Resort Review: DJ Paradise Resort & Hotel (Malolos City, Bulacan)

Date of Stay: October 24-25, 2010

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)

Location: *******

Rooms: ******

Condition and Cleanliness: ******

Staff Performance: ******

Room Comfort: ******

Food and Beverage: *******

Other Amenities: *******

Value for Money: ******

DJ Paradise Resort & Hotel

The very popular 5.7-hectare, Class AAA DJ Paradise Resort & Hotel has 22 airconditioned rooms with bath, phone, fridge and cable TV(11 standard, 4 de luxe, 5 executive and 2 suites).  

It also has 12 airconditioned cottages with bath, 12 airconditioned rooms with bath and an apartelle with 20 de luxe twin rooms and 8 dormitory-type rooms.  

One of the original Bulacan resorts to offer large pools with water slides, it has 9 swimming pools (including a 1,500 sq. m. wave pool with cascading waterfall), all open 24 hours, with 4 fiberglass water slides, and a jacuzzi.  

Our standard room

There's also a restaurant, coffee shop (Sampaguita), 300-pax banquet/convention hall, 3 airconditioned function rooms, 8 poolside kiosks, picnic sheds, disco, basketball court, driving range, putting green, business center, amusement park (kiddie train, bumpcars), bowling lanes, video arcade and tennis court. 

One of the resort's huge pools

The kiddie pool

The restaurant

DJ Paradise Resort: MacArthur Highway, Brgy. Dakila, Malolos City, Bulacan. Tel: (044) 791-5129 (connecting all departments), 662-4135 & 791-5384.   E-mail: info@djparadise.com.ph.  Website: www.djparadise.com.ph. 

Grand Launch of the Chefs on Parade (Pasay City)

Chefs on Parade

The Grand Launch of the Chefs on Parade (COP) , to kick off the series of events leading to the three-day grand showdown in,2011, was held at Oceana Event Place, the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) Manila’s latest event venue and satellite campus,  at the SM Mall of Asia Complex.  

The COP, organized by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP) in 1974, is the longest running culinary competition in the Philippines and Asia.

Riding on the theme “Ultimate Asian Showdown,” the HRAP rolled out a major party, hosted by Ms. Cory Quirino, to welcome a power-packed combination of guests from different sectors, lead by DOT Secretary Alberto Lim, as well as general managers of various hotels; executive chefs; food and beverage heads; and presidents and deans of several universities and colleges. . hosted the program.  

The print, television, and online media were also invited to witness the return of what is expected to be one of 2011’s biggest culinary event. 

Tastes of Hanoi

During the Grand Launch, seven exhibitors brought out their best talents, treating guests to delightful offerings from the flair tenders from the College of Saint Benilde; the cake decorators from Edsa Shangri-la; baristas from The Coffee Beanery; sugar pullers from the Lyceum of the Philippines; ice sculptors from The Manila Pavilion; banquet table decorating ideas from Sofitel Philippine Plaza; and sushi-making by Century Park Hotel’s Executive Chef Shinji Furukawa.

Prizes were raffled off to lucky guests while special Chefs on Parade aprons and San Marino gift packs were given to everyone.  HRAP President Humphrey O’Leary III and Chairman Richard Masselin gave short speeches and presentations.  

The program ended with a toast headed by the COP 2011 Organizing Committee members whose untiring efforts in making sure Chefs on Parade 2011 will be bigger and better than the previous ones were evident during the event.

Tastes of Manila

Chefs on Parade 2011 will definitely be the event to watch out for with its unbeatable line-up of exciting activities: the Ultimate Asian Showdown among individuals and groups in the professional and student levels, the presence of local and international celebrity chefs and culinary experts, the various seminars and workshops, food and beverage tastings, trade exhibits, the Larry J. Cruz award, the coffee table book, and so much more.

Oceana Event Place: Bldg. A., San Miguel By the Bay, Seaside Blvd., SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. Tel: (632) 556-3195 and (632) 886-0811. Open daily, 4 to 10 PM.

The CompanY: 25 Years and Counting

The CompanY

L-R:  Annie Quintos, Moy Ortiz, Sweet Plantado,
Jay Marquez and Cecile Bautista

The vocal harmony act The Company has a repertoire which  alternates from rhythm & blues; mainstream & smooth jazz; to pop and rock.This versatile and talented quintet had their beginnings in 1985 when alumni of the Ateneo College Glee Club (my brother-in-law Mark Sta. Maria is also an alumni of that same glee club) decided to form the group.  

Initially, they sang as backup vocalists to a number of 1980s pop stars before turning professional.  Through the years, they underwent a number of personnel changes (including a major change in 2005).  Today, the group is composed 3 ladies; Sweet Plantado (soprano), Annie Quintos (soprano/alto) and Cecile Bautista (alto), and 2 guys; Jay Marquez (tenor) and Moy Ortiz (tenor 2/bass and the quintet's general manager). 

Aside from doing the concert rounds, they have also recorded 19 albums (the latest, Lighthearted, just this March).  Now on their 25th year, they have also shared the stage with international solo artists such as Basia, Jim Brickman, Michael Buble, John Ford Coley, David Pack, Noel Pointer, Kenny Rankin  and Steve Tyrell, and fellow groups such as Ambrosia, Kalapana, The Manhattan Transfer and Survivor. In 2006, they were also involved in the highly-rated ABS-CBN TV series, the Pinoy Dream Academy.