CombatCritic's "TravelValue"

Monday, December 10, 2057

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

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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

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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

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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

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Cabanas (Tavira), Portugal: Gio, That's Some Pretty Good Pizza!

Gio & Gabi Pizzeria

Av. Ria Formosa, 88

8800-591 Tavira, Portugal

Phone: +351 962 312 456

Prices: €€€€

A teeny, tiny waterfront pizzeria in Cabanas with limited seating upstairs and heated outdoor seating on the wide sidewalk in front. Recently remodeled, the place is clean and cute and the views from upstairs are wonderful, especially around sunset.

Unfortunately, there is not room in the small kitchen for a wood-fired pizza oven or they may have gotten an extra BOMB. The pizza was very good, not great, but I am a bit of a pizza snob, having lived in Naples, Italy and married an Italian. The crust was good, the sauce tasty, toppings plentiful, and taste above average. Compared to most pizzerias in Portugal, Algarve in particular, their pizza is closer to authentic than most.

The service was excellent and friendly, and the prices very fair compared to many. I had the chance to meet Gio and Gabi and wish them the very best in this endeavor.

CombatCritic Gives Gio & Gabi 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Monday, April 6, 2020

Santa Luzia, Portugal: Alex and Arnaud's 1-Bedroom Santa Luzia Apartment

Alex and Arnaud's 1-Bedroom Apartment

Santa Luzia, Faro, Portugal

View It On Airbnb

Alex and Arnaud were perfect hosts, meeting me to ensure I got settled and responding to all concerns post haste. Communication was a breeze. When I told them that the bed was hard on my back, they went out and bought a top-of-the-line mattress that solved the problem.

The 1BR/1BA apartment was well appointed and plenty large enough for the two of us. It is located in the quiet fishing village of Santa Luzia with plenty of restaurant and grocery options, but a five minute drive away from Tavira and its many more options. The kitchen was large with a small breakfast nook, but I wish there had been an oven in addition to the 2-burner gas stove. Otherwise, the place could not have been more perfect. There is even a rooftop terrace just one floor up with patio furniture and fantastic views of Ria Formosa and the Atlantic Ocean.

I highly recommend the apartment and Alex/Arnaud if requiring a nice place in the Tavira area within walking distance to everything you will need. We will be returning next winter with our dog Kemper, as they even accept pets!

CombatCritic Gives Alex and Arnaud's 1 Bedroom Santa Luzia Apartment 10 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF FAME" ... MORE BOMBS ARE BETTER!

Ten Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians:

HOOAH!: "Phonetic spelling of the acronym HUA, which stands for 'Heard Understood Acknowledged.' Originally used by the British in the late 1800's in Afghanistan. More recently adopted by the United States Army to indicate an affirmative or a pleased response." - Urban Dictionary

"The Department of Military Science and Leadership, University of Tennessee claim HOOAH 'refers to or means anything except no' ... Regardless of its meaning ... the term is an expression of high morale, confidence, motivation and spirit." - WarChronicle.com

"The U.S. Air Force stole 'HOOAH' from the Army because we were part of the Army until 1947 and rather than waste a bunch of time coming up with something new and unique like "ROO-YAH" or "HAL-A-LOO-YAH", we said 'screw it, let's go with HOOAH' ... thanks Army ... HOOAH!" - CombatCritic

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

My Recent Escape From Lisbon And COVID-19 And The Discovery Of Miraculous Treatments!

Trapped in Portugal
I have severe asthma and am in the high risk category for COVID-19 (60+, asthma). My wife and I were stuck in Portugal just 10 miles from the Spanish border where things were getting ugly fast in relation to the COVID-19 virus pandemic. If I contracted the virus, I needed to be back home so I could get the specialised care required to survive.

Working with the US State Department, the US Embassy in Lisbon, and United Airlines, we were frantically trying to find passage home before Portugal went into a full lockdown, trapping us for an undetermined amount of time.

United Airlines had zero seats and could not rebook us until Cinco de Mayo, our original return date. Air Portugal (TAP) was the only airline with direct flights to the US and they had only three flights per week.

Finally, after three days of phone calls and tweets to President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, US Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, and United Airlines. we were booked on a last minute flight out of Lisbon and repatriated to the United States on March 26, 2020, just before Portugal terminated all international flights.

Promising COVID-19 Treatments
Anti-malarial, HIV, and asthma (NAC) medications seem to be working in the fight against COVID-19. Coronavirus itself does not kill you, the body's exuberant immune response called a ‘cytokine storm’ is what causes inflammation in the lungs, leading to death. Existing HIV and asthma medications block that overzealous immune response, hence reducing the inflammation that kills you. Dr. Marc Siegel explains:

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There is also a very promising combination of an antibiotic and antimalarial drug that showed dramatic results in a relatively small study in France, virtually eliminating any detectable viral load in 20 patients over a 6-day period, according to Dr. Geoffrey C. Cly.

A Michigan man dying of COVID-19 inflammation, Jim Santilli of Clinton Township, made what he called a 'miraculous recovery' within just a few hours of receiving those drugs:

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SPREAD THE WORD

Please share this post with all of your family and friends and have them share it with their doctor should they contract the virus. It could mean the difference between life and death!

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