Davao Bloggers Kids Day Out at Zoofari Kids Adventure

Last August we had a Davao Bloggers Day out with mommies, daddies and kids at Zoofari Kids Adventure. We were really excited for this event because as mentioned in my previous post , our son really loves the place and so we love it too!

We were in for a treat because the Zoofari team prepared a party for us!

Kulay and the Zebra standee

Zoofari Kids Adventure

Every year my college classmates and I gather together  with our families .  Our previous outing was on a swimming pool so we decided to have it someplace else. We decided to have it at Zoofari Kids Adventure because most of us have never been there and it is a place where both kids and adult can enjoy. It is also very accessible as it is only located at Bacaca Road. 
The gathering was a huge success. The kids loved the huge play area where parents or yayas can enter and watch over the kids. They have a ball pool, trampoline, slides, toys and a whole lot more. The play area is three tiered. The kids can jump, climb, dive and have fun safely with its padded flooring and walls.

My son's favorite! The pool of balls!

Sharing Toy Cars

Eden Nature Park and Resort

From Highlands to Islands...is one of the common phrase to describe my hometown Davao. And when people would say Highlands, the first place that often comes to mind is Eden Nature Park and Resort which is located at 3,000 feet above sea level at the foot of Mount Talomo. This resort is our second stop during the DB Tour 2012 and I feel so lucky that it is included in our Itinerary. I've been to Eden before but I can never get enough of this beautiful man-made mountain resort.  There are simply a lot of things to see and enjoy in this place. It is such a treat to all our senses! Hiking, fishing, swimming, ziplining, eat organically grown food, chill and relax to name a few things that you can do at Eden. 

At P200 entrance fee you already have a plated snack and at P470 you have a buffet lunch and be filled to the brim as what we did. Their food is simply sumptuous and everything is fresh!

I am not a thrill seeker but I was convinced to try the Indiana Jones for the first time and I discovered that it wasn't scary and it was such an adrenaline rush!

What  I love most about Eden is that it develops appreciation and preservation of nature 

and our culture.

I am really looking forward to bringing our son to Eden because I know he will have a great time there.Mike and I have been planning to have an overnight stay and hope we can schedule it soon!



Eden Nature Park and Resort

Website:http://edennaturepark.com.ph/main/
Location: Bayabas, Toril Davao City;

Sales and Reservations Office-Matina Town SquareMcArthur Highway, Matina Davao City
Contact Number:Tel. Nos: (082) 299-1020, (082) 296-0791 Mobile +639189307590

Villa Carmelita In-Land Resort and Hotel

One of the things that I love about Davao is that everything is just within reach. You need not travel far to relax and have fun as we have various in-land resorts just 30 minutes to an hour drive from the city. 
The first stop of our DB Tour 2012 for the Toril Trailblazers group was Villa Carmelita In-land Resort and Hotel  which is just located along Toril Highway. The place was so familiar and I remembered that I attended a wedding before which was held at their outdoor function hall.


The resort has an infinity pool, adult and kiddie pools and water slides. Perfect for outings and events! Entrance Fee is only P100 for adults, P80 for 2-10 yrs old, Free for children below 2 yrs. old. This fee already includes the pool, slides and use of tables,chairs and cottages.They also have a Dining Area and can order food but you can also bring in your own food with corresponding corkage fees.

The resort has been operating since 2009 and they just opened their Hotel with 21 rooms last year (June 2011). The standard room (twin) rate is at P1,500 inclusive of breakfast for two. 

They also have a spacious airconditioned function room which is perfect for weddings,birthdays and other occasions. 


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Villa Carmelita In-Land Resort and Hotel
Location: Km 14 McArthur Highway,Toril,Davao City
Contact No.: (082)295-2688 and (082)286-1726

Staycation

It's been a while since Mike and I traveled. The last adventure we had was our Surigao del Sur Escapade which seemed ages ago. We do have family outings with Kulay at local pools and beaches but Mike and I wanted to have a family trip ideally outside of the city. Some place close to nature where we can conveniently bring our son and some place where he would enjoy at his young age of 1 year and 3 months. We were thinking of Nature Parks like Eden, Malagos Garden or Philippine Eagle Center but we're still waiting for our car to get fixed. In the meantime we thought of an activity to bond as a family. We have an inflatable swimming pool we use as Kulay's play pen and we filled it with water and invited a couple of kids over and we had an instant pool parteeey right in our own backyard! Street Smart! We actually enjoyed it and took turns bathing in the pool because it has limited space. 
I realized that for those like us who are budget conscious, one need not go far to bond and have a good time as a family. One can always be creative in finding ways to spend quality time with people they love.

P.S. After the pool partey...Mike and I recycled the pool party and used it for our laundry :)

Agdao Public Market

Take a wild guess where was the venue for my first dinner date with Michael. It wasn't a romantic candlelit dinner at a posh restaurant. It was not even a simple meal at a fast food chain. It was at Agdao Public Market! Oh the post title was a dead giveaway! But nonetheless it wasn't a typical place for a date. It was not the kind of place where you bring someone you want to impress. So why this place? Because I've been telling Mike how much of a cowgirl (not picky/choosy)I am and that I can dine anywhere so he took me there to test me. There are a lot of eateries there that are known for their Bulalo in the Eatery Section. We ordered Bulalo (P50), Rice(P8) and Softdrinks (P16). One can also order      pork/chicken barbecue, grilled fish and etc. It was my first time to dine there though I've tried their food before(take out). Their food is surprisingly satisfactory. One might doubt the sanitation but from what I've seen the food is prepared well, served hot and the utensils are clean. The ambiance does not encourage lingering though because it is open and just along the street. It is still a place that I will consider to dine if I have a budget of P100 not only because the place has sentimental value but the food can fill a hungry stomach and can pass a Davaoeños  discriminating taste. 

Abreeza Food Tour: Bo's Coffee

How we wish the Abreeza Ayala Mall Food Tour would go and on but sadly it has come to an end. We can't help but smile though when we came to the last part of our tour,  the new Bo's Coffee branch at 2nd Level Abreeza Mall. Bo's Coffee has been in Davao for a few years now and has established a name as one of the   coffee lover's favorite hangout. I ordered the Numi Green Tea. The perfect drink to end our food adventure. We were also offered the following bestsellers Durian Sansrival, Choco Moist Cake and cold concoctions.

Abreeza Food Tour:The White Hat

I was quite happy to learn that The White Hat was on the list of our Abreeza Ayala Mall Food Tour because this is my favorite yougurt place in the entire Davao City. I love the taste of their yogurt, not sour and not too sweet. We were served the Choco-Loco Hat, plain Italian yogurt topped with Brownies, Oreo and Dark Choco Drops. Their yogurts are served on paper cups and wooden spoon, so eco-friendly!

Abreeza Food Tour:Teriyaki Boy

Entree at Teriyaki boy was the next item on our list during our Abreeza Ayala Mall Food Tour. The minute we entered the place and sat down they began serving us food that we were caught unaware. We just stared and drooled at the sumptuous dishes laid before us one by one. We managed to wake up from our stupor and listened to Ma'am Sheng,one of the Managers, as she told us about the dishes and the company. Teriyaki Boy is a Filipino Owned company which belongs to the Pancake House Group. They offer a casual dining japanese experience at an affordable price while maintanining high quality dishes one can find at high end Japanese restaurants. They opened last May 12, 2011 at the 2nd floor Abreeza Ayala Mall here in Davao.

The first dish they served was the Kani Salad. It was love at first bite! The Kani Salad is a combination of crabs sticks, cucumber and Japanese mayo.

Abreeza Food Tour: Go Nuts Donuts

The first stop for our Abreeza Ayala Food Tour was snacks at Go Nuts Donuts located at the park entrance. We were supposed to meet at 10:30Am but we arrived late, sorry guys. When we got there we started off immediately with the interview with Sir Erwin, their Operations Manager. He gave as pamphlets and introduced us to their bestselling donuts, Amazing Glaze, Rocky Road, Pastillas de Leche, Boston Bavarian and Choco Frost. My personal favorite was the Pastillas de Leche but I chose the Choco Frost because it was calling my name! The white chocolate bar topping was teasing me. Mike tried the Bavarian Boston not because it also called his name but because it was the only donut left haha!

House Blended Ice Tea

Choco Frost and Bavarian Boston

Note taking :D

Abreeza Ayala Mall Food Tour

If I could have one word to describe last Saturday it would be Pure Gastronomic Delight! Okay that's three words but you couldn't fit it all in one word anyway because it was just simply awesome!  Mike and I were lucky enough to be part of the Abreeza Ayala Mall Food Tour with the Davao Bloggers courtesy of Abreeza Mall who contacted Ria. Ria was the one who enlisted the Davao Bloggers. There were 20 bloggers who were divided into 4 groups. Mike and I were on the Green Team together with Grace, Jin and Mark.

Green Team Jumpshot minus Michael who's the designated photographer

Around Davao City in One day

I consider myself blessed to live in Davao City. I am truly proud of our city. Proud of the place itself because we have scenic views from highlands to islands, of the bounty from agriculture to marine life and most of all of the people. I wouldn’t trade Davao for any other place in the world and would consider it as an honor to tour a first timer in Davao.

There are a lot of places where one can tour a visitor, the easy choices would be  Crocodile Park, Malagos Garden Resort, Eden Nature Park and The Philippine Eagle Nature Center to name a few. But if given a chance, I  wanted to give a more personal tour. Not just show the commercial side of Davao but show Davao as it truly is…beautiful even without the commercial polishing.

The New Coffee Dream

     Last July 2, Michael and I and 10 other bloggers had a dreamy experience at Coffee Dream, SM branch. Dreamy because we had a chance to try out their ethereal coffee that caressed my senses yummy products. A note to self, please improve your food blogging skills and enrich your food adjectives. We were introduced to the re-packaged coffee dream with their new branding and logo because they wanted to attract more youthful patronage.

Kapatagan Trip with Davao Bloggers Part 2

Our Kapatagan adevnture didn't finish at the Tibolo House because  after there we went to another House... Kublai's famous Agong House. It was just a few meters from Kapatagan's main highway but the road was rough and it was uphill.5CVP3DM8833P

Kublai Milan, to those who don't know is a famous Davao Artist who is best known for his sculptures in People's Park. The first thing that greeted us was this huge installation/ playground called Playground in the skies. There were a lot of local kids playing there.

Kapatagan Trip with Davao Bloggers Part 1

I was idly reading posts on the Davao Bloggers Group when I saw a post from Ria. She was asking for bloggers who are interested in visiting the new resort of Mr. Sonny Dizon at Kapatagan, Digos Davao del Sur. I immediately enlisted and luckily I together with my hubby aka cameraman got chosen for the Batch 1 trip last Saturday, June 25. We met at Jollibee Bajada and departed at around 9:00am.We arrived at around 11:00am. We visited first the Mt.Apo Highland Resort at Lake Mirror which was 26 Km from Digos City Highway. When we got there we were served Altura Coffee which is also a product of the Dizons. The coffee was a perfect boost to start our adventure. I am not a coffee drinker but I really liked the coffee.