Digital Filipino Club Workshop at Azalea Residences in Baguio, City

I have just arrived from my splendid vacation and Digital Filipino Club Workshop at Azalea Residences in Baguio City. You see, I was one of the six (6) lucky bloggers who were chosen by Miss Janette Toral  along with 14 others Digital Filipino Club Members to experience the comfort, luxury and Filipino hospitality that the six-month old all-suite hotel can offer by spending two (2) days and two (2) nights at Azalea Residences complete with free breakfast which the hotel serves from 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. Isn't that great?

This amazing structure is located at #7 Leonard Wood Loop, Brgy. M. Roxas, 2600 Baguio, Philippines. Azalea Residences is just a short walk away from the Pink Sisters Convent, and within a very short commuting distance from Mines View Park, Good Shepherd, Camp John Hay, Wright Park, Botanical Garden, The Mansion and Burnham Park. Azalea Residences is owned by Fog Horn Inc.

Azalea Residences Baguio is located in a secluded hill street that guarantees both the calm of country living and proximity to the city’s main attractions. It offers the best of old-world charm and modern-day comforts. Why choose a hotel where you can't even catch a good night sleep all night long because of constant whistle and noise within the vicinity, correct? 

 

Azalea Residences was inaugurated and blessed last December 3, 2011.Full Operation started last February 15, 2012.

Even if you are not rich, you are also entitled to a vacation. This has always been my mantra and the exact reason why I created this blog. I was so happy to know that the owners of Azalea Residences shared exactly the same mantra which made the company decide to go into the hospitality business.  

I was bowled over by this beautiful view of Azalea Residences when our car entered the hotel premises. 

 

The breath taking view immediately made me fall in love with Azalea Residences. My photographs could never do justice to this wonderful place, my dear readers. So please visit Azalea Residences and speak for yourself about your wonderful experience.

 

Be it night or day, the beautiful Azalea Residences is simply irresistible.

When I alighted from the car, I counted how many storeys the Azalea Residences have. The six-storey contemporary log cabin-inspired hotel facade is really awesome. A real breather from the hustle and bustle of city life. Azalea Residences immediately embraced me with the warmth, comfort, serenity and tranquility that everyone aspires. 

A uniformed bell boy greeted us with a smile and readily assisted us with our bags from the car and brought them to our suite after we checked-in.

Azalea Residences has two(2) service elevators. You could opt to pick up your newspaper at the hotel concierge near the reception or have it delivered right to your suite.

We were assigned at the fourth floor. Our room is a very short walk from the elevator.

I did not have an opportunity to snap a picture of our door. This picture is the door number of the room of our other blogger companions.

Our suite has two-bedrooms. Each room has a flat screen television, a kitchen, a living area with another flat screen television and a sofa bed that the hotel staff transformed into another queen-sized bed. I discovered that their flat screen television has 99 cable channels. Their kitchen has coffee and tea-making facility, plus kitchen appliances like microwave oven and kitchen  essentials like plates and utensils, as well as dining table and chairs.

When the other blogger let me choose which bedroom I like to use, I chose to sleep in the master's bedroom because it has its own toilet and bath with hot and cold water and has a bathtub, this is very helpful for me because I won't need to go out of my room at night just to pee. The master's bedroom has a queen-sized bed with imported bed linens, in-room safe, clothes cabinet, NDD, DDD,DID telephone and a big window.

The owners wanted to give the hotel guests a homey atmosphere that is why they provided each of their 99 suites with complete amenities that can only be found in five-star hotels.
  
If you are a businessman/ businesswoman, stay connected with Azalea residences business center where you can avail of their fax and computer usage for as low as Php 50.00 per hour.

I learned from the one who toured us around the vicinity that Azalea residences-Baguio has: 

• 46 deluxe suites, with 30 sq. meter floor area, maximum occupants 2 adults+ 2 kids or 3 adults. Cost is Php 6,000.  
• 17 one-bedroom suite, 45 sq. meter good for 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 kids. Cost is Php 8,000.
• 33 two-bedroom suites, 60 sq.meter good for up to 6 adults or 4 adults and 2 kids. Cost is Php 12,000 
• and 3 three-bedroom suites, 80 sq.meter for up to 8 adults or 6 adults and 2 kid. Cost Php 15,000. 

All provided with sofa beds, key cards and with the masters bedrooms equipped with bath tubs. Buffet Breakfast is free. Azalea Residences has an on-going promo which entitles you to a discount of 40% during weekdays and less 30% during weekends on published rates. Please note that in excess of the minimum number of occupants, there is an  additional per person rate which will cost you Php 1,500 with breakfast.

They also operate a bar lounge called 8 degrees. Simply because Baguio City is 8 degrees cooler on any month than any place in the lowlands including Metro Manila.

He also said that if you love walking, you will be happy to know that Azalea residence Baguio is twenty minutes of leisure walk to the city proper and the same time to the other direction leading to the famous Wright park, Camp John Hay, Mansion and five minutes to Botanical garden.

One of the many things I learned from the workshop we had with Miss Janette Toral of DigitalFilipino Club at Azalea Residences is empathy map. One must empathize with their target customers so they can improve and tackle any problems beforehand. Be it financial,security, location or time.

Azalea Residences empathize with their client, that's why they recently tightened their security and hired additional security officers for each floor. They also installed additional CCTV Cameras. They now have 42 CCTV Cameras to cover those areas that used to be labeled as blind spot.

I also saw a security guard on top of the newly added perimeter fence.

I saw the security guard from the balcony of the living room of our suite. I asked him if there's a security detail in that area 24/7. He said he is the night shift guard and his replacement will come at 7 o' clock in the morning. For me, that's an assurance that I can sleep soundly at night or leave my things behind during the day without worrying a bit.

Azalea Residences has a complimentary bottled water, news paper and hair dryer, all of which are on my essentials lists and add to that the fact that they have a 140-car capacity parking and 40,000 gallons capacity of hot water to ensure that their guests won't run out of hot water. I know, I know, these are the essential details that some hotels always overlook. I can say for a fact that Azalea Residences has really empathized with their occupants and had given a solution right away. Maybe they learned that from Digital Filipino Club.

I slept well in their very comfortable bed and I dreamed well in their contemporary bedding. I super love the comfort and warmth of their plush-top mattress pad and fitted bed skirt, high quality 200-thread count white linens with triple sheeting, down-like blanket, decorative top sheet and bed scarf, and high quality pillows.

Your family or whole barkada could choose from among Azalea Residences de luxe, one-bedroom suite, two-bedroom suite or three-bedroom suite rooms that guarantee a good night’s sleep and consistency in cleanliness, comfort, security and value. I just hope that their wi-fi will be up the next time I visit Baguio.

Azalea Residences toured us around Baguio during our last day of stay. We went to Pink Sisters, Good Shepherd Convent, Mines View Park, Choco-late de Batirol in Camp John Hay,  The Mansion and last but not the least,the Baguio Public Market. The bloggers and the Digital Filipino Club Members had a blast buying pasalubong and taking pictures.

I would definitely recommend Azalea Residences for value for money, location, friendliness and cleanliness. The perfect abode for rest and leisure in Baguio City for the whole family and for corporate gatherings! Reservation fee can be made thru credit card payment. Verdict: Azalea Residences gained 5 stars on my list.

I would like to thank Miss Janette Toral of Digital Filipino Club for opening my eyes to business model canvass, empathy map, blue ocean strategy, long tail and a lot more. I really learned a lot from you, Miss Janette Toral, I hope to be included on your future out of town workshops. To Azalea Residences, thank you for the wonderful accommodation and nice treatment.  And last but not the least I would like to extend my thanks to Miss Janette Toral's very efficient executive assistant Heidi and our driver "Nonoy" to and from Baguio, Maraming maraming salamat. God bless us all.

Digital Filipino Club event in Baguio City

“Surround yourself with like-minded people who support you on the road to success.” ― Shirley George Frazier 

Good news to everyone! 

 

The Digital Filipino Club will be having its first out-of-town workshop session for club members on June 5 and 6, 2012 in Baguio City, Philippines. Venue of this activity and free accommodation to club members will be at Azalea Residences Baguio.

I personally believe that SME's should join the Digital Filipino Club to connect with like-minded individuals. Creating a circle of like-minded people should be a non-negotiable task on every SME's to-do list.

The DigitalFilipino.com Club is a community that began on December 25, 2003. The club has  get-together and technology briefing from four (4) to twelve (12) times a year in different parts of the country, fostering networking and collaboration among members. Presentation papers and reports are uploaded on a monthly basis.

The Digital Filipino Club members are composed of individuals and companies from various sectors with common interest in areas such as 

• Internet
• e-commerce
• research
• outsourcing
• wireless
• Internet security
• and software process improvement.

Join the DigitalFilipino.com Club as an individual, SME or corporate club member today!

Advantages of being a Digital Filipino Club member:

•   You will learn and exchange ideas on e-commerce development easily
•   Start-up development and acceleration
•   Internet advertising
•   You will learn Search engine optimization (SEO)
•   Blog marketing
•   Electronic payment
•   Social media
•   Software process improvement
•   Internet security, among others.

The following is the itinerary to be followed for the DigitalFilipino Club event in Baguio City:

June 4, 2012

Meet up at Starbucks 6750 (beside Shangri-la Hotel) 4 PM for transportation pick-up.
2nd pick-up point will be at Starbucks Podium ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center 5 pm.
3rd pick-up point will be at Eton Centris Walk (BEFORE MRT Quezon Avenue station) 5:30 pm

Dinner at one stop-over while in-route to Baguio City.

Proceed to  Azalea Residences Baguio and check-in. Room sharing arrangements three (3) persons per room will be made among club members.

June 5

8 AM : Breakfast / workshop proper

E-Commerce / Digital Marketing Business Model review

• Business Model Canvas building blocks
• Plotting of current business model and challenges
• Feedback session

Lunch

• Review of emerging and popular business models
• Customer-centric business model design
• Blue-ocean strategy
• Presentation of revised business model canvas
• Feedback session

Dinner

June 6 

8 AM : Breakfast / workshop proper

Digital Influencers Workshop

• Digital Influencers Framework, Profiling, Social Media, and SEO Influences
• Workshop
• Presentation

2 PM Check-out from hotel

Tour / Lunch

Return to Manila

Club members interested to participate are entitled to 15% discount in the Certified Blog and Social Media Entrepreneur Program.

Do-it-yourself-Baguio

Do it yourself Baguio Travel! If you have Php 2,000 it is enough to last you a 2 days and 1 night travel to the city of Pines.

The City of Baguio or Ilokano: Ciudad ti Baguio is said to be the summer capital of the Philippines because it is eight degrees cooler than in Metro Manila.

You could go to Baguio via land. The most famous mode of transportation is by bus.

Buses that go to Baguio are the following:

1.  Victory Liner
2.  Genesis Bus
3.  Dagupan Bus Co.,Inc.
4.  Partas,
5.  GV Florida Transport
6.  Philippine Rabbit 
7.  Viron Transit 
8.  Dangwa Tranco
9.  Genesis Transport 
10.  Saulog Transit Inc.
11.   Amanian bus line
12.  and many smaller feeder minibuses.

Fare going to Baguio will cost you only Php 450.00 per way. The buses usually travel the approximately 250 km distance between Manila and Baguio City by way of Kennon Road at around  six hours. Fortunately, Victory Liner now offer De Luxe Buses to Baguio via SCTEX which shortened the travel hours by one to two hours depending on the traffic but it cost more at Php 750.00.

Go and travel Philippines! In Baguio you could buy fresh flowers, fruits like strawberries, and vegetables, brooms, peanut brittles at the public market, go boating, biking, skating at Burnham Park, visit the Bencab museum in Asin, visit The Mansion, Pink Sisters Convent, Good Shepherd, Wright Park, Botanical Garden, Tam-awan Village, Philippine Military Academy.

Boarding house, inns, hotels, abound in Baguio. Accommodation will cost around Php 200 to Php 15,000 a night.

You don’t have to have your own private vehicle because jeepneys and taxi abound in Baguio. Taxi plug down rate is Php 40.00. Jeepneys cost Php 8.00.

Lakbayin ang Pilipinas!

HOW TO COMMUTE FROM METRO MANILA TO BAGUIO

Where to buy tickets?

You have to be wa-is if you plan to travel by bus. Buy your tickets from the ticket booth para hindi kayo ma charge ng surcharge sa pagsakay sa bus ng walang ticket.

How long is the travel from Metro Manila to Baguio?

Depends on road condition and traffic. Normally, it would take 7 hours by bus from Victory Liner Pasay City. If the bus will pass  by SCTEX like Victory Liner De Luxe Bus travel time is 5 hours if non-stop. 

What are the names and terminals of the Buses going to Baguio?

• Victory Liner : 

Terminals in:

1. 713 Rizal Avenue Ext, Caloocan City
2. 683 EDSA, Cubao, Quezon City
3. 651 EDSA Pasay City

4. 551 Earnshaw St., Barangay 401, Sampaloc, Manila

 Ordinary Air-con cost P 450/ per way per person.

  

• Philippine Rabbit:Terminal Address: 819 Oroquieta Street 1000 Manila /Rizal Avenue (corner Claro M. Recto Avenue), Manila, Philippines   (Rizal Ave.-Baguio)

Air-con Php 418.00 (Regular), Php 334.00 (Student/Senior Citizen)

Note: Bus bound for Baguio City leaves every 1-2hrs starting 4am until 2am, subject to change depending on Dispatcher's decision

• Dagupan Bus: Terminal Address: New York Street, Cubao, Quezon City (Cubao-Baguio) For Reservation Call Telephone# 709-0545/ 709-08-03/ 727 2330/ 727 2287

They charge P432 but will be 445 on February 24, 2012 with one or two stop-overs and without a toilet on board. Travel time is 6 hours.

• Genesis Transport Services Bus: Unit 101 A Giselle Park Plaza Edsa Corner Rotonda 1300 Pasay City

• Partas Transportation Co., Inc.
  Address: , 816 Aurora Blvd., Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
  Telephone No: (632) 725-1740, 725-1756, 410-1307
  Fax No:
  Email: licore_1025@yahoo.com
  
  
  Address: 518 EDSA San Roque, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines
  Telephone No: (632) 851-4025
  Fax No:
  Email:
  
  
  

Sit and relax, sleep or eat on the bus, and arrive the City of Pines fresh and energetic. Happy Panagbenga Festival everybody!

Disclaimer: I am not paid to write for any of this bus companies. I just love sharing free information to everyone. I am not connected in any way to any of this bus companies, so if you have any complaints please contact them directly. Thank you very much.

Baguio City Panagbenga Festival Updated Calendar of Activities 2012

Everyone is gearing up for Baguio City's Panagbenga Festival also known as Baguio Flower Festival.

Here is the updated Baguio City Panagbenga Festival Updated Calendar of Activities 2012

Grand Street Dancing 

February 25, 2012 8:00 a.m.

Grand Float Parade

February 26, 2012 8:00 a.m.

Session Road in Bloom

February 27 - March 4, 2012

Pony Boy's Day

March 2, 2012

Panagbenga Shootfest 2012 West Pt. Firing Range, Tuba

March 3-4, 2012

Panagbenga Closing Ceremonies at Athletic Bowl

March 4, 2012

Grand Fireworks Display at Athletic Bowl

March 4, 2012 @ 7:00 PM

10th Panagbenga Open Scrabble Tournament , Golden Pine Hotel

March 17-18, 2012

The event on the 25th and 26th from 4am to 1pm South Drive Teacher’s Camp gate to the Military Rotonda to the Session Road and Harrison will be closed for the Panagbenga parade, Both grand street and float parade. Minor events and activities can be found elsewhere all over Baguio City during the whole month of celebration.

Panagbenga 2012 Schedule of Activities and Events

Panagbenga 2012 Major Highlights

Panagbenga Opening Parade	February 1, 2012
Market Encounter	February 1 - March 4, 2012
Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom	February 11, 2012
Handog ng Panagbenga sa Baguio	February 12, 2012
Fluvial Float Parade	February 12, 2012
Chinese Spring Festival	February 21, 2012
Grand Street Dancing Parade	February 25, 2012
Grand Float Parade	February 26, 2012
Session Road in Bloom	February 27 - March 4, 2012
Pony Boy's Day	March 2, 2012
Panagbenga Closing Ceremonies	March 4, 2012
Grand Fireworks Display	March 4, 2012 @ 7:00 PM

Choco-late de Batirol

We spent one lazy Saturday afternoon @ Choco-late de Batirol located at Igorot Garden near Gate 2, Camp John Hay, Baguio City. 

 Choco-late de Batirol is not like those air-conditioned restaurants you commonly find in Manila.

You are like inside a rainforest @ Choco-late de Batirol.

 The flooring consists of pea-sized gravel. The chairs and tables are all made of wood. 

If you are wondering what Batirol is.  It means a small pot used for cooking chocolate drink, shaped like an urn, with a stirring rod that can be rotated using your palms /chocolate pot /chocolate pot maker.

Choco-late de Batirol is a hot, thick, bittersweet blend of Cacao with a distinctive texture that calms your nerves and enriches your soul. An ancient choco-late concoction with no preservatives.

 My brother ordered Cold Batirol Choco-Banana Flavor.

I ordered the famous Cold Batirol Baguio Classic. I like it very much!

I love their Palabok! It's very delicious. Pancit Palabok is a Filipino noodle dish of Chinese origin. It is called palabok because the thin rice noodles are covered with a bright colored orange shrimp-flavored thick sauce. Aside from the sauce, pancit palabok has a toppings of prawns, wedge cut hard-boiled eggs, chicharon (pork cracklings), flaked tinapa (smoke fish), fried garlic and chopped of green onions. Then finished it with squeeze calamansi (Philippine Lemon) all over.

The delicious Turon de Langka comes in (3) three pieces per order. Banana lumpia or Turón is a Philippine dessert, made of thinly sliced bananas (preferably ripe plantains), a slice of jackfruit, dusted with brown sugar, rolled in a papery wrapper and fried. Brown sugar is further added while frying for additional sweetness.

  Verdict: Expensive but they're very delicious. Two thumbs up!