CombatCritic's TravelValue™: three

Showing posts with label three. Show all posts

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Bend, OR: Three Sisters Inn & Suites - Good Value And Central Location

Bend Three Sisters Inn & Suites

721 NE 3rd Street

Bend, OR 97701

Phone number(541) 382-1515

Website: bendthreesistersinn.com

Prices: $$$$

Nothin' fancy, but we had a decent size room with two queen beds for a little over $70 per night. Best of all, they allow pets, breakfast was included, and there was no charge for pets when booked on Booking.com

They have doughnuts, instant oatmeal, fruit, coffee, and OJ for breakfast. Not necessarily the healthiest choices, but the doughnuts were fresh and actually quite good.

The only negatives were the bed, which was uncomfortable, causing frequent tossing and turning, and the noisy people above us with a marching band in their room that spent much of our three nights stomping back and forth.

Overall, a good value for a clean, safe room with breakfast included where dogs are welcome and location is central in Bend.

CombatCritic Gives Bend Three Sisters Inn & Suites 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Monday, January 8, 2018

Gravesend, England: The Three Daws Get Four Bombs

The Three Daws Public House

Gastropubs

6 Town Pier

Gravesend DA11 0BJ, United Kingdom

Phone number: +44 (147) 456-6869

Website: threedaws.co.uk

Prices: ££££

The online menu looked eclectic and inspiring, and the reviews good, so I thought this 500+ year old pub had real potential. I was wrong and disappointed.

Having lived in England for three years (RAF Alconbury - 1995-1998), I have had some great pub food. So after almost 20 years away, I was looking forward to a nice, room temperature hand-pulled pint of ale and a good meal. The ale was brilliant and the service friendly and efficient, but the food, unfortunately, left something to be desired.

My wife had the Squash Risotto (£8.75), if you could call it that, supposedly made with arborio rice, leek, cream, squash, and pecorino cheese. The rice did not look like arborio, the squash, leek and cream were nearly nonexistent, and whomever prepared it obviously had no knowledge of how to make a proper risotto. The rice was extremely dry and tasteless, not patiently hand-stirred and creamy, piled on the plate with a smattering of salad without any dressing on the side.

I saw the server delivering the Wild Stroganoff (£9.75) as we were walking in and it looked great, so I ordered it with the chips ("fries" for the Yanks). The alleged "steak" strips seemed more like stewing beef and the "mixed wild mushrooms" were indistinguishable from the stringy beef. There were paprika and cream in the sauce, but the brandy was imperceptible and the sauce had little flavor. My wife's best friend had the same thing, with rice instead of chips, having concurred with my evaluation.

Her boyfriend had the Harvel Farm (£9.25), which is apparently "exclusive harvel farm beef and horseradish sausages", coming with mashed potatoes and brown gravy and otherwise known as "Bangers and Mash". Being the only Brit at the table (beside the two Italians and one Yank), he seemed pleased with his choice, stating that it was "pretty good".

The place is charming, very old (reportedly 1501), wooden and white on the outside with wonky floors and several small rooms off of the main bar inside, sitting on the southern shore of the River Thames. We were there at night, so we did not get to enjoy the view, but I am sure it can be quite nice in the daylight.

CombatCritic Gives The Three Daws 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Inexpensive Portable In-Home Putting Green Not Bad For The Price

Grassroots Par Three Putting Green

by B&T Golf

$32 on Amazon.com

The Grassroots Par Three Putting Green is a portable putting green small and lightweight enough to take with you on your next trip, golf or otherwise.

Made of thin, green outdoor carpet with a tapered foam ramp leading up to the three holes at one end, the green is 9 feet long and about three feet wide at each end. It is tapered in the middle, why I am not sure, and around 2.5 feet wide, making it look something like an actual putting green which I assume was the reason for the design.

The "green" lies flat out of the box, but is thin enough to magnify any underlying imperfections in the floor you put it on. I placed it on an oriental rug and it rolls true until the thin, green outdoor carpet bunches up when the green is jarred or stepped on too abruptly.

The holes are deep enough to catch a golf ball with the center cup being about 1" deep and the two outer cups at about 1/2" in depth. There are also two deep bunkers (1" deep) behind the holes to catch errant shots, but some balls roll over, through or between them and off across the room.

For the price, it works well enough and as advertised. I do not imagine it lasting for several years due to the thinness of the carpet. If it were double the thickness, it would likely roll truer on diverse surfaces, last longer and not bunch up quite so easily. I believe a base with a material that clings to carpet and hard floors, possibly something like rubber, would enhance the product immensely as well as adding to durability, even in the $50-$60 range.

The only other thing missing is a storage or carry bag for when you want it out of the way or to take on trips. A simple, nylon bag with a handle and drawstring would cost next to nothing to manufacture and would enhance the product significantly.

CombatCritic Gives Grassroots Par Three Putting Green 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

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Title: Inexpensive In-Home Putting Green Not BAd For The Price

Key Words: Grassroots Par Three Putting Green, grassroots, par, three, putting, green, putt, putter, B&T, Golf, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, product, review, Amazon.com, Amazon

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