Category: Review

Oakwood Ortigas

Oakwood Premier Joy Nostalg Center Manila which is based in Ortigas now enjoys an 80-percent occupancy rate, less than a year after its opening, according to a report by BusinessMirror.

M Castle resort to rise in Subic

Korean property developer M Castle has signed a contract with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to develop a US$1-billion resort complex on a 615-hectare beach front property between the free port and Morong town.

Crimson Hotel Alabang

Filinvest Land Inc. plans to open its Crimson Hotel in Filinvest Alabang within the Entrata Complex by 2012. In 2008, Filinvest partnered with Archipelago International Pte. Ltd. (AIPL) to build, and manage hotels and resorts. Aside from Crimson Alabang, the joint venture firm Filarchipelago Hospitality, Inc. (FHI) is developing the Crimson Resort and Spa in Seascapes Resort Town in Mactan, Cebu.
 

Fast Rising Tourist Spots in the Philippines 5

Bohol attracts Chinese tourists. Officials of the Department of Tourism (DoT) have presented the island-paradise of Bohol as “focus destination” in Beijing recently, according to a report by Manila Bulletin. Leading the promotion of Bohol as the heart of the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines“ slogan is the Bohol Tourism Council.

Bloomberry Hotel

Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Inc. has announced the first concrete pouring for its US$1 billion Entertainment City Project in Parañaque City.  The project is expected to generate some 4,000 jobs once it starts operations by the third or fourth quarter of 2012. 

Makati & Ortigas Business Districts

 

South of Manila is Makati City, considered as the financial capital of the country. Along Ayala Avenue rise modern skyscrapers, which are home to multinational companies, foreign embassies and local banks. The trendiest leisure spots – hotels, restaurants, bars, music lounges, fashion boutiques and department stores – converge around the sleek Ayala Center and Greenbelt. Across EDSA is the posh subdivision of Forbes Park, home of the country's rich and famous. One area that now competes with Makati in terms of its modern architectural landscape is the Ortigas Center between Mandaluyong City and Pasig City. Home to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), it is also the site of three of the country's richest shopping malls – SM Megamall, Robinson's Galleria, and Shangri-la EDSA Plaza.Also within Ortigas is the striking leisure enclave, Saint Francis Square, with its fine restaurants and fashionable music lounges.

Park Inn Hotel Davao

 

Radisson Hotels, a subsidiary of the Carlson Hotels group, will build a Park Inn Hotel in Davao City, in partnership with SM Hotels and Convention Corp. (SMHCC).  The hotel will reportedly become the first Park Inn in the entire Philippines and Asia.  The two companies expect the 204-room hotel to be completed in 2013 at a cost of PhP800 million.

 

Onuk Island, Palawan

A photograph taken by Mr. George Tapan on Onuk Island in Balabac, Palawan has bested 21,000 entries from 130 countries to be the winner of the National Geographic Photo Contest 2011.  The winning photograph titled “Into the Green Zone” bagged the first place in the Places Category of the highly prestigitious National Geographic photo contest.  The winning photos were judged by respected National Geographic magazine photographers Tim Laman, Amy Toensing, and Peter Essick.

Novotel Hotel Cubao

The Araneta Group will start accepting guests at the Novotel Manila Araneta Centre in Cubao, Quezon City, the “crown jewel” of its multibillion-peso redevelopment of bustling Araneta Center.

Novotel Manila is envisioned to be the only upscale hotel in Quezon City that will offer a “five-star experience at four-star prices,” said Araneta Group chairman and CEO Jorge L. Araneta.  Michael Issenberg, chairman and COO of Accor Asia-Pacific, flew to Manila to take part in the ceremony and expressed confidence that the hotel would be a “great success.”

How and Where to Retire in the Philippines

Foreign retirees now find a number of towns and cities in the Philippines as ideal for retirement.  The cost of healthcare and nursing care in the Philippines is among the most affordable in the world.  It has unparalleled natural attractions that attract about five million foreign tourists a year.