Stephanie Holmes: Bad, worse, worst

Magaluf, a Spanish party town on the island of Majorca, is one destination Stephanie hopes never to return to. Photo / Getty

Last week's cover story on the most over-rated destinations on the planet certainly struck a nerve with readers.

The problem with opinions is everybody has one.

Last week's cover story on the most over-rated destinations on the planet certainly struck a nerve - some readers disagreed profusely with our writers' selections; others were quick to share their own holiday disappointments.

Online, there was some semi-heated discussion about our group's choices, particularly Ben Boyce's Colosseum comments.

On Facebook, Lylah Guptill suggested we should "maybe ask ordinary NZers instead of 'Celebrities'." So in this issue we have. Along with some of our own writers sharing tales of travel woe, we've got some gems from Travel readers.

Fortunately, I've had many more good travel experiences than bad and, for the most part, the let-downs are usually caused by something outside the destination's control. There's nothing you can do about bad weather, for example - although as an expat Brit, there's nothing I like more than to complain about it.

One destination I hope never to return to is Magaluf. You may have read about the Spanish party town on the island of Majorca, thanks to its "outbreak" of STIs. Tourists are apparently "lining up for antibiotics", which is curbing their favoured holiday pastime of binge-drinking.

No, this isn't some weird kind of oversharing confession. But, after visiting as a teenager, I can confirm that Magaluf is some kind of fresh hell.

Back then, of course, it was the time of my life. Which proves that opinions should never be taken too seriously because - like people - they change a lot over time.