It's a mucky place generally though and I think you could get sick there taking all kinds of precautions. If you stayed in the spotless 5 star you probably missed out on a lot of the grime (and sensibly so). A low point for me was going into a "restaurant" loo in Luxor. There was half a centimeter water on the floor so it was not particularly swish, but it didn't deter the toilet attendants from merrily munching away their fellafels as they sat there chatting. I normally like to get off the beaten track and do stuff and have found some cool little local places to eat and drink in Colombia, Equador, Mexico, India, Thailand and so on, and it's always been positive, but even the most polished looking place in sharm seemed to be a bio-hazard, to me... Got decompression sickness there too, but can't blame that on Sharm (dodgy weightbelt and my butterfingers).
No really awful Holidays few downsides but nothing that ruined it for us...
The Fat Northerners theme however... we booked our Honeymoon on an 80 room Maldivian island before the tsunami wiped out half the islands and wiped about 80% off the cost of the holiday, which meant it now fell into the price range of a fat northern chav family and their spawn of satan, who couldn't understand why people round the georgeous infinity pool didn't want to play water polo or football, then dressed up for dinner in tracksuit and football shirts, and proceeded in loud voices to announce the place was boring and not as good as Dominican republic, to be met with some one who had clearly had enough announce "well i wish you'd fuck off there" to be met with spontanious applause from people in the bar.
Also turned up to an Italian hotel to find the swimming pool was infact a padling pool and the brouchure pictures were just taken from a good angle, and the fact that you had to pay €20 a day to use the air con in the rooms despite it being 40degrees heatwave... still had a fab holiday despite that.
Hate English resorts abroad, we drove into Playas in Tenerife looking for something to eat, drove all the way through turned around and came back to the village we were staying in... horrible place. I also hate LA and have been there on business, there is not one redeeming feature of the place, everyone thinks they're a star, every barman wants to be in the movies and to get anywehere costs you $50 in a cab, smoggy horrible and not a vegetable or salad in the whole city.
Fair enough, and I agree, I usually like to get off the beaten track, but it was our honeymoon, so we spent the vast majority of the time in our hotel, and it's really the only holiday I've ever had were I just lounged around the whole time. Usually we travel around and see loads and do loads, but we thought we'd treat ourself to a bit of luxury for the honeymoon, so stayed put and enjoyed it.
Had no problem with Sharm at all when went January last year.
Yeah the pools that were not heated were very cold, but come July when it is 45 degrees you probably wouldnt mind that. We just used the heated pool. All the bars and restaurants in Naama bay that we went to were very clean and toilets were fine.
Yeah the Russians are annoying in the hotels and rude, but no different to drunk english blokes shouting 2 more beers Pedro when in Spain.
Cant comment on food bugs as not been solid since '90.....
It wasn't a holiday but business but would never go back. Those who think they have got a good Caribbean deal (not real Caribbean anyway) ... beware .... the only thing its good for is weight loss !
[cite]Posted By: Wilma[/cite]Alcudia, Majorca - stinking canals in rubbish attempt to emulate Venice, full of fat Northern chavs walking around the supermarket in bikinis and drinking beer for breakfast, mostly English 'restaurants' selling everything with chips and showing Coronation Street and Eastenders on the telly every night - I wanted to come home half way through the holiday and I was only there for a week!!
Other areas of Majorca are much nicer. Paris is lovely but it basically just a city so if you live/work in London then why go there?!
That is exactly how i saw the place
sold to us by the travel agent as a great place to take a toddler and relax 7 times the bitch said she had been there fecking felt like going home after 2nd day
Can I count Blackpool for our two ill fated away fixtures there?
I was sitting there in a pub that stank of BO and grimness just looking at the other patrons as they unhappily poured lager down their necks thinking - Christ if this is your holiday, what is your real life like.
Cala St Vincente...20 mins from Alcudia is on the other hand beautiful.....and there is a German resort some 25 mins in the opposite direction whis is also lovely......Alcudia/Magluf...truly horrible places full of chavs from far and wide.
Worst experience was a 13 hour drive through France.......arrived at what was discribed in the last minute ad as a Farmhouse.....the grass in thr drive was 4 ft tall...I had a brand new car.....battled my way down the lane to the "Farmhouse" to find what looked like a derelict barn......thick with cobwebs.....managed to find a way in to find it was indeed the farmhouse....it had nothing which you could call a mod con...no hot water, the toilet was awash in 3 inches of yellow slime, If you didnt like spiders then it was horrorville.....the newspapers in the fire grate were 16 years old.....the kitchen was one of those units that my Grandma had.....you know the type with a pull down table like door/counter top...2 little glass doors at the top.........the cooker was two electric rings...completely rusty...the bedrooms.....they looked like they hadnt ever been cleaned...you moved the curtains and had showers of dust fall all over you......it was the shed from hell......we arrived at midnight, so we all 5 of us slept in the car...the next day we tried everywhere to get accomodation.....August in France isnt too great if you havent booked......eventually gave up and stayed in a couple of travel lodges on the way back up to Calais and after three days in the car with three young kids I gave up and went home for a rest......Had a huge row with the family who owned the shed......had to threaten to get in the car and drive to Bury St Edmunds to get my money back which seemed to do the trick....a truly awful experience......funny now, but it was horrible back then....
[cite]Posted By: McLovin[/cite]Can I count Blackpool for our two ill fated away fixtures there?
I was sitting there in a pub that stank of BO and grimness just looking at the other patrons as they unhappily poured lager down their necks thinking - Christ if this is your holiday, what is your real life like.
I took Kay up to Blackpool (she is Australian)...she couldnt believe her eyes when I took her down the seafront...she said "surely people dont pay to stay here!"
A one week "Easter Break" in Taormina, Sicily. It rained for one solid week and, if they hadn't shown us a postcard, we wouldn't have known that the biggest volcano in Europe, Etna, was right next door. We never saw it because of the ground-level clouds and pouring rain. Because the weather was so bad we decided to go to a match on the Sunday. None of the Sicilian teams were at home, so we rented a car, drove to Messina and got the ferry to Regio on the mainland to watch Reggina. When we got there, the place was like a ghost town. We eventually found somebody who told us that the Pope had chosen that day to kick the bucket, and that all the games had been cancelled! Won't be going back!
[cite]Posted By: Vienna_Addick[/cite]A one week "Easter Break" in Taormina, Sicily. It rained for one solid week and, if they hadn't shown us a postcard, we wouldn't have known that the biggest volcano in Europe, Etna, was right next door. We never saw it because of the ground-level clouds and pouring rain. Because the weather was so bad we decided to go to a match on the Sunday. None of the Sicilian teams were at home, so we rented a car, drove to Messina and got the ferry to Regio on the mainland to watch Reggina. When we got there, the place was like a ghost town. We eventually found somebody who told us that the Pope had chosen that day to kick the bucket, and that all the games had been cancelled! Won't be going back!
That's a real shame, Vienna - we spent two weeks in Sicily a few years back with the last night in Taormina and loved it. Don't think it rained at all in the fortnight.
For me it also has to be Blackpool - never, ever going back to that sh*tehole. We stayed in the centre, which is supposedly the gay area. I imagined it would be a kind of Northern Brighton - with a bit of style...oh dear! Football was rubbish too!
Last month I went to Selsey for a week with my wife and some of her friends (two other couples and a single bloke). One of the couples and the single bloke are sound, but the woman in the other couple is a moody, miserable cow. They als brought a dog. The whole feckin thing was a nightmare from start to finish - it pissed down with rain and, apart from Arundel and Chichester being within half an hour's drive there is literally f*** all to do in Selsey. Came home on the Monday after three days. Worst. 'Holiday'. Ever.
[cite]Posted By: Vienna_Addick[/cite]A one week "Easter Break" in Taormina, Sicily. It rained for one solid week and, if they hadn't shown us a postcard, we wouldn't have known that the biggest volcano in Europe, Etna, was right next door. We never saw it because of the ground-level clouds and pouring rain. Because the weather was so bad we decided to go to a match on the Sunday. None of the Sicilian teams were at home, so we rented a car, drove to Messina and got the ferry to Regio on the mainland to watch Reggina. When we got there, the place was like a ghost town. We eventually found somebody who told us that the Pope had chosen that day to kick the bucket, and that all the games had been cancelled! Won't be going back!
Yeah, that sounds like a 'mare. FWIW we go to Sicily every year - the wife is Sicilian so we stay in her house in a tiny village in the mountains on the middle of the island. Its a fantastic place - the local people are really, really friendly and the weather is (usually!) gorgeous
[cite]Posted By: Curb_It[/cite]were you polite to the moody woman leroy - are you two talking or is that the end of a "friendship"
Harhar - despite having never met, you know me far too well.
Was I polite? No - no I wasn't. As a result, we are no longer on speaking terms and her old man has removed me from Facebook. C'est la vie - if she wasn't such a miserable bint I might give a toss.
[cite]Posted By: Curb_It[/cite]were you polite to the moody woman leroy - are you two talking or is that the end of a "friendship"
Harhar - despite having never met, you know me far too well.
Was I polite? No - no I wasn't. As a result, we are no longer on speaking terms and her old man has removed me from Facebook. C'est la vie - if she wasn't such a miserable bint I might give a toss.
Not a holiday but a boys weekend in Great Yarmouth.
When we booked the hotel asked if we were a stag do - said we wasnt and they said pity as they have got 2 hen parties that weekend.
Took about 5 hours to get there - the car aerial had snapped off, and only tape in the car was soundtrack to Schindlers List.
Arrived at hotel - sign outside saying 'hen parties cancelled - Line dancing still on' - had a few beers in the pub attached to the hotel and started playing pool. Some locals were laughing at us a bit and kept asking how long we would be - so we stayed on for ages, put about 30 quid in the table. When we finished they sniggered and walked up to the table, and took the balls out directly from the chute - we hadnt noticed there was no glass and had been pumping the pound coins in just to wind them up. Went to a 'party pub' and my mate bumped into someone in a wheelchair and spilt some drink on his head. The bloke jumped up out of his chair and lamped one on my mate and sat back down. Bouncers came over and threw us out for 'attacking a defenseless cripple'. Walked out and for a laugh went in one of those kiddies machines, like you get in supermarkets. Got stuck - 25 mins or so - people were gathering around and police came and ordered me out. Couldnt move - hands trapped by knees and legs bent under. threatened to nab me for causing a nuisance. Finally broke free to jeers from the assembled general public, and went back to the hotel with my mates with our tails between our legs. Not going back.
Reminds me of my then 67 year old dad, with walking sticks, offering out some young lads who were swearing and pushing some old people about.
I still remember his line "I'll make you look like a f******** butchers shop" They were laughing until they realised that the three big blokes standing behind them were the old bloke's sons.
Worst holiday - Two weeks in in Devon. Raining and cold all the time while it was high 70s in London as the TV told us every night. Sat on the beach one day and watched the mist rolling in off the sea. Atmospheric in November, miserable in August.
I can't think of an entire holiiday that I din't enjoy. I've been to some shitholes too.
Magaluf in February 2004 with my mate Woodsy was a difficult one. £99 for a week, swett we thought we'll escape this miserable english weather for a bit, but when we got to Magaluf it was like a ghost town! We just got smashed for every waking hour of the day and did exactly that again for the nights.
We found some girls but my god our standards especially Chris' had slipped some by then!
Other than that it was a good break 7 days solid on the lash
Oh Yeah, forgot about this (She'll kill me) - Honeymoon in Dominican Republic, stayed at Puerto Plata in the Jack Tar resort. Mrs. BDL got food poisoning and nearly died. We sued the travel company (now owned by Germans) and got our money back.
A week on the Isle of Muck (yes really, the Inner Hebrides).A few years ago Mrs M fancied getting away from it all so off we went with ,for various reasons, five kids in tow. Ferry from Mallaig then transfer to fishing smack, then as the tide was out, transfer to rowing boat with luggage and food for the week. No cars/taxis so had to walk 2 miles to rented bungalow. The place is one big farm,1 mile wide, 2 1/2 long. Sunny but force ten gale blowing : the only weather change in the week was to rain with force ten gale. Electricity from generator we had to start whenever we needed to cook or have lights on. T.V reception awful at force ten, bloody awful at storm force (usually at night). Kids had eaten all provisions by third day, no shops and,needless to say, there was no pub or offie! A religious group camping there had a whip round and presented us with a basket of baked beans, tinned soup etc. nice people. Found one of the 30 islanders baked her own bread and cakes so that helped too. Kids bored stiff by 4th. day but livened up when seals started appearing on the coast, and a whale rolling about in the distance. Wind dropped for last two days and football and cricket were possible. Journey back involved the rowing boat etc. but ferry was late so spent two hours rocking up and down in the fishing boat. Oh, forgot to mention that we had all the meat we needed, McEwan of McEwan (the Laird) insisted on you watching him chopping up a sheep or a cow he'd knocked off earlier that day: "Ye'll no' get as fresh as this in yer supermarkets, y'ken". Not so much a holiday as an experience, I suppose.
[cite]Posted By: MrOneLung[/cite]Not a holiday but a boys weekend in Great Yarmouth.
When we booked the hotel asked if we were a stag do - said we wasnt and they said pity as they have got 2 hen parties that weekend.
Took about 5 hours to get there - the car aerial had snapped off, and only tape in the car was soundtrack to Schindlers List.
Arrived at hotel - sign outside saying 'hen parties cancelled - Line dancing still on' - had a few beers in the pub attached to the hotel and started playing pool. Some locals were laughing at us a bit and kept asking how long we would be - so we stayed on for ages, put about 30 quid in the table. When we finished they sniggered and walked up to the table, and took the balls out directly from the chute - we hadnt noticed there was no glass and had been pumping the pound coins in just to wind them up. Went to a 'party pub' and my mate bumped into someone in a wheelchair and spilt some drink on his head. The bloke jumped up out of his chair and lamped one on my mate and sat back down. Bouncers came over and threw us out for 'attacking a defenseless cripple'. Walked out and for a laugh went in one of those kiddies machines, like you get in supermarkets. Got stuck - 25 mins or so - people were gathering around and police came and ordered me out. Couldnt move - hands trapped by knees and legs bent under. threatened to nab me for causing a nuisance. Finally broke free to jeers from the assembled general public, and went back to the hotel with my mates with our tails between our legs. Not going back.
Just read that out to Mrs. BDL and both o us in tears laughing - got to be quiet as kids are in bed!
Went to New Beach down the South Coast years ago, shit holiday park, amusments closed at 9pm, I mean wtf that early? There was massive puddles everywhere, the beds in the Chalet were like prison beds, they were that hard. And to top it all off, there was an invasion of like billions of these little flying bug things, so if you wore anything but black and went outside, you'd get like a thousand of these little bugs on you even if you was out for 2 mins.
So ended up going down to Camber Sands and spending the remaining 5 days of the holiday there
Not so much a holiday but when I was travelling in Indonesia I had a bad 3/4 days. I got a boat from Roti to Sumba which is a bloody long way on a dodgy boat (http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/idlarge.htm). I was aiming to get to Sumba for an annual festival (the details exactly are a bit fuzzy and writing this has inspired me to track down my diaries).
Anyway, this boat was dodgy as I say for other reasons apart from its desire to sink. It was seemingly packed with Karaoke fans who couldn't sing and who seemingly wanted to show off their talents for the whole trip (supposed to be about 24 hours I think). The food was awful - in Basil Fawlty style I even saw the cat throw up. I stowed away in a separate section which was supposed to be for the crew I think, and they kind of turned a blind eye.
Meanwhile the boat leap over higher and higher waves, the noise from the Karoake seemed to churn my head in order to try to sympathise with my stomach. Then after about 16 hours we turned around: the boat was going to sink if we continued in those seas. So we went in another direction with the waves to another island called Sawu and I had to find somewhere to stay for two nights. No-one had hardly any food. I had to ask around - one guy said that he only had rice and I was prepared to eat just that but he pointed me in the direction of a hostel that had some more variety. I was the only person staying there. God knows where the other people from the boat went - they possibly had friends or relatives there. Then I discovered that people had been dying from Malaria. There was bugger all to do. I went for a walk and found more people - poor even by Indonesian standards. I stuck it out. Two days later I got back on the boat and went through the ordeal again only to find myself back in Roti - god know how many days after I'd originally left.
The next day I went to a travel agent's and flew as far away as possible in Indonesia - to Medan in Sumatra.
By the way, this is the very short version of this story.
Went to stay in a "luxury villa" in Alicante. After driving for nearly 45 minutes up the top of a mountain we discovered our villa with no heating no electricity miles from any where with a nice bird waking us up at 4 each morning, did i mention the packs of dogs running around?
Comments
The Fat Northerners theme however... we booked our Honeymoon on an 80 room Maldivian island before the tsunami wiped out half the islands and wiped about 80% off the cost of the holiday, which meant it now fell into the price range of a fat northern chav family and their spawn of satan, who couldn't understand why people round the georgeous infinity pool didn't want to play water polo or football, then dressed up for dinner in tracksuit and football shirts, and proceeded in loud voices to announce the place was boring and not as good as Dominican republic, to be met with some one who had clearly had enough announce "well i wish you'd fuck off there" to be met with spontanious applause from people in the bar.
Also turned up to an Italian hotel to find the swimming pool was infact a padling pool and the brouchure pictures were just taken from a good angle, and the fact that you had to pay €20 a day to use the air con in the rooms despite it being 40degrees heatwave... still had a fab holiday despite that.
Hate English resorts abroad, we drove into Playas in Tenerife looking for something to eat, drove all the way through turned around and came back to the village we were staying in... horrible place. I also hate LA and have been there on business, there is not one redeeming feature of the place, everyone thinks they're a star, every barman wants to be in the movies and to get anywehere costs you $50 in a cab, smoggy horrible and not a vegetable or salad in the whole city.
Yeah the pools that were not heated were very cold, but come July when it is 45 degrees you probably wouldnt mind that. We just used the heated pool. All the bars and restaurants in Naama bay that we went to were very clean and toilets were fine.
Yeah the Russians are annoying in the hotels and rude, but no different to drunk english blokes shouting 2 more beers Pedro when in Spain.
Cant comment on food bugs as not been solid since '90.....
It wasn't a holiday but business but would never go back.
Those who think they have got a good Caribbean deal (not real Caribbean anyway) ... beware .... the only thing its good for is weight loss !
That is exactly how i saw the place
sold to us by the travel agent as a great place to take a toddler and relax 7 times the bitch said she had been there fecking felt like going home after 2nd day
I was sitting there in a pub that stank of BO and grimness just looking at the other patrons as they unhappily poured lager down their necks thinking - Christ if this is your holiday, what is your real life like.
Worst experience was a 13 hour drive through France.......arrived at what was discribed in the last minute ad as a Farmhouse.....the grass in thr drive was 4 ft tall...I had a brand new car.....battled my way down the lane to the "Farmhouse" to find what looked like a derelict barn......thick with cobwebs.....managed to find a way in to find it was indeed the farmhouse....it had nothing which you could call a mod con...no hot water, the toilet was awash in 3 inches of yellow slime, If you didnt like spiders then it was horrorville.....the newspapers in the fire grate were 16 years old.....the kitchen was one of those units that my Grandma had.....you know the type with a pull down table like door/counter top...2 little glass doors at the top.........the cooker was two electric rings...completely rusty...the bedrooms.....they looked like they hadnt ever been cleaned...you moved the curtains and had showers of dust fall all over you......it was the shed from hell......we arrived at midnight, so we all 5 of us slept in the car...the next day we tried everywhere to get accomodation.....August in France isnt too great if you havent booked......eventually gave up and stayed in a couple of travel lodges on the way back up to Calais and after three days in the car with three young kids I gave up and went home for a rest......Had a huge row with the family who owned the shed......had to threaten to get in the car and drive to Bury St Edmunds to get my money back which seemed to do the trick....a truly awful experience......funny now, but it was horrible back then....
I took Kay up to Blackpool (she is Australian)...she couldnt believe her eyes when I took her down the seafront...she said "surely people dont pay to stay here!"
You should have seen her face....it was a picture
That's a real shame, Vienna - we spent two weeks in Sicily a few years back with the last night in Taormina and loved it. Don't think it rained at all in the fortnight.
For me it also has to be Blackpool - never, ever going back to that sh*tehole. We stayed in the centre, which is supposedly the gay area. I imagined it would be a kind of Northern Brighton - with a bit of style...oh dear! Football was rubbish too!
Was I polite? No - no I wasn't. As a result, we are no longer on speaking terms and her old man has removed me from Facebook. C'est la vie - if she wasn't such a miserable bint I might give a toss.
lmfao
When we booked the hotel asked if we were a stag do - said we wasnt and they said pity as they have got 2 hen parties that weekend.
Took about 5 hours to get there - the car aerial had snapped off, and only tape in the car was soundtrack to Schindlers List.
Arrived at hotel - sign outside saying 'hen parties cancelled - Line dancing still on' - had a few beers in the pub attached to the hotel and started playing pool. Some locals were laughing at us a bit and kept asking how long we would be - so we stayed on for ages, put about 30 quid in the table. When we finished they sniggered and walked up to the table, and took the balls out directly from the chute - we hadnt noticed there was no glass and had been pumping the pound coins in just to wind them up. Went to a 'party pub' and my mate bumped into someone in a wheelchair and spilt some drink on his head. The bloke jumped up out of his chair and lamped one on my mate and sat back down. Bouncers came over and threw us out for 'attacking a defenseless cripple'. Walked out and for a laugh went in one of those kiddies machines, like you get in supermarkets. Got stuck - 25 mins or so - people were gathering around and police came and ordered me out. Couldnt move - hands trapped by knees and legs bent under. threatened to nab me for causing a nuisance. Finally broke free to jeers from the assembled general public, and went back to the hotel with my mates with our tails between our legs. Not going back.
leroy you must give your wife nightmares...!
Reminds me of my then 67 year old dad, with walking sticks, offering out some young lads who were swearing and pushing some old people about.
I still remember his line "I'll make you look like a f******** butchers shop" They were laughing until they realised that the three big blokes standing behind them were the old bloke's sons.
Worst holiday - Two weeks in in Devon. Raining and cold all the time while it was high 70s in London as the TV told us every night. Sat on the beach one day and watched the mist rolling in off the sea. Atmospheric in November, miserable in August.
Magaluf in February 2004 with my mate Woodsy was a difficult one. £99 for a week, swett we thought we'll escape this miserable english weather for a bit, but when we got to Magaluf it was like a ghost town! We just got smashed for every waking hour of the day and did exactly that again for the nights.
We found some girls but my god our standards especially Chris' had slipped some by then!
Other than that it was a good break 7 days solid on the lash
Just read that out to Mrs. BDL and both o us in tears laughing - got to be quiet as kids are in bed!
So ended up going down to Camber Sands and spending the remaining 5 days of the holiday there
Anyway, this boat was dodgy as I say for other reasons apart from its desire to sink. It was seemingly packed with Karaoke fans who couldn't sing and who seemingly wanted to show off their talents for the whole trip (supposed to be about 24 hours I think). The food was awful - in Basil Fawlty style I even saw the cat throw up. I stowed away in a separate section which was supposed to be for the crew I think, and they kind of turned a blind eye.
Meanwhile the boat leap over higher and higher waves, the noise from the Karoake seemed to churn my head in order to try to sympathise with my stomach. Then after about 16 hours we turned around: the boat was going to sink if we continued in those seas. So we went in another direction with the waves to another island called Sawu and I had to find somewhere to stay for two nights. No-one had hardly any food. I had to ask around - one guy said that he only had rice and I was prepared to eat just that but he pointed me in the direction of a hostel that had some more variety. I was the only person staying there. God knows where the other people from the boat went - they possibly had friends or relatives there. Then I discovered that people had been dying from Malaria. There was bugger all to do. I went for a walk and found more people - poor even by Indonesian standards. I stuck it out. Two days later I got back on the boat and went through the ordeal again only to find myself back in Roti - god know how many days after I'd originally left.
The next day I went to a travel agent's and flew as far away as possible in Indonesia - to Medan in Sumatra.
By the way, this is the very short version of this story.