Category: Philippines

It was such an honor to be invited to the Casino Royale -themed bloggers event as we get to experience first hand the newest & exciting destination for play, Resorts World Manila last June 26, 2009.

We were asked to be in formal attire, I have chosen to wear the yellow gown from Jeff & Jackie’s wedding a few years back. It was also so nice to see the bloggers dress up in style as we always just wear casual clothes during blog events.

Alliance Global & Star Cruises teamed up to build the country’s most modern & luxurious gaming facility called Resorts World Manila at the Newport City, an integrated tourism city at the Villamore air base in Pasay City. It offers a lot more:

• Play the Shopaholic – experience retail therapy at its finest in a sprawling shopping acropolis with 4 fabulous floors dedicated to a wide variety of the biggest names in fashion & chic luxury.
• Play the gourmet – taste the best of the world – from the colorful flavors of a continental buffet, the exotic cuisine of China, the epicurean delights of Korea & Japan, and the hearty delicacies of the West.
• Play the world traveller – Indulge in the splendid comforts of the vast 5-star Marriott Hotel or relax in the palatial pleasures of Maxims Hotel, the 1st luxury suites in the Philippines.
• Play the art lover – discover the heights of cultural & artistic expression in a colossal 1,300-seat multi-purpose theater showcasing the finest from ballet, opera, musicals, circus & concerts.
• Play the high roller – find your luck in the frenzy & excitement inside the most modern and luxurious gaming establishment in the Philippines with more than 1,000 slot machines & 300 gaming tables.

We were given a tour around the place. The one that really caught my attention is the model unit of the suite in Maxims Hotel. We were told that Maxims Hotel Newport City will feature 172 Maxims Suites, 3 villas & 1 presidential suite from fourth to eighth floors. A personal butler will service all the suites, which start at a floor area of 54 square meters for the suites, 535 square meters for the villas & 652 square meter for the presidential suite. Cool, isn’t it? I’m kinda positive also that the rates will be very expensive. I asked the person who gave us the tour and she told us that the suite will have a rate of $500 dollars/day (corporate rate is at $350/day).

The 3 villas with individual pools are planned at the 4th floor together with the luxurious pool for the exclusive use of hotel guests. The lower floors will be allocated for the entertainment center which will feature signature brands at the G/F, performance stage at the 2/F & four cinemas at the 3rd floor. Can you imagine how good the place will look once the development is complete? I can and I’m definitely excited.

Anyway, here are the pictures from the model unit:

How can the event be complete without us trying out the gaming facilities? They organized a Baccarat tournament for us bloggers. I didn’t win but I surely enjoyed the game 🙂

I was also able to try all the other games like the slot machines, pontoon, blackjack, roulette & caribbean stud poker. I really had a great time & for sure when Resorts World opens its doors on August 8, 2009, I’ll make time to bring some of my friends to check the place out. So exciting to have a Las Vegas-like place here in the Philippines.

By the way, they also gave out prizes to the King & Queen of the night. Luckily, I was able to take pictures with both of them during the start of the event.

More pictures can be found here.

Wanna go to Davao and experience an adventure? Why not join the “Great Davao Adventure” organized by NoBorders Tours?

Friends of mine who are behind NoBorders Tours are organizing one on August 29-31, 2009. I might join this depending on my schedule. I believe this is a great opportunity to tour Davao especially for people who has not gone to Davao yet.

You’ll be able to go to places like:

• Eagle Park
• Eden Nature Park
• Camp Sabros
• Crocodile Farm
• Wild Water Rafting
• Pearl Farm
• City Tour

Meals, Accomodation & Transporation at Davao are already included in the package. Talk about value for money, all of those for only Php 8,700.00 (does not include airfare & zipline rides at camp sabros).

One thing about travel is you want to relax and you’ll definitely get this there as you are going to be guided by a local. You don’t need to worry about details, all you need is to fly to Davao & enjoy. They can also arrange your flight for you if you want And lastly, these guys are really adventurous, so if you want adventure, you won’t be disappointed with this group

If you want to join the tour on August 29-31, 2009. You can email NoBorders Tours at noborders.tours@gmail.com.

If you’re not available on August 29-31 and would want to experience Great Davao Adventure, this is possible, you just need to be at least 8 people and they can definitely accomodate.

See you in Davao!

BlueWater Day Spa formally introduced their new endorsers to the media at C3 Events Place at Greenhills last May 26. The new endorsers are Karylle & Brazilian/Japanese model Akihiro Sato (previous endorsers were Piolo Pascual & Marian Rivera).

new endorsers Karylle & Akihiro Sato

It was a jampacked event with Phoemella Barranda as host. They interviewed the new endorsers & also people who are behind the company. They gave out prizes & gladly, I was one of them! Thanks Blue Water Day Spa for the goodies.

me with fellow bloggers Cher & Jennie

Aside from the new endorsers, BlueWater Day Spa also introduced 4 new services/treatments, they are:

• Athlete’s Massage – designed for sports-minded people to prepare their body for optimal performance, prevent injuries & function well during training. This involves a 10-minute application of hot moist packs for healing of pain & improving mobility.
• Tibetan Meridian Fire Therapy – means of getting rid of fat deposits by fire & slimming massage techniques. It is guaranteed to take away as much as 1/2 to 1 inch from the body measurement after treatment.
• Comfort Zone Monticelli Mud Treatment – developed in Italy using the specially formulated Monticelli Mud Wrap. It detoxifies & softens skin while removing keratinized skin cells from the body.
• Biovegetal Enzyme Skin Peeling – evolved from the latest technological breakthroughs in skin care in Switzerland. Using organic products, it restores the skin’s softness, smoothness & suppleness without the harsh effects of a chemical peel.

The new treatments are already available at all Blue Water Day Spa branches. For more information, you can go to their website at http://www.bluewaterdayspa.com.

More pictures from the event can be found here.

I had the privilege to be invited to Sky Garden, a new part of SM North Edsa last May 23, 2009. Around 20 of us bloggers attended it, we were toured around the area, had lunch at one of the establishments there (Padi’s Point), watched a movie (A night at the museum 2) and went home happy.

I live in Quezon City & SM North Edsa is the mall closest to my house. I used to go there a lot when I was a kid, playing bowling, dining, shopping, etc. But for the past few years, I ended up going to malls outside QC so I wasn’t really aware of the new things in the mall. When I was invited to this event, I realized that there were a LOT of changes in the mall! SM North Edsa looks sooo cool now. Every time I want to go to a mall now, SM North Edsa is already part of my choices

The highlight is really Sky Garden, a great concept by SM. Located at the 2/F, the place has an environmental theme whereas the place is surrounded by plants, grass, trees. A lot of establishments too that are situated on water ponds that look like it’s floating (Cool, isn’t it?).

Sky Garden at SM North Edsa has the ff. Major Attractions:

• Roof Garden

This has 55 species of plants, grass & trees that grow on special type of soil. A great attraction if you want to just relax while walking around the area.

• The Sky Dome

Open for concerts, events & other activities, this is basically their performance area. Has a seating capacity of 1,000 and has a movable stage that is solely for the purpose of being flexible so they can accomodate all kinds of events.

When we were there, the Mossimo Bikini Contest is having their event that night at the Sky Dome. We had the opportunity to watch it but unfortunately, I was too tired to attend it so opted not to.

The next day, I returned to Sky Garden again coz I wanted to take more pictures of the place especially at night time. That day, the dog show event was ongoing at the Sky Dome. I entered & watched since it was free and also a friend of mine hosted the event. Took some pictures there. Here are some:

• Water Features

This was definitely one of my favorites. The water features that Sky Garden has includes ponds & a waterfall. The waterfall specifically is on the edge of the 2nd floor where even drivers around edsa and people walking around the overpass can see. Such a great sight especially at night.

• Retail, Dining & Entertainment Outlets

You can find more pictures here.