CombatCritic's TravelValue™: airbnb

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!

Showing posts with label airbnb. Show all posts

Friday, August 21, 2020

Bandon Dunes, Oregon: Helen's Place (Airbnb) - A Bit Pricey, But A Good Place To Stay Very Close To Bandon Dunes

Airbnb Helen's Place

Entire Cottage - 1BR / 1 BA, Pull-Out Sofa, Kitchen

5 Minute Drive from Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Price: $$$$

Airbnb Listing - Click Here

The cottage was rustic, but very nice and the proximity to Bandon Dunes was a big plus, just a five minute drive from the main clubhouse. The king size bed was very comfy and the kitchen/bathroom were well equipped for a short stay. The highlight of our stay was Peanut, the host’s sweet kitty who greeted us on arrival and stopped by to say hi throughout our stay.

It's the little things that make a host a Super Host, so here are some of the constructive suggestions I offered our hosts ...

Travelers assign 5-star ratings far too easily and do a disservice to subsequent travelers by not being honest. I have a popular travel website and owe it to my 80,000 readers each and every year to be completely honest, otherwise they would not return. Honesty and integrity are my top two core values, so I have to be truthful no matter what.

I travel all over the world and have stayed in many Airbnb's. Helen’s partner, Eddy, gave us a nice welcome, but Helen never introduced herself, even when I went to the door to find out where the sheets for the fold-out couch were.

Many hosts leave a personal welcome note and something that shows that they are glad we are staying with them such as a bottle of inexpensive wine, homemade cookies, chocolates, coffee/creamers/Keurig/sweeteners and the like. Our welcome was just a single coffee filter and a bag of coffee beans (no grinder), so we had to go out and buy 200 filters and a bag of ground coffee.

Finally, one or both of them could have come out on the morning we were leaving to say goodbye and thank us for staying with them, and paying $315 for 2 nights, but that did not happen.

As I said, I don't bring these things up to be mean or to insult the hosts, I'm hoping to help them become better hosts by offering some small suggestions to make future guests feel more welcome and appreciated, therefore enhancing the value of their accommodation.

We rarely pay more than $75 per night on Airbnb's and I'm talking about nice, private apartments in central London, Paris, Lyon, Lisbon, and Tel Aviv, just to name a few. At over $150 per night, I was not overly impressed by the cottage, but I think Bandon locals are taking advantage of tourists/golfers in general because this was actually one of the cheaper places in the area.

CombatCritic Gives Helen's Place A Very Respectable 6 Out Of 10 Bombs, Leaving Room For Improvement ... More Bombs Are Better!

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

Monday, March 11, 2019

Albufeira, Portugal: This Nice Sea View Apartment In Central Albufeira Is A TravelValue

Andre's "Fisherman's Beach Apartment"

Albufeira, Faro, 8200 Portugal

A nice one bedroom apartment in central Albufeira, this place has everything you will need for a couple days or a couple months and it even has a nice sea view! Andre met us upon arrival and was as nice and informative as he could be. It is on the 4th floor of a building with no elevator which was not a problem except when we arrived and were leaving, hauling heavy suitcases up and down the stairs. It does have its own secure parking space (not covered) through an electric gate and inside the courtyard of the building. There was even a bottle of Portuguese wine waiting for us when we arrived.

The living/dining room is large with a large pull-out sofa and coffee table, LCD TV with satellite channels, relatively fast internet, a dining set with four chairs, and a small balcony overlooking the street and a view of the Mediterranean Sea.

The kitchen has an automatic coffee maker (there was even some coffee to get us started), electric kettle, toaster, electric range and oven, microwave/convection oven, a large refrigerator, and a clothes washer. There were plenty of plates, pots and pans, and other utensils and spices needed to cook and eat in the apartment if getting tired of eating out as we did. There is also a Spar market immediately downstairs and next to the building in case you need something right away. Two large supermarkets (Pingo Doce and Continente) are a just ten minute walk away if you need to do some major shopping. There are several restaurants in the immediate area, but the ones closest by were not the best and had higher than average prices. You have to walk down to Fisherman's Beach and Old Town Albufeira for more variety and competitive prices.

The bedroom is relatively large with a king size bed, nightstands, dresser, and fitted wardrobe with plenty of space for our clothes and bags. Andre even provided plenty of beach paraphernalia, including chairs, mats, and an umbrella for those days where the sun is shining (300+ days a year) and the temps warm enough to bare all. The weather was wonderful during our entire two week stay, but not quite warm enough to do any sunbathing, averaging between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 18 degrees Celsius) during the day.

I always provide the pros and cons in my reviews and I rarely find a "perfect" restaurant or hotel and the drawbacks here were all very very minor. First, the AC/heating units, of which there were only two (bedroom and living room), were not quite enough to heat the entire apartment on our first night. The apartment could possibly use one more wall mounted AC/heating unit in the hallway, but after the first night the walls must have defrosted a bit because it was a bit easier to warm the place up at night. Second, the massive dog that lives just behind the building, who was very sweet by the way, likes to bark in the morning. I am a light sleeper and he woke me up a couple of times, but it was not a daily occurrence and, after all, dogs bark. Finally, the unit is advertised as "Fisherman's Beach Apartment", a little bit of a stretch given the fact that Fisherman's Beach is actually a ten minute walk away down a large hill to a double escalator and across a large plaza.

Unless you plan on hanging out and simply going to the beach and eating in Albufeira, you might get by without a car. However, if you plan on sightseeing, playing golf, or visiting the other beautiful areas in the Algarve, of which there are many, a parking place is A MUST in Albufeira. We were there in late January, the low season, and parking spaces were few and far between. Having said that, there is pretty much everything you need within walking distance of the apartment, so you could easily get everything you need for a short or long stay nearby. At $36.32 (€32) per night for a private, one bedroom apartment in a central location and a great view, Andre's apartment is a definite TravelValue!

CombatCritic Gives Andre's Fisherman's Beach Apartment 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

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