Disappointing photos show what 9 top luxury destinations look like in real life Part 2

By Katie Warren from Business Insider

Some places around the world are known as go-to spots for luxury travel, shopping, or experiences.

The Champs Elysées in Paris, for example, with its Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and Longchamp boutiques, is consistently ranked one of the most expensive shopping streets in the world. Dubai boasts of having the most luxurious hotel in the world.

But many find that these and other luxury destinations don’t quite live up to the hype. Take a look below for some disappointing photos of what nine luxury hotspots look like in real life.

Dubai is known for its luxury shopping and hotels, giant malls, and ultra-modern architecture. Rough Guides calls it “one of the world’s most glamorous, spectacular and futuristic urban destinations.”

Source: Visit Dubai, Rough Guides

It boasts of having the “most luxurious hotel in the world,” the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, which costs a minimum of about $3,500 a night and whose restaurant has a floor-to-ceiling aquarium.

Source: Burj Al Arab Jumeirah

But many visitors to Dubai find it to be completely underwhelming, artificial, and lacking in culture. Foreigners who live there complain of constant construction, and it’s landed on several lists of most overrated travel destinations.

Source: The Street, Rough Guides,South China Morning Post Magazine

“Shopping mecca of the Middle East and haven for foreigners and expats. Where else can you ski inside a mall in 90 degree heat? But, guess what? The whole place is fake! Get a real life, go to a real mountain, and ski in real temperatures. You don’t need to go to Dubai for this,” Suzanne Garber, former chief networking officer at traveler assistance company International SOS, told the Street.

Source: The Street

Lonely Planet calls Dalian, China, “one of the most relaxed and liveable cities in the northeast, if not all of China” and highlights its “impressive coastline, complete with swimming beaches.”

Source: Lonely Planet

“This coastal area is a paradise for beach vacationers,” according to Travel China Guide.

Source: Travel China Guide

But beach vacationers will have to fight to get a spot, judging from photos such as this one from Fujiazhuang beach in Dalian on a nearly 90-degree day in 2015. “I went on a weekday and almost could only see the water through banks and banks of locals!” one person wrote on TripAdvisor in October 2013.

Source: Trip Advisor

Another image from a Dalian beach in August 2018 looks much the same. While Dalian is probably a wonderful place to visit overall, prepare yourself for the crowds at the beach.

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