like other beaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OBX -- horrible! Confederate Flags and rednecks all over the place

Is this true?

Not really. I know people on here love to bash the Outer Banks, but we love it. I can see if you stayed in Kitty Hawk or Nags Head that it may not be your thing. It's a little commercialized there and some of the beaches aren't the best, but south of Oregon Inlet on Hatteras is pretty nice. Beaches are nicer, water's warmer, there's lots of water sports on ocean and the sound. It's pretty quiet, some may call it boring, but it's perfect for us. Bashing all of the Outer Banks is like bashing all of Cape Cod. Cape Cod, like the Outer Banks, has some really fantastic spots, but mixed in are some places that aren't that fantastic. Final thing with OBX, unfortunately all of the horror stories about driving there are mostly true, but that can be said for most of the region from DC to Boston. We have our route to the beach. It's longer, but bypasses the madness of I95 and 64.

I posted a couple pages ago that the drive is really only terrible if you go on Saturday with the intent of arriving between 10am -6 pm.

I do the drive about 20 times a year and live in Annapolis it is typically about 4:45-5.5 hours, with gas and food stops.

Obviously if you are leaving weekday evening in the middle of rush hour it will take longer.

Meant to say it is only really bad if you plan to arrive between 10-6 on Saturday.

The drive is painful anytime, that is just part of the problem. That, and there are MUCH nicer beaches within or close to that distance. Since you brought it up.

5-5.5 hours is painful for a week long or more vacation? What are these other beaches you speak of?

The drive is never less than 6 hours, anytime, sadly. That, and it is just not worth it. If you like OBX, you won't like other beaches.

I posted the 5-5 hour comment. As I mentioned before , I do the drive about 20 times a year. Outside of Saturday and a severe accident it doesn't take 6 hours +. We love OBX and we vacation in Hilton Head a couples weeks out of the year. Frequently go to Miami, Siesta, Tybee, Montauck/Hamptons and Cape May. We like all of them for different reasons. I don't understand why you would say people who like OBX wouldn't like other beaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[quotel=Anonymous]Can we please move on from OBX? And back to the original topic? I was enjoying it before.

I thought Ireland was pretty lame. People talk it up so much I don't get it. Some one up thread said they hated Morocco. I loved it. One of my favorite trips.

Tell me more about Ireland- why was it lame? I wanted to plan a trip there.

Depends on what you're looking for. As others pointed out, it's almost always wet to some degree, it's almost always overcast to some degree, food is indifferent and not reliable unless you do very, very careful research and are willing to go well out of your way to this or that restaurant. Dublin is small and provincial compared to, say, London or Paris and doesn't have the charms of Edinburgh or Prague or Munich. A lot of Ireland has a dreariness to it despite the very lovely countryside. Maybe it's the rain! I'd still happily go back because a part of me likes that misty gray weather, especially along the rugged west coast of Ireland. But if you're looking for interesting and different (or lots of) culture, you're not going to find that in Ireland.

Can't find lots of culture on an island with Neolithic sites that are older than The Pyramids? K.....

Neolithic culture = a bunch of unremarkable rocks in a field. We're not exactly talking about the Vatican Museum or the casbahs and souks of Morocco.

Ireland is lovely but it really is not going to appeal to everyone.