CombatCritic's "TravelValue"

Monday, December 10, 2057

Countries Visited ... So Far ... 41 And Counting!

Static

(The Big Picture)

Interactive

(See More Detail)

List (Alphabetical)

Bahrain – Kingdom of Bahrain

Belgium – Kingdom of Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria – Republic of Bulgaria

Canada

Croatia – Republic of Croatia

Czech Republic

Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat/Grønland)

France – French Republic

Germany – Federal Republic of Germany

Greece – Hellenic Republic
Holy See

Hungary

India – Republic of India

Ireland
Israel

Italy – Italian Republic

Jamaica

Japan

Korea, South – Republic of Korea

Luxembourg – Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Macedonia – Republic of Macedonia

Malta – Republic of Malta

Mexico – United Mexican States

Micronesia – Federated States of Micronesia

Monaco – Principality of Monaco

Montenegro

Netherlands

Palau – Republic of Palau

Palestine - State of Palestine
Portugal – Portuguese Republic

San Marino – Republic of San Marino

Saudi Arabia – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Slovenia – Republic of Slovenia

Spain – Kingdom of Spain

Switzerland – Swiss Confederation

Tunisia – Republic of Tunisia

Turkey – Republic of Turkey

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United States – United States of America

- Guam

- Puerto Rico

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "GOLD" Elite '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over 1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Countries Visited ... So Far ... 41 And Counting!

Key Words: countries, country, nation, capitol, Google Maps, Google, map, maps, city, state, world, earth, visit, visited, traveler, 44, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, Yelp

Sunday, December 10, 2056

Why Should You Read My Reviews And Subscribe To TravelValue?

I served my country in the United States Air Force for over 20 years and have visited 44 countries over the last 35 years, all without spending over $75 per night for a nice hotel room and dining in excellent restaurants for well under $25 per person. How do I do it? Through diligent research, exploration, trial and error, and tapping local knowledge.

Would you like to stay in a central, 3-star hotel in a major city for under $20 per night? How about a room with a balcony and view of the Himalayas while attending teachings with the Dalai Lama for just $5 per night? Or a beachfront hotel for $13 per night? Maybe a meal prepared by a 5-star chef for less than $20? Well, you have come to the right place ...

CombatCritic's "TravelValue"

Having several popular travel blogs CombatCritic.com and received numerous accolades from several of the top travel and restaurant websites/apps (Yelp, TripAvisor, Zomato, Tabelog, Booking.com), you can trust my opinions.

Unlike many reviewers who are either afraid to tell the truth or have personal relationship with businesses and biased views, I reserve 5-stars (10 Bombs on my blog) for only the most flawless restaurants, accommodations, businesses, attractions and destinations, those where you absolutely and without a doubt get the most “bang-for-the-buck”.

CombatCritic.com

I try to remain as objective as possible in all of my reviews, providing the pros and cons as I see them and a rating based on the overall “value” as compared to similar entities in similar locations. I accept no "freebies" and only identify myself as a critic after having been a customer and paid the bill, so you can trust my reviews.

Here is a breakdown of my ratings both on my blogs (where I use a ten point scale) and on travel and dining websites (that all use 5 point Likert-type scales) ...

If I hate a place, they get 1-2 Bombs (1-star)

If so-so with numerous”issues", they get 3-4 Bombs (2-stars)

If average (the vast majority of businesses fall into this category if you look at the distribution of my ratings), they get 5-6 Bombs (3-stars)

If above average, they get 7-8 Bombs (4-stars)

If they are one of the very rare “best of the best” values in my experience, they get 9-10 Bombs (5-stars – I always round up from bombs to stars because I use a 10 point Likert-type scale in order to be more discernible).

Now that you understand my philosophy and ratings, on to my reviews …

CombatCritic

The Leader In Getting Travelers The Most "Bang-for-the-Buck"

"Follow Me To TraveValue"

And Subscribe To My

Popular YouTube Channel

CombatCritic's "TravelValue" Channel

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Gold" Elite '14/'15/'16 /'17 / '18

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Why Should You Read My Reviews And Subscribe To My Blog?

Key Words: combatcritic, travelvalue, travel, value, combat, critic, review, reviews, objective, restaurant, hotel, attraction, destination, Italy, USA, India, Asia, Europe

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Salamanca, Spain: Decent Hotel, Close to Center, But Nothing To Write Home About

Hotel Eurowest

Calle Pico del Naranco 2

37008 Salamanca, Spain

+34 923 194 021

HotelEurowest.com

Prices: €€€€

A decent hotel in a quiet area across the river and short walk from Salamanca's ancient center, the staff were friendly and helpful. There was no parking available in their garage, but we found free street parking just a block away and saved €12.

The room was basic and beds comfy, but the radiators were on and there was no remote for the AC, so the room was hot and we had to leave the window open all night with a bright street light just feet away illuminating our room. I need a cool, dark room when I sleep, so I opted for cool and dawned a sleeping mask and earplugs, not optimal.

Breakfast was minimal, toast, butter, jam, ham and cheese, fruit, and some packaged pastries. The pot of very dark coffee was extremely strong, even for me, and they had OJ and water, not a great selection.

They do accept pets, so my service animal was welcome in all areas of the hotel, but they added €9 to the room for a total of €70. Not a great TravelValue, but I have seen much worse.

CombatCritic Gives Hotel Eurowest 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Rota (Cadiz), Spain: 'Utopia' Might Be A Bit Of An Exaggeration

Utopía Tapas y Copas

Avenida de San Fernando 8

11520 Rota Spain

+34 698 97 01 12

Facebook: UtopiaTapas

Prices: €€€€

We had been here before and enjoyed our eclectic array of tapas, but the prices have gone up significantly.

The service was friendly and good this time and the wine, a dark red Rioja - 'LAN D12', was excellent considering the price (€3.40/glass), smooth, robust, and oakey, just the way I like it. It was the best value on the menu.

Not all that hungry, I ordered the BarBQ Ribs Tacos (€6.90/two) and Chicken and Vegetable Gyozas (six for €6.50). The tacos were okay, a bit flavorless, they could have been much better. The gyozas were crispy and tasty, and the sweet chili sauce was a nice addition, but they were rather small and gone in just six bites.

Even though I was not famished, I left feeling unsatiated and a bit disappointed. Having paid almost €24, including tip, it did not seem like a €24 meal even though the wine was an added value. Not bad overall, but not quite a TravelValue in my book.

CombatCritic Gives Utopia 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Saturday, January 14, 2023

Olhão, Portugal: U mi Goodness, Delicious All You Can Eat Sushi and Japanese for €17 ... HOOAH!

Umi Sushi (Japanese, Sushi)

R. Vasco da Gama, 8700-522 Olhão

Hours: 11 AM to 3 PM ⋅ 6 PM to 11 PM Daily

Phone: 289 153 829

Prices: €€€€

All you can eat sushi, sashimi, tempura, noodles, egg rolls, and meat in Old Town Olhão ... HOOAH!

This place has not been there very long, so I was surprised when I saw it - bright, clean, and modern inside, the space is inviting. Walking by with our friends from Tavira, they informed us that this is an all-you-can-eat restaurant, just like the one in Tavira. You pay €16.90 Monday to Thursday and €17.90 Friday through Sunday, lunch is only €13.90, quite a TravelValue!

Egg Rolls and Gyosa

You can order anything on the menu, as much as you want, but there is a surcharge for excess waste, which was not a problem for us. The portions are not large, for example, you get only two small, thin egg rolls. You write the numbers corresponding to each dish or drink on a small piece of paper and hand it to the server. The food arrives very quickly.

They have a full bar and prices are fair, €2 for a bottle of Super Bock and €4 for a glass of wine. The bottles of wine are not expensive and they have a nice range of soft drinks, juices, tea, coffee, and cocktails.

Shrimp Tempura

We started with the Espetadas do Frango (chicken skewers), Gyosa (pork dumplings), and Camarão Panado (breaded shrimp). The chicken was very dry, but the gyosa and shrimp were very good.

For our mains, we had California Rolls, Avocado Gunkan (seaweed cones with salmon, mango, and avocado), Noodles de Carne de Vaca (beef noodles), Noodles Vegetariano (veggie noodles), Tempura de Gambas, Cogumelos Salteados (stir fry mushrooms), and Carne de vaca Grelhada (grilled beef). Everything was delicious, but there was not much beef in the beef noodles, so I would recommend getting the beef noodles and grilled beef, then mixing them together.

California Rolls, Avocado Gunkan

Beef Stir fry

Stir fry Mushrooms

Veggie Noodles

For dessert, we had two fried bananas, one with chocolate and one with caramel. I would not order them again as the were not very sweet and had an odd aftertaste.

CombatCritic Gives Umi Sushi 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!