tonyh29 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Newcastle. I was told great night life, fun people etc etc but I ended up going there with some uni friends and managed to get into a fight in the first bar we went to (and I'm not at all a violent person), was inexplicably subjected to kind of inverted racism when someone kept calling me a Muslim word removed over and over (given the fact that I'm white and have an Oxford accent, this made very little sense) and was generally just treated like crap by locals the whole time I was there. I will never go back. Miami. Just don't go there. At the risk of sounding like Thom Yorke, plastic people, plastic places, plastic food, not much to do and what there is to do it's shite and unaffordable. I've visited 22 states and Florida is by far and away the worst one I've been to. New Orleans. Now this one is a bit harsh because it isn't really New Orleans' fault. Great music and great food, but the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is still very much apparent. The place is poverty stricken and all the negatives that come with poverty stricken areas are all over New Orleans with the exception of the French quarter. It's a violent, unwelcoming, under-developed and just downright rough place that is in total disrepair both physically and sociologically. if you venture away from the French Quarter, you're entering somewhere that has been crippled and abandoned by the US Federal Government, and it shows. When did you go to NO out of interest ? I went 2012 and thoroughly enjoyed it .... Not enough to put it in my best 3 but it ticked a few boxes ... Paddle boat down the Mississippi , civil war stuff , NO Saints of course ... Yeah Bourbon street is a bit over crowded but even that didn't spoil it My taxi driver to the airport showed me his gun that he kept in his glove compartment ...said someone had tried to rob him yesterday and he had to wave it at them .... I just took it as a subtle hint to tell me not to think of doing a runner or leaving a small tip Tbh I've not been anywhere in the US I haven't liked yet but Memphis would probably be bottom of my list if I had to be harsh and really pick one ... And even Memphis was still a blast so doesn't deserve it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 At the risk of sounding like Thom Yorke Who? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewiek2 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Buffalo is without a doubt a **** sack of shit 'city'. Wolverhampton. Coventry. Utter shitholes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 yeah but wolverhampton "disappointing"? its not like you drive down the 449, see the fox hotel and think "this place is going to be awesome" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I found Dublin far too expensive and as a tourist you're just getting shafted everywhere you go. sad but its very true not everywhere is as expensive but you sort of have to know where your going for value Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 The Greek Islands that i've been to (Cyprus & Crete) have been disappointing, and Portugal to be honest. It's all just very baron, the beaches aren't anything special (in the main) and the places are littered with rubbishy sports bars. I don't know why I thought it would be any different (it's pretty obviously going to be the case in the Algarve), but I had some high hopes for Greece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I love Dublin but it really is a place you need to have local knowledge of, otherwise you'll be penniless within a few hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I have local knowledge and im penniless after a weekend out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 You need to start prinking, Zatman. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 had to google what prinking was. Horrible word Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I went south to North. HCMC was my first experience of Vietnam, 4 nights there and thought it was brilliant. Really interesting history/culture stuff, good nightlife and I loved that park in the middle where everyone went to work out in the evening. All my way up the country people were telling me if you liked HCMC you'll love Hanoi etc etc. I just didn't like it. Exactly this. Love the street in HCMC where you sit on plastic tables outside of shops drinking 30p bottles of beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I went south to North. HCMC was my first experience of Vietnam, 4 nights there and thought it was brilliant. Really interesting history/culture stuff, good nightlife and I loved that park in the middle where everyone went to work out in the evening. All my way up the country people were telling me if you liked HCMC you'll love Hanoi etc etc. I just didn't like it. Exactly this. Love the street in HCMC where you sit on plastic tables outside of shops drinking 30p bottles of beer. we did the same in Hanoi but it was a huge steel bucket of beer that you just scooped up into your glass as when you needed one , I'm not even sure it was a pub thinking about it but it had the plastic chairs and we just sat down and invited ourselves .... I'm still alive so I guess it was fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I liked Dublin, its overpriced yeah but its second only to Barcelona in my favourite cities Worst places I've been Malta - like being in gods waiting room Rhodes - 3 hours getting lost in allyways before giving up trying to explore and going to the nearest bar Marmaris - pushy, borderline invasion of privacy from the locals, got berated when coming out of shops & restaurants by the shops/restaurant owners next door for not eating in theirs, bar men that aren't too shy about getting touchy feely with the missus, the only upside to this holiday was watching blues get relegated in 2011 in a bar with half a dozen noses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Malta - like being in gods waiting room The Greek Islands that i've been to (Cyprus & Crete) have been disappointing, and Portugal to be honest. It's all just very baron, the beaches aren't anything special (in the main) and the places are littered with rubbishy sports bars. I don't know why I thought it would be any different (it's pretty obviously going to be the case in the Algarve), but I had some high hopes for Greece. Interesting as I'm looking at Malta and Cyprus as part of my annual summer trip ( also Greece and Albania ) Cyprus appeared to have loads of interesting historical stuff , Malta not so much so , but it seemed to have enough to warrant going to see it plus of course a few beer spots in the evening I'm only in each country for 2 days so are you saying there is Nothing to see or just not enough for those strange people that spend 2 weeks in the same place ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 If your going to Malta id recommend st julians, its the only place that has a bit of life to it, don't get me wrong its a nice country, we stopped in bugibba, definitely take the guided tour of the war museum in Valletta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnie Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Yeah Malta is a lovely tiny island, especially round St.Julians. Stick to Southern Malta by the capital and avoid the north. Nothing there other then typical brit abroad holiday. Also totally agree about Greece being shite. Ive been to falaraki, Malia, (lads holidays so cant expect too much) Rhodes, Crete and Athens, each time ive had a shite time. Horrible country imo.Although Santorini is meant to be stunning and always geta recommended as one of the top places in Europe to go. Turkey >>>>>>>>>> Greece. In fact id rather go to Beirut or Syria then go back to Greece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoony Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Newcastle. I was told great night life, fun people etc etc but I ended up going there with some uni friends and managed to get into a fight in the first bar we went to (and I'm not at all a violent person), was inexplicably subjected to kind of inverted racism when someone kept calling me a Muslim word removed over and over (given the fact that I'm white and have an Oxford accent, this made very little sense) and was generally just treated like crap by locals the whole time I was there. I will never go back. Miami. Just don't go there. At the risk of sounding like Thom Yorke, plastic people, plastic places, plastic food, not much to do and what there is to do it's shite and unaffordable. I've visited 22 states and Florida is by far and away the worst one I've been to. New Orleans. Now this one is a bit harsh because it isn't really New Orleans' fault. Great music and great food, but the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is still very much apparent. The place is poverty stricken and all the negatives that come with poverty stricken areas are all over New Orleans with the exception of the French quarter. It's a violent, unwelcoming, under-developed and just downright rough place that is in total disrepair both physically and sociologically. if you venture away from the French Quarter, you're entering somewhere that has been crippled and abandoned by the US Federal Government, and it shows. When did you go to NO out of interest ? I went 2012 and thoroughly enjoyed it .... Not enough to put it in my best 3 but it ticked a few boxes ... Paddle boat down the Mississippi , civil war stuff , NO Saints of course ... Yeah Bourbon street is a bit over crowded but even that didn't spoil it My taxi driver to the airport showed me his gun that he kept in his glove compartment ...said someone had tried to rob him yesterday and he had to wave it at them .... I just took it as a subtle hint to tell me not to think of doing a runner or leaving a small tip Tbh I've not been anywhere in the US I haven't liked yet but Memphis would probably be bottom of my list if I had to be harsh and really pick one ... And even Memphis was still a blast so doesn't deserve it I can't remember the street we stayed on but it was rough as hell. It might be one of those personal bad experiences but I have absolutely no desire to go back. And I was living in Texas so visiting NO wasn't really a massive cultural stretch or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Malta - like being in gods waiting room The Greek Islands that i've been to (Cyprus & Crete) have been disappointing, and Portugal to be honest. It's all just very baron, the beaches aren't anything special (in the main) and the places are littered with rubbishy sports bars. I don't know why I thought it would be any different (it's pretty obviously going to be the case in the Algarve), but I had some high hopes for Greece. Interesting as I'm looking at Malta and Cyprus as part of my annual summer trip ( also Greece and Albania ) Cyprus appeared to have loads of interesting historical stuff , Malta not so much so , but it seemed to have enough to warrant going to see it plus of course a few beer spots in the evening I'm only in each country for 2 days so are you saying there is Nothing to see or just not enough for those strange people that spend 2 weeks in the same place ? If you do decide on Malta and you get the chance, try and stay in the Phoenicia Hotel just outside Valletta. Proper old school faded grandeur. It was British HQ in the war and I think it still has the same carpets. Rooms are small but lovely, the staff are all excellent and a club sandwich by the pool is just grand. You can walk out from the hotel past all the old yellow buses and the main bus terminus and into the main drag of Valletta. I wouldn't bother with the evening meal though (let's just say they wouldn't let me in to eat until I borrowed a tie!). If old school isn't your thing, head for the Dragonara Hotel over in St Julians and next to the casino. A lot more lively and the rooms are vast. First time I stayed there I booked a single room - it had 2 double beds, 9 tables, 3 TV's and 2 balconies. Not all the rooms are quite like that but they are all big and modern. Also, drinkies in the bar eyeing up the Russian ladies is a great way to spend an hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 If your going to Malta id recommend st julians, its the only place that has a bit of life to it, don't get me wrong its a nice country, we stopped in bugibba, definitely take the guided tour of the war museum in Valletta St Julian's is indeed the place I'm looking at .. though Chris'sssssss old school hotel sounds appealing and right up our street .. we stayed at the Windamere in Darjeeling which was a bit like that , even had cucumber sandwiches and tea on the veranda at tea time , so quite up for a bit of the good old days stuff Malta - like being in gods waiting room The Greek Islands that i've been to (Cyprus & Crete) have been disappointing, and Portugal to be honest. It's all just very baron, the beaches aren't anything special (in the main) and the places are littered with rubbishy sports bars. I don't know why I thought it would be any different (it's pretty obviously going to be the case in the Algarve), but I had some high hopes for Greece. Interesting as I'm looking at Malta and Cyprus as part of my annual summer trip ( also Greece and Albania ) Cyprus appeared to have loads of interesting historical stuff , Malta not so much so , but it seemed to have enough to warrant going to see it plus of course a few beer spots in the evening I'm only in each country for 2 days so are you saying there is Nothing to see or just not enough for those strange people that spend 2 weeks in the same place ? . Also, drinkies in the bar eyeing up the Russian ladies is a great way to spend an hour. How rough were those Russian ladies if you only spent an hour looking at them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danwichmann Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I liked Malta, enjoyed wandering around all the fortifications in Valletta and managed to catch the carnival there as well. Parts of Gozo were like stepping back in time, which was interesting as well. I had the impression Mdina would have been cool as well, but was somewhat spoilt by the fact it pissed down all day while I was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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