Declining hurts ur stats. Let them cancel.
If an inquiry just respond but dont decline
Cancelled 
Oh well, that didn’t last long. Disappointing, but it wasn’t the money as such, it was the fact someone was actually planning to come here.
I suspect they booked for the Tio Pepe Festival, which this year was end of July beginning of August, and has just been cancelled.
Within fifteen minutes of the cancellation being announced, our new booking cancelled also.
Bit of a bummer losing the booking but we’d been planning to go to Simple Minds, bit of a blast from the past for us! Had almost enough folks confirmed for a VIP box all to ourselves.
Ho hum, just need to hold our nerves and not do anything stupid pricewise. Let’s hope the Germans and the French manage to come to an agreement with our tourism minister before August.
Not been a good couple of days. Yesterday was meeting with the accountant for calculating last years taxes, never a good time in Casa JohnF, so coupled with cancelled booking I think tonight is going to be a gin night 
JF
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Just got my first booking here in Andalucia too now John, family from France for a week … They were obviously waiting for restrictions to lift … arriving July 5th. Nothing else though… How about you?
Nothing new for the Summer during past few days. It looks like a lot of places here are indulging in a race to the bottom, one bed apartments for €25-30 a night for quite a few.
Our prices are lower this summer, but we decided we’d rather be empty than virtually give nights away. I’m hoping that once all the super cheap places go, we might see an upturn in Summer bookings. Autumn is looking healthy, and at higher rates than last year 
JF
John, are you in Jerez? It’s somewhere I always recommend to guests. Most of our guests are two or three nighters visiting cities and country beauty spots. Is there a way from here you can privately send your link and vice versa … I’m handy for Granada, Malaga, Ronda and Cordoba …
Sent you our listings in a PM.
JF
The penny, or should that be the cent, is starting to drop. Our biggest threat is folks from the UK.
JF
Absolutely the case. I think I said this a couple of weeks ago in one thread or another, and the situation is even worse now. The unlock down measures coming into being on 4th July, are too many, too fast and against scientific advice, seemingly all round; I can find no UK scientist supporting them.
And we have the hypocrites saying no air bridge between Portugal and the UK, because of the fresh outbreak in Lisbon.
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The Portuguese are taking it slowly. They requested that the border with Spain remain closed until 1st July at earliest.
JF
Sorry @Joan, it’s going to be a bit longer for Portugal, they’ve gone back into lock down in nineteen of the twenty four districts in Lisbon.
Their infection rate is spiking dramatically so who knows when travel there will be allowed by the FCO. I think Spain is considering changing the proposed 1st July border reopening.
JF
That’s what we are hearing from friends down south. They’ve had a cluster of new infections in Lagos too, together with huge parties on the beach last weekend.
But our expectation is that we’ll probably be back under lock down ourselves by mid July, given the disastrous way events have (not) been managed in England. Some medics are predicting it may even be worse than first time around.
We went into Deal yesterday afternoon, and both the beach and Walmer Green were heaving with people partying; we recognised many of them.
It was a very simple decision to turn around and to get home as quickly as possible, back into the safety of the garden.
Further reason to be very glad that your daughters are in Scotland.
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Yes, if they can’t be here, then it is the best place for them just now. They’re both sensible and pretty risk averse, so won’t knowingly put themselves in a position of danger.
We’re seeing quite a few spikes here (Spain generally) now, which was only to be expected. It is how they are dealt with that will be telling over the next few days.
JF
I seen this today and thought of you. An incentive to crack on with the de-cluttering maybe?
Happy dances for us now, another couple of BDC non refundable bookings and an Airbnb enquiry, things starting to look a bit more positive!
JF
We know Olhao well from it being so accessible for long weekends, with such close proximity to the airport, and before the A22 was built. It is all that the article says, and the islands are truly glorious; fond memories of long seafood lunches and bottles of ice cold Super Bock.
However, there is a seamier side to this large, working fishing port. It has a huge drug problem, high levels of unemployment and corresponding levels of crime that are so unusual in Portugal. We found this out whilst eating near the fish market, when someone ran past and tried to snatch my bag. The owner said this was a nightly problem, with gangs roaming about looking for unsuspecting tourists to steal from, in order to fund their drug habits.
There are many, much nicer places along the Eastern Algarve - Fuseta, Luz da Tavira, Tavira itself - but the West still holds our hearts.