CombatCritic's TravelValue™: April 2021

CombatCritic™ ... World traveler - 42 countries and counting; Military Leader - Four combat operations; Amateur chef; Published author and producer - over 4 million visitors on seven platforms! Yelp "Black" Elite '14/'15/ '16/ '17/ '18/ '19 / '20/ '21/ '22 / '23 / '24; TripAdvisor ¨Local Guide¨, Zomato "VERIFIED CONNOISSEUR"; Booking.com "GENIUS"; and Foursquare "INSIDER". On the Front Lines in the Battle Against Mediocrity - Follow Me To TravelValue™ ... That's A Freakin' Order!

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Pechão, Olhão (Portugal): It's More Than Just A Spa, It's A Dog Spa!

Dog Spa-Centro Canino do Monte Escrivao

Monte Escrivão, 401A 8700-178 Olhão, Portugal

Phone: +351 289 705 471

dogspa.com.pt

Prices: €€€€

Manuel, Sandra, and Monica are all wonderful and the facility is top-notch. The animals have lots of room to run and play or be trained on their extensive obstacle course. We trust DogSpa 100% with our dog Kemper and their rates are very fair.

He attends the day spa twice a week, loves it, and comes home a happy Kemper, I mean camper. They even pick him up and drop him off at our home in Olhão.

Manuel has extensive training and experience working with animals, having worked with police dogs on the east coast of the United States. If you have a new puppy or a dog with behavior problems, he is the one you need to help.

We highly recommend DogSpa for training, day spa. boarding, and other pet related services.

CombatCritic Gives DogSpa 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

Saturday, April 10, 2021

Hostal Macavi: Inexpensive, Clean, Comfortable And Friendly, Unlike Hostal Playa Candor Down The Street

Hostal Macavi

C/ Écija,11

11520 Rota (Cádiz), Spain

Phone: + 34 956 81 33 36

Website: hostalmacavi.es

Prices: €€€€

I had a reservation through Booking.com at Hostal Playa Candor in Rota, but I finally gave up waiting for a closed hostel to open, having a medical appointment at Naval Air Station Rota early the next morning. Upon arrival, the hostel was dark with no sign of life and nobody answered their phone, but I was lucky enough to find a hostel just down the street, Hostal Macavi, which was obviously open and where I was given a very nice room. They were also very nice, professional, and kind, unlike Hostal Playa Candor.

Hostal Playa Candor - Dark & Deserted Upon Arrival For My Booking.com Reservation And Their Phone Rang Off the Hook When I Tried to Call!

I was greeted by the owner, Vicente, at the door of Hostal Macavi at 22:00, arriving without a reservation and was told they had rooms available for just €30 ($36) for the night.

His English was good enough and better than my Spanish, so communication was not a problem. Vicente told me where I could park and even came outside on a chilly, windy night to ensure I found a legal place to secure my car for the night.

I took the elevator to the 1st floor and when I saw the room, I was very pleasantly surprised for the price I paid. Large and simply, but tastefully decorated with a full size bed, a chair and table, closet, clean linens, a nice, big bathroom and a 42" TV mounted on the wall. They had Wi-Fi, but the signal was so weak, I could not connect. No bother as I had to get to sleep and get up early for my medical appointment early the next morning.

I slept like a log on the comfortable bed with no noise all night, took a shower in the huge enclosure, got dressed and went downstairs for a hot cup of coffee before departing.

Carlos cheerfully greeted me and we chatted for 45 minutes while I drank my coffee. His English was very good, having lived in the USA and England for many years. When it was time to go, he said 'that will be €1', a fair price for a double shot Americano with milk and sugar in an American size coffee mug ... HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives Hostal Macavi 10 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My 'WALL OF FAME' ... More Bombs Are Better!

Ten Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians:

Booking.com Blew-It On My Reservation - Hostel Closed Upon Arrival, Then They Told Me 'You'll Have To Work It Out With Them'

Hostal Playa Candor

Av. De la Diputación 95

11520 Rota, Spain

Phone: +34 956 814 313

Prices: €€€€

I made the reservation through Booking.com and late arrival, 10PM, was acknowledged by the hostel. Upon arrival, they were obviously closed (no lights, no sign of life, no cars in the parking lot), so I assumed they had not updated their status during the COVID lockdown.

I called their number at 21:47, just to be sure, and they didn't answer the phone, it rang 20 times before giving up. I have photos of the building and a screenshot of my phone call to prove what I say is true. What was I supposed to do, break through the bars on the windows or doors, knock down a door or break a window, and find a room to sleep in on my own?

I contacted Booking.com the next day and sent the hostel a message because they claimed that someone had been there waiting for me and that I was a 'no-show'. They are running some type of a scam and I refuse to pay. The charge, € 35 ($ 43), in-fact appeared on my credit card, so I sent the photos to Booking.com , disputed the charge through my bank, and will file a fraud complaint with the Rota Police.

Screenshot says 8:47PM, but my phone was still on UTC (Potugal), so it's an hour behind Rota, Spain. The 9:42 at the top is the time I took the screenshot.

I finally gave up waiting for a closed hostel to open, having a medical appointment at Naval Air Station Rota early the next morning, so I was lucky enough to find a hotel just down the street, Hostal Macavi, which was obviously open and where I paid just € 30 / $ 36, for a very nice room. They were also very nice, professional, and kind, unlike Hostal Playa Candor.

This is what the hostel, apparently, looks like when they are open

(from their Facebook page). No comparison.

CombatCritic Gives Hostal Playa Candor 0 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My 'WALL OF SHAME' ... More Bombs Are Better!

Zero Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

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Faro, Portugal; Great Expectations, Oustanding View, But A Disappointing Breakfast Buffet

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Pechão, Olhão (Portugal): It's More Than Just A Spa, It's A Dog Spa!

Saturday, April 10, 2021

Hostal Macavi: Inexpensive, Clean, Comfortable And Friendly, Unlike Hostal Playa Candor Down The Street

Booking.com Blew-It On My Reservation - Hostel Closed Upon Arrival, Then They Told Me 'You'll Have To Work It Out With Them'

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