Latest news with #traveldisappointment
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
We spent £10k on a dream Maldives honeymoon but left early – we were so disappointed & fled to Dubai instead
MANY people dream of flying to the Maldives for a picture-perfect honeymoon - but one couple claim they were left "disappointed" by their £10,000 trip. Newly married Sophie and her husband jetted on what they thought would be a trip of a lifetime, but decided to leave early when it didn't live up to expectations. 5 5 In a clip which has racked up over a million views, Sophie shared exactly why they didn't love the Maldives. On her @sophiegrace_24 account, she shared how she had forked out over £10,000 for an 11-night stay, but left after a few days. She had known it would be expensive but it had been somewhere they had always wanted to go and she used a 'well-known travel provider in the UK.' The newlyweds were told about a new island that was opening in March, ahead of their July honeymoon, and there was an introductory offer they could snap up. They were sold, given it had seven restaurants and two islands joined with a walkway. Sophie added that she had checked in April that all the facilities would be open and construction would have finished. She claims she was told that due to a delay, it would be opening on July 1, just ahead of their July 8 arrival, but that everything would be ready for their arrival. However, this is when things went downhill for her. In her video, she explained: 'So we turn up and the island's absolutely beautiful. Staff are there to welcome us. Everything you expect as you pull up to your island in the Maldives. 'And then we found out we were the only people staying on the second island, the first and only people to have ever moved in.' Love Island's Chloe Burrows goes Instagram official with new boyfriend on romantic Maldives holiday At first, they thought it would be great to have what felt like a 'private island' - but they soon changed their minds. She explained: 'On our first night, we decided to go to the buffet restaurant. And on our walk there, there was just so much construction work going on around us. Lots of noise, lots of people. Wasn't great.' When they arrived at the buffet, this had been cancelled due to not enough people being on the island, and they were given a set menu. Four of the restaurants were also not open, and the ones that were had reduced menus. 5 Sophie said the lack of guests also meant that service was over-bearing - although the staff were friendly. She added: 'This is a really weird one, but the staff were too attentive. And I think that's because there wasn't enough people on the island. And they were new to their job on the island. 'I just felt like every time we sat down to eat, we were being watched. Luke was carrying two glasses of water to our table at breakfast. And they stopped him two metres from the table, took them off him and said, 'oh, let me carry those for you.'' She reasoned that some people may like that type of service but they wanted to be 'left alone a bit.' DUBAI PIVOT The couple decided to leave after just four days to fly to Dubai instead - and got refunded for the seven days they didn't stay there. This follows Molly Mae's sister Zoe Rae cutting her honeymoon in Bali short after 48 hours to fly to Dubai instead, as things didn't feel 'quite right.' 5 5 Understandably, when you go on your honeymoon, you want it to be your dream trip and to get your money's worth, and Sophie said this was why they made the switch, Sophie explained: 'When you are expecting a certain thing and you have paid for that, to turn up and not have it, we just felt like it was disappointment after disappointment. 'But it was our honeymoon. And I didn't want that to be our experience of the Maldives. We like Dubai. We've been to Dubai plenty of times before.' SOCIAL REACTION Many people supported her in the comments, with one saying: 'The construction work would tip me over.' Another added: 'Ah this is sad sorry you didn't get the experience you paid for!' However, one pointed out: 'Madam, you need to be grateful for being able to afford an expensive journey to Maldives and shouldn't complain about little negative stuff. 'Do you know that 90% of the world will never be able to go to Maldives.' A second added: 'Leaving Maldives for Dubai is wild.'
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Travel + Leisure
06-07-2025
- Travel + Leisure
There's a Psychological Term for Feeling Disappointed by Traveling to Paris—and It Can Have Intense Symptoms
The first time culture, language, and localization expert Salvador Ordorica visited two of Paris' most famous sights, the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe, he was overcome with an overwhelming sense of disappointment. 'It was about as crowded as Disneyland and offered very little of the charm that I would have first expected from Paris,' Ordorica, the founder of global language translation company The Spanish Group, told Travel + Leisure . Long before Emily Cooper moved to Paris, the French capital has been a source of wanderlust for travelers the world over, who flock to the city for attractions such as the glittering Chateau de Versailles and the masterful Mona Lisa at the Louvre. But what happens when you arrive and feel deflation rather than inspiration when the City of Light (and Love) doesn't match the image you had painted in your mind? You wouldn't be alone. There's even a name for it—the Paris Syndrome. The term is nothing new: it was first coined by a Japanese psychiatrist working in France, Hiroaki Ota, in the 1980s. He, and subsequent experts, focused on the experience of Japanese tourists in particular, who reported symptoms such as hallucinations, anxiety, and dizziness from the letdown of the city in real life. Browse Reddit and other forums today and you'll quickly realize the term has become a global byword for the disappointment of not stepping into the #Paris hashtag on your Instagram feed. 'Paris is hyped up in movies, social media, and luxury branding and people build up a mental image of an idealized city filled with beauty and romance,' said Ordorica, who studied at renowned Parisian university Sciences Po. When travelers set foot on its pavements and realize that, alongside the pockets of beauty, it is a real city with traffic, bad weather, and the occasional moody resident, it can create a sense of letdown. 'When people arrive expecting perfection and are met with the reality of everyday Paris, the contrast can be a real shock,' he continued. It's worth remembering before you go that Paris is not just the leafy Île Saint-Louis, where you'll find Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral or the charming, music-filled cobbled streets of Montmartre; it's also home to over two million people. 'Paris is chaotic and poetic, grumpy and generous. It is a regular city, just like any other. It has traffic, noise, political issues, rainy days, and its share of unpleasant people,' Ordorica said. 'Yes, it's stunning in many ways, full of beauty, amazing cuisine, and incredible architecture, but don't forget there's a real and imperfect side to it. This will help you enjoy your stay even more.' Perhaps we should take inspiration from the youngest generation, those who have yet to own phones and have their view of the world colored social media platforms. Last year, my husband and I took our two young daughters to Paris for the first time. As we emerged from Gare de Montparnasse, they looked up to glimpse the Eiffel Tower soaring above the skyline. I'll never forget their gasps of wonder and awe at the sight. Nor, I doubt, will they. Having lived in France for over 15 years, I have visited Paris on countless occasions. But seeing the city through the eyes of my children was like discovering the marvels of the city all over again, imperfections and all.
