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I'm curious as to what you mean by Cayman being too white bread. I ask because my family is from there and I have been there many times and I know that I have a different perspective. I know that there are negative aspects to the island but I don't know that I would have ever describe it as it being white bread. Do you mean bland and boring?
Yes, to a point. Aside from the diving (which I don't do) and snorkeling (I do) it was rather boring. Keep in mind that I said I was college aged at the time that I visited and I did mention that I've debated returning. I might like it better now.
I was fortunate to visit in 1976 and loved it. It was a quaint and remote area then, the beaches and lagoon were unspoiled, and it was hard to find anyone who spoke English. The other guests in my hotel were mostly from Europe. I planned to return some day but soon it became spring break central. I prefer to keep my fond memories.
Cancun was another place my parents took me as a kid. It was the late 70s. It was remote. I loved that vacation. I don't want to return because of the "spring break central" thing nowadays. Friends told me in the 1990s to head to Playa del Carmen if I wanted that early Cancun feeling, but apparently it's now just like Cancun. I went to Cozumel in the early 80's (1982 or so) and loved it there. The snorkeling was fantastic. There was a pier right off of the beach from our resort, we could just jump in the water and see beautiful reefs.
NOLA for sure. I've been 7 or so times, but all but 1 was on business. You've seen it once, you've seen it & it's smelly & dirty & too hot & many of the locals are rude. I remember getting screamed at by a passenger for having a bottle of water on a streetcar.
Jamaica - ugghhhh, disgusting, NEVER going back, not even if they paid me. Luckily I won the trip, so we didn't pay to visit. It was pretty & that's about the only nice thing I can say.
Freeport, Bahamas - nice enough but see no reason to do it again.
Frankfurt, Germany - nice enough but see no reason to do it again
The Grand Canyon - just didn't 'do it' for me. The weird part is I'm a rock nut with a long list of places I want to go worldwide, specifically b/c of unique rock formations, but I found the scale of the Grand Canyon boring. I want to be up close & personal to unique formations, not drive around & see 14 views that all basically look the same, just a slightly different angle. I may have felt differently if I'd had the opportunity to hike the canyon.
Zion National Park - lovely, but similar to many places I hike regularly.
Anchorage, AK - been many times, only twice for pleasure. It's beautiful, but I've seen what I wanted to see & often don't feel welcomed there or should I say that the welcome feels forced.
OTOH, I loved Grand Cayman & would go back in a heartbeat.
Thanks for your contribution. I was wondering if New Orleans would surface. Both My in-laws went, along with my brother and his wife on a separate trips. The consensus from both was "yea. we saw it.....Bourbon street smelled like puke and urine.."
Have been to NO several times in past 40 years and think that was couple too many
There are the issues with people who turn it into a 24 HR party house like you mentioned but also the police are questionable...the roads to get there is you drive are awful (despite a decade of big money from oil when oil was bringing in big money)...
Lot of homeless and people being taken advantage of
Feel same way about Mexico--know some people who love to vacation there but once you step outside your resort life become much more real and not in positive way (IMO)...
We have been to San Francisco couple of times---feel like we don't need to go back--and it is long trip from where we live...
Same with Las Vegas...not a gambler really and Vegas is big tourist trap...
As we are getting closer to 70 I would prefer to go some places we haven't been
Spent lot of time going west of DFW TX and have second home in FL now as well
Would like to do New England and Canada
We like museums and historical places
Maybe check into an "educational" tour
Husband doesn't want to go to Europe really--hates long flights...
And we both have no desire to take a cruise---
Las Vegas - good for a jumping off point or meeting up with folks from other places. There are bargains to be found with condos just outside Vegas itself which would make relaxing atmosphere - we are planning a reunion with folks from the northeast, Pacific northwet, south, and parts in between. Vegas has cheap flights from everywhere and cheap but quality lodging. Vegas is a good jumping off point for visiting other places, like the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam. For gambling, I much prefer NJ over anywhere else we've gambled.
Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam - btdt - It was an AWEsome sight and I'm so glad we did it. But, being afraid of heights, I didn't appreciate a lot - including the freaking drive to get there. No thanks. I'll pass for a 2nd look.
The Bahamas - went a second time after swearing off the first time. But stepson and his girlfriend really wanted to go there - hated it as much the 2nd time as the first. I hated (not a word I use often) the desperation of the natives - so greedy and demanding. I wouldn't even go into the Straw Market the 2nd time. I loved the tours, got to hold a starfish, saw some incredible and gorgeous locations and the beaches are pretty nice - but I'm from the east coast and a very strong attachment to white sandy beaches.
Cannes - nice enough but no reason to have gone there to begin with. The fort up the hill is a fort - the marina is nice enough but small (I'm from NJ). People's names in cement - who cares?
Hell - ya, not worth the stop except they do have a restroom.
Tortola - Took a walk and was totally disgusted by how the locals live - open sewers, trash everywhere. It made us sorry we went there the first time.
Philadelphia - did the tourist thing once - then a second time for a friend visiting from Shreveport. Have visited friends and in-laws there - but that's the only reason we'd return.
Baltimore - went for a weekend - it's a city on the east coast - no more to say.
Virginia Beach - went for a week vacation - cut it short by 3 days. Screaming jets breaking the sound barrier twice a day make sitting on the beach - or in a restaurant having a conversation - very difficult. Didn't find the food anything great, the "boardwalk" was a huge disappointment as was the beach itself.
Miami Beach - nothing spectacular - saw it, walked from South to North and done. Great place to leave on a cruise ship, though.
Phoenix and the area. Dessert - lots of sand but no water. Hot, mountains. I'm glad we went, took several side trips to national parks but now it's btdt. April was hotter than I like so no need to return.
Maine - I've been all over the state, some just driving trips when I lived in RI, stayed at the Black Point Inn one weekend. Nothing special to see though - the coast is rocks and the water is cold; the greenery is pretty much the same for most of New England.
Key West - same as what others have said - daytime walks up the main street, a visit to "polydactyl cat-land" (Hemingway cats have extra toes) nothing special and we are not drinkers, so no reason to hang around for night-time. The beach - same as many places in Florida - sandy, nice water.
Niagara Falls - Saw the falls, awesome - long ride to get there.
Mobile - the casinos charge extra to use the pool! What gives with that? Casinos are "tight"
Phoenix has no water? I wonder what is in our lakes then ? (and there's no sand here. It's dirt. It's not that kind of desert)
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Cancun! Hated it! I was in my early 20's and I was disgusted at all the drunk kids there.
Bahamas, people are too pushy to earn extra money. I get it, but's annoying!
Probably Hawaii. I went to Maui and it was beautiful, but it was insanely expensive and I think there are nicer places to travel to if I'm going to spend that kind of money and sit on a plane that far!
Grand Cayman. The water was gin-clear and the beaches were lovely but the whole place was just a little too "white-bread" for me. Once was enough.
Grand Cayman is actually one of my favorite places! I'm also a fan of Vegas and go quite often! So many different choices for shows and food! But I can also understand why someone would not want to go back. To each their own!
Have sent the family back there several times, but I will be happy to NEVER return. (Many reasons, but I don't feel welcomed, tho spending $$$$)
I have a zillion other places on my list, where I am not despised by the local residents.
I grew up in the tourist town of Estes Park Colorado, so I get it, but... no sense being rude / purposely deceptive to the tourists. Enable them to enjoy their trip, and locals can enjoy it when the tourists go home!
I totally agree about Hawaii. Beautiful, but I have never felt so uncomfortable in my life. No. I wasn't being a rude tourist. The locals simply did not want us there. I can understand that they get rude tourists and the idiots from the mainland who come over to live off the land and become part of the problem. I wasn't there for that. I simply wanted to see beautiful scenery and attractions that I can't get at home and learn about the culture. I did, but not in a positive way.
I enjoy Las Vegas and it's not all gambling. There is a lot to see and do around the area like hiking, walking around and seeing the free attractions. The only boring trip I've had was with my husband's friends who basically just went to hang out in the hotel rooms. I may never go back because most of the slot machines went to a ticket system. Ilike to play quarters. I have my system of playing and I need to physically see my money as I win it.
Then there is Mexico which I love. As an American tourist, I don't want to be limited to the resorts, I want to explore. It's simply not safe to do what I want and go where I want.
Australia...I loved it. We spent all of our time, 5 weeks in Queensland...our focus was on nature. We went to the Great Barrier Reef, the outback, the dry tropics, the wet tropics...we went to some really remote places & saw & experienced some amazing things. We deliberately avoided urban areas, except to land in & depart from Brisbane.
I would return to Australia in a heartbeat...finances are the only issue.
Did you learn the language of the country/continent before you went?
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(and there's no sand here. It's dirt. It's not that kind of desert)
