Hoenn didn't disappoint me that much, I actually liked it a lot better than Kanto.
I thought the addition of contests in the Hoenn-based games was great, it made the game more enjoyable, in my opinion. And trying to win all the Master Rank contests gave me more to do after finishing the main storyline.
The new game mechanics in the games, such as the addition of natures and the revamped EV system, was interesting too. I actually started to care about my Pokemon's stats and movesets after learning about them, something I never did in previous generations. It's also quite complicated, something older players can appreciate, as much of the game is intended for younger fans.
It did not bug me that there was no day and nighttime feature, I found it quite annoying in Gold, Silver and Crystal, because it was too dark at night, and I often found it difficult to see what was around me. I really enjoyed just having a clock in my room.
The Pokedex didn't annoy me that much, though there were times I wished I could get Pokemon such as Ditto for breeding purposes. However, once Fire Red and Leaf Green were released, this problem was solved.
I also like double battles, they add more variety to the game and also allow you to come up with new strategies for battling. Plus, it makes it easier to train two Pokemon at a time.
Hoenn itself was an interesting place, different from Johto and Kanto. I liked how it was a tropical place, and had many sea routes, so you could go diving. Cities such as Fortree and Sootopolis were very unique, the former being full of treehouses, and the latter being built in a dead volcano. Pacifidlog Town was different too, being a floating town. I also liked how they added rain on certain routes, it made the game seem more realistic. Volcanic ash was cool, too, and I found it neat it could be used in order to make items such as the flutes.
I loved most of the music in the games, particularily ones that were unique to certain places, such as the Sootopolis City music. Also, the Gym Leader battle music is my favourite out of all four generations.
So all in all, I was not disappointed in Hoenn, it was one of my favourite regions so far.