Flop 3: the most overrated destinations

Everybody has been in this situation before: you joyfully arrive at your holiday destination, your expectations are very high, but you soon find out that you somehow don’t like the place. Perhaps, it’s not even that you don’t like the place, it’s just that you thought it was… well, different. Probably, you had a different image of it and now you’re disappointed. Believe me, you’re not alone. We have all been there.

This list is about the places that disappointed me the most. Or in other words: a list about the places that I would call the most overrated destinations I’ve been to yet. I expected these places to be paradise, fun, a mega city or whatever, and they turned out to be something else. Obviously, many of you will disagree on this list. This is understandable, as people usually like these places. Because if they didn’t, my expectations wouldn’t have been so high before my visit.

And let me be clear: none of these destinations is actually bad. Each of them is worth a visit for different reason. I just don’t think that they deserve the credits they get.

So, here is the list. I have visited 74 countries and hundreds of cities at the time of this writing, but these are my top3 of the most overrated destinations.

#3: Singapore

I always say that Singapore is probably a great city/country to live in. It’s clean and safe, temperatures are good year-round, wages are excellent and you have plenty of attractions. You can spend your weekends in Sentosa Island, have a drink in one of the many sky bars and eat out in world-class restaurants.

So, where is the catch? Singapore is an artificial city and also a bit boring from the tourist’s perspective. Sure, you can go to a theme park, but that’s not what I want to do when I travel. I want a city to have soul and character. I want historical sights and I want more culture. That might be harsh given the fact that Singapore is still a very young country, but anyway…

Another thing is that Singapore is sterile and has strict laws. There is the ambiguous expression that Singapore is a fine city, because you can get fines for pretty stupid things like chewing gum. It’s kind of over-regulated, everything has to be in a certain way with no exception. Given the fact that Singapore is also one of the most expensive countries in the world, I don’t believe that I necessarily have to come back. However, Singapore is also one of the major hubs in Southeast Asia. Avoiding this city in the future can be a challenge therefore.

For more info, check out my travel report about Singapore.

#2: Amsterdam

Amsterdam and I will never be friends. It is the only place in this list that I have visited more than once, because I was hoping that I will change my mind. I didn’t. That’s why Amsterdam is ranked two on my list of overrated destinations. Amsterdam was also one of my first European capitals, and as everyone was enthusing about the capital of the Netherlands, I expected it to be a second London. Silly me.

What I didn’t like about Amsterdam was the dirt, the dodgy people and the nightlife. People speak about Amsterdam as if it was Europe’s answer to Las Vegas. In my opinion, Amsterdam is a solid but also an overrated city. It’s not the European flagship city many people think it is.

I gave Amsterdam a second chance in 2017 after my first visit in 2013. I wasn’t as disappointed anymore, however, that visit didn’t change my mind.

On the plus side, Amsterdam has great restaurants, delicious sweets, world-class beer and cool locals. And yes, the area around the canals is indeed picturesque. That alone doesn’t make it an awesome city though. At least not for me.

You can find a more detailed description about what I didn’t like in Amsterdam in my travel report about the Netherlands.

#1 Bali

While many people call Bali the paradise, it is the most overrated destination in the world for me. Why? Okay, let me start with the good point. Bali is best when it comes to value for money luxury hotels. This is the only thing that stands out though. The other good things, like good food, nice locals, beautiful nature etc. can be found in other Southeast Asian countries too.

Beautiful beaches? The beaches in Bali were nothing compared to the beaches I saw in Thailand. The prices? Bali is cheap, but not as cheap as Laos or Cambodia. The nature? It’s nice, but again, you have the same nature in Vietnam or Thailand. The food? Delicious. Like in Vietnam or Thailand. All the assets of Bali can be found in nearby countries. But people from Europe still spend one full day to travel to this remote island. Why all the effort if you can have the same stuff in countries that aren’t as remote as Indonesia?

Moreover, Bali is one of the most overrun places in the world. Naked and drunk tourists running around in front of temples show how tourism can go wrong. The island also looks like a dump in some areas. That’s why Bali is my #1 on my most overrated destinations list.

In all fairness, I haven’t seen all of Bali. My judgement is based on the places I’ve been to: Seminyak, Kuta, Nusa Dua, Ubud and Sanur. Ubud was actually a good place, while Sanur and Seminyak were not places I will tell my grand-kids about. Nusa Dua had a nice beach and Kuta was one of the worst places I have ever seen.

Wanna read more about my time in Bali? Check out my travel report about Indonesia.

Other notable mentions are Dubai, Nassau, Shanghai, Cologne and Cancun.

‘Why is Brussels not on in that list when you use Manneken Pis as the featured image?’ you might ask. Well, I just needed a pic and didn’t want to spoil. However, Brussels is definitely not an overrated destination, as I haven’t met many people who actually liked the Belgian capital.

Which are in your opinion the most overrated destinations? Leave a comment.