Travel Disappointments

My favorite type of travel blogger is an honest travel blogger. As great as it is to read about 101 ways in which a particular city, country, attraction or adventure blew your mind, it is so refreshing to hear from fellow bloggers about why a travel experience fell short. I think too often travelers shy away from criticism, even constructive criticism of their travels because they either are trying to avoid offending a local who may be reading, or they don’t want to admit to themselves that the trip they planned meticulously for many months was anything but perfect.

The reason I cancelled my subscription to a popular travel magazine was due to this “everything is always A+” mentality. The final straw with said magazine was when they featured an article praising a new Paris hotel as the epitome of chic luxury and a ‘game changer in the city’… only to discover that reviews on TripAdvisor (i.e. the closest you are going to get to impartialism) said the hotel was overpriced and underwhelming.

With that in mind, I would like to present my ‘Top 5 Travel Disappointments’ (in no particular order):

Disclaimer: These are mostly locations that I have visited only once. It’s quite possible that any number of variables such as time of year, weather, travel mates, my own mental state at the time of the visit or just poor luck could have cast a negative light on my experience. Thus it should be considered that if I visited these locations again the result may very well be different.

Olympiapark in Munich, Germany

I will preface by saying I loved Munich, the beautiful architecture, the Bavarian culture and of course the world famous beer. The Olympiapark, however, was a letdown. What may have been a world class facility built for the 1972 Summer Olympics now just looks dull and dated over 40 years later. I’m sure there would have been more activities going on if we had visited during the warmer months (we were there in February) but even so, we found it offered little to justify the train trip to get there. It was a lot of walking around uninspiring buildings and average landscaping. Walking time that would have been much better allocated to the city’s beautiful old streets. The only thing we found moderately interesting were the views of the city and the distant German Alps from the top of the Olympic Tower, but when you factor in the cost of this it is still a part of Munich worth skipping.

The Alpine view was the highlight of this day trip

Los Haitises National Park, Dominican Republic

This was a somewhat expensive day tour offered through our vacation provider while we were staying in the Samana region of DR. While the boat ride through Samana Bay to the park was enjoyable and there were some impressive views of islands and cliffs upon entering the park, the caves they took us to were not overly exciting. The history here is interesting and we were told the area was used as a filming location for some major Hollywood productions, but we didn’t really see what the big deal was. The caves were littered with graffiti from past visitors which pulls you right out of the natural environment the guide is trying to convey. The caves were also relatively small and packed way too tightly with several tour groups at once. Maybe if you arrived via private boat and cruised around the islands and cliffs while enjoying a rum cocktail this would be a fun experience, but I wouldn’t recommend booking the group tour offered through your vacation provider.

Impressive islands, caves not so much

The Food of Venice, Italy

Venice is a magical and unique city and something every traveler needs to experience at least once. The food however, I cannot recommend. Like many major European cities (especially in Italy) it is overrun with expensive, low-quality tourist trap restaurants that prey on travelers that just don’t know any better. After finding this out the hard way the first night, we did some serious TripAdvisor research and looked for dinner spots a little off the beaten track that were well reviewed. While these places were definitely much better quality, the Venetian cuisine was just not to our tastes. Instead of the classic Italian we all know and love, it was something different with influences of its trading partners over the centuries like Turkey. Sounds exotic and exciting I know, but I’ll take a classic Napoletana pizza any day while in Italy. Even the quick-service food was disappointing. Sandwiches that looked like they had been sitting under a heat lamp all day were selling for 12 Euro, go figure! Our best culinary experience in Venice came from the great selection of meats and cheeses we bought from a local deli and ate in our hotel room.  

If only we had a kitchen to cook our own meals in Venice, then we would be set!

Tampa, Florida

I have been to Tampa a couple of times, either to see a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game or as a base to explore the nearby gulf coast beaches. Lightning games are a blast, but if you are going for the beach do yourself a favor and stay on the beach. Driving from Tampa to Clearwater Beach or St. Pete’s Beach is not as close as you might think, and if you encounter any traffic along the way you are in for a frustrating drive/parking search. I found the city itself lacked offerings for the intrepid traveler. The historic Ybor City area with its cigar-making past is kinda cool, but other than the highly recommended Tampa Bay Brewing Company, we were hard pressed to find anything in the area that interested us. After the Lightning game we wandered around downtown looking for a good bar, but everything was closing up. I love the state of Florida, mostly because of it's world class beaches. If you are looking for a city trip with sightseeing, dining options, bars etc. there are many more better suited cities in America.

Good old fashioned traffic trying to get from Tampa to Clearwater Beach

Valletta, Malta

First and foremost, Malta is one of my favorite European countries that I have had the chance to visit. We stayed on the rugged northwestern coast which was absolutely beautiful. The problem was we were only there for 3 days and thus could allot one of those days to exploring another part of the island. We chose the capital Valletta, instead of the more recommended ancient city of Mdina. Our entrance to Valletta was grand. It had a very North African feel like we were entering Casablanca or something. From there we found it offered quite little, just a lot of shopping and crowds. The views of the sea were nice, but we didn’t need to travel from the coast we were staying at for that. There did not seem to be many major sites of interest, and the one we did try and visit (Shipwreck of St. Paul) was closed without any info on when it would be open. We found we were quickly bored and wanting to head back to Golden Bay. We were also quite upset we had missed out on our chance to see Mdina. Oh well, next time! 

The entrance to Valletta was sadly the highlight of the day trip to the Maltese capital

Mike @ Palms & Pints

@palmsandpints

La Serenissima

By the time our train had rolled into Venice, we had already experienced so much of what Europe was famous for. Delicious beer in Munich, complex history in Prague and the tranquillity of the Italian alpine foothills. The end of the trip was in sight, but not before a visit to the itinerary's most renowned stop.

Venice is a fascinating city. 100% car free (or anything with wheels for that matter), it comprises of small canals, narrow alleyways and historic squares. It's only "highway" being the picturesque Grand Canal snaking through it. Within moments of being there, it becomes clear that no other place is quite like it. 

Venice - where the streets are paved in water!

Due to it's relatively small size and colossal popularity, Venice is often quite crowded, especially near the main tourist sights of Piazza San Marco and Rialto Bridge. This doesn't mean that you can't lose yourself down one of her hundreds of quiet alley-ways, surrounded by time-worn buildings that haven't changed much for centuries. 

The Rialto Bridge - The most famous canal crossing in Venice

I found it was these quiet alley-ways, these tiny bridges over shallow canals free from the tourist hordes where Venice really showed her charm. The hub that is Piazza San Marco, while impressive, was underwhelming when compared to Prague's Old Town Square or Munich's Marienplatz as seen earlier on our trip. What these cities couldn't compete with however was the serenity of a quiet collection of mazed streets with dead-ends into bright azure water and majestic old bridges begging for a photo-op. 

Beautiful bridges and canals perfect for a snapshot

Come to Venice for a gondola ride? 80 euro is the base fee which doesn't take into account premium time of day or music. Why not save that cash and catch a gondola go by a tiny canal while you and your lover stand and watch on a bridge? The city is a maze and even the best of maps will lead you astray. Forget about the planned tourist trail throughout the city and instead let yourself wander. There is no wrong way, and there is something to enjoy around every corner. 

The quintessential Venetian image

If you are coming to Italy for the world famous cuisine, I can't offer my recommendation of Venice. There are more subpar tourist trap restaurants per square mile that anywhere I have ever visited. Our first night was spent wandering the city looking for some decent street food, but all we could find was overpriced pizza that had been sitting out all day. With much help from TripAdvisor we were able to find some decent restaurants frequented by locals, but still came away generally unimpressed from a culinary standpoint. The high-point of eating came when we found a fantastic little deli where we were able to get slices of prosciutto, mortadella and local cheeses to make our own sandwiches in the hotel room. The store owner told us that many of the original shops like hers had closed in favor of those catering to the tourist crowds.

The deli we found has no name posted, but was on this street

Venice is on most traveller's European hit list, and it should be. It offers a romantic backdrop that no other place can. Blaze your own trail through the streets without spending too much time stuck in the crowds, and save some of your culinary expectations for your next stop in Italy. Venice is a feast for your eyes and for your heart.

Hotel Review:
Hotel San Cassiano Ca' Favretto

Mike @ Palms & Pints