General Manager Brian Connelly says, “Oakwood is excited to be back in Manila to serve the needs of international business executives and discerning local clients. Ortigas, as a prime business district, is the perfect address for an Oakwood Premier which is found in strategic locations across Asia. As with all our properties that represent that represent this luxury product, our property in Ortigas is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and world-class amenities to fulfill the modern-day client’s need for space and security in an elegant environment, combined with five-star service, and the convenience of home.”

Oakwood’s apartment features include high-speed Internet connectivity, a modern home entertainment system, state-of-the-art bath and shower, fully-equipped kitchen, and laundry facilities. Guests also enjoy exclusive of the Resident’s Lounge, room service, swimming pool and jacuzzi, fitness center and helipad.

Non-residents, both corporate or privatem have the opportunity to experience Oakwood Premier standard through banquets and conferences in either of two ballrooms with a capacty of up to 200 persons each. They are divisible into smaller meeting venues and together with two other boardrooms, comprise ideal multi-purpose event areas supported by various services from the Genesis Business Center.

Oakwood Worldwide is the global leader and provider of serviced apartments, with nearly 23,000 apartments in the most desired locations throughout Asia, North America and Europe. A division of Oakwood Worldwide, Oakwood Asia Pacific manages the following products: Oakwood Premier, Oakwood Residence and Oakwood Apartments.

Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg Center Manila
17 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center
Pasig City 1600
Philippines

Tel: (63-2) 637-7888
Website: www.oakwood.com

Source: Smile Magazine

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Along Kamias Road, a comfy little nook called CHAMP Pizza Pasta is surprising guests with its delectable Italian fare with a dash of Filipino flavor. Located at the ground floor of CHAMP School and CHAMP International Hostel, this new pizza & pasta haven is a school-operated restaurant. CHAMP stands for Center for Hospitality Arts Management Philippines, a name that will make you realize these guys regard the food and hospitality industries serious business.

I think setting up a school, a hotel and a restaurant under one name and roof is a brilliant idea. It proves that the students do not only stock knowledge from books but also get to experience first-hand how it is to apply their common sense and judgment. It’s a great combination of theory and application.

With dishes that do not scrimp on flavor and gourmet ingredients, it’s not surprising that CHAMP Pizza Pasta has gained a cult following. They serve homemade pizza that is prepared and cooked upon ordering, so you are assured of freshness. This means shushing your growling tummy for a good 10-15 minutes as you wait. Nevertheless, the free WiFi access and the 24′ wide screen Plasma television in the resto serve as effective distractions. I think with its free Internet access, CHAMP Pizza Pasta makes itself a very apt place for students and professionals to hang out or catch up on deadlines while enjoying a muy delicioso meal. No wonder, CHAMP Pizza Pasta is gaining raves from the Q.C. foodies.

CHAMP Pizza Pasta’s scrumptious dishes were made by Chef Billy Cabal, European and Western cuisine connoisseur from the Center of Culinary Arts – Manila. Sometimes, the chefs will personally serve your order when the kitchen’s not on red alert status. Other must-try specialties include the pasta (Seafood Alfredo, specifically) and rice bowls (specifically the classic adobo flavor). Savor the rich ingredients bursting with flavor as you devour dish after dish of yummy Italian goodness.

Aside from dining and studying at CHAMP, you can also make it your home away from home! CHAMP International Hostel offers affordable accommodations that cater to both locals and tourists. Staying true to its name, CHAMP does make your bed and dining experience excelente!

Here are a few of the places that Makati City takes pride in, and ones that can be visited with just a 50-peso cab ride:

PBCOM Tower, the tallest structure in Makati. This edifice towers at 848 feet (55 levels), making it as 91st among the world’s 200 tallest buildings as reported by the Emporis Standards Committee (ESC). The PBCOM Tower, located on Ayala Avenue, is home to the Philippine Bank of Communications, which occupies the first ten floors, and other burgeoning businesses such as the East-West Bank, Citibank, Convergys, Etelecare, HSBC HDPP, IBM Daksh and ICT. This Makati City skyscraper has a facade that combines function and a hint of elegance through interplay of glass, natural stone, and metal. It was designed by the international architects of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

Ayala Triangle – Tower One: the Symbolic Center Piece of Makati’s CBD. This 35-storey building in the heart of Makati City’s Central Business District was built in 1997 and serves as the physical and symbolic piece of the entire area, as it is where the Ayala Corporation and the Philippine Stock Exchange are headquartered. The corporate tower is modern in its style through the fusion of materials like concrete, glass, and steel, and measures exactly 525 feet above the city grounds.

RCBC Plaza: the Twin Towers of Power at the end of Ayala Avenue. Another powerful symbol of commerce in Makati City is the RCBC Plaza on Ayala Avenue cor. Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue (Buendia). The Yuchengco Tower – housing the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation as well as the De La Salle University Professional Schools Inc. – has 46 levels, while its twin, Tower Two, has 41. RCBC Plaza has also enticed the embassies of Australia, Canada, and South Africa, as well as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), to hold office in its contemporary and stylish interior.

RCBC Plaza became the first IT Zone in Makati City as declared by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), which makes it all the more a tantalizing attraction for foreign investors to hold computer and knowledge-based operations in. This Makati City edifice also takes pride in housing the Yuchengco Museum, the 450-seater Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, a 200-seater chapel, banking chambers, a VIP lounge, an 886-seater single-kitchen operation food court including a bar and bistro, seven levels of basement parking, a business center, a gym and health spa, and an open-air courtyard.

The Greenbelt Malls: Makati’s Lifestyle Mecca. A tour of Makati is incomplete without a visit to the 27,871-square meter series of indoor and outdoor retail, dining, and entertainment centers that is Greenbelt. This complex is owned by Ayala Land Incorporated and utilizes an unconventional design that creates a refreshingly unique experience for its patrons.

Amidst Greenbelt’s manicured gardens is the Roman Catholic Chapel of Nino de Paz that is surrounded by a lagoon. Other main attractions of Greenbelt include five high-end cinemas, the party strip on Greenbelt 2, and the luxurious shopping hallways of Greenbelt 4.

The Oxford Suites: A Makati Hotel for a New Way of Living. Riding on the Los Angeles’ feel of the city, The Oxford Suites is a Makati Hotel that offers a new way of living. This 27-storey property has three tastefully-appointed accommodation types: the Executive, Deluxe, and the Junior Suite. At very affordable rates, Guests at this Hotel in Makati are provided with air-conditioned rooms that also include IDD/NDD telephone lines, satellite-direct TV sets, in-room safety deposit boxes, coffee/tea-making facilities, mini-bars, hairdryers, shower with bathtubs and Internet-ready ports.

The Oxford Suites is also ideal for business travelers with features such as a coffee shop, a health and recreational facility (including state-of-the-art gym equipments and masseurs on call), room service, airport transfers, a completely-functional business center, and a 12-seater conference room.

Situated near Makati and Kalayaan Avenues, The Oxford Suites is just minutes away from the commercial and shopping complexes in Makati. For more information on this Makati Hotel, you may visit their website at www.oxfordsuites-makati.com.

· Glittery Lamps on Baywalk.

At dusk, the Baywalk, a popular promenade along Roxas Boulevard, comes alive with an estimated crowd of 30,000 to 40,000, who come to enjoy the many restaurants and street performers that populate the area. One of the main attractions: colorful street lamps that illuminate the Baywalk’s paved footpaths in multicolored lights.

· Beyond the Walls of Intramuros.

A few minutes away from Roxas Boulevard is the historic Intramuros walls. The ‘Walled City’ as Intramuros is also known, was initially a hub for Asian trade under the rule of Rajah Soliman. After its expansion and completion in 1606, Intramuros fell into the hands of Spanish colonizers, eventually serving as the country’s center of political, military and religious power. Intramuros is also home to Fort Santiago, where Philippine national hero Jose Rizal was kept in seclusion before his execution at what is now Luneta.

· SM Mall of Asia: 7th Largest Mall in the World.

SM Mall of Asia is a sprawling two-storey superstructure that stands on 19.5 hectares of reclaimed land in Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. It is owned and managed by Henry Sy, a Chinese-Filipino business magnate. The mall includes branches of all of the standard anchor stores found in most of the SM Supermalls. Main attractions include the first-ever IMAX theater in the country; the Director’s Club Theater, an intimate venue with 30 La-Z-Boy seats for unrivaled guest comfort; the digitally superior Premiere Cinema; and the CenterStage Cinema, a popular venue for live musical concerts and theatrical performances.

· Taste Filipino cuisine at Aristocrat Restaurant.

This 71-year-old popular Filipino restaurant has been on Roxas Boulevard since 1936. It has been a witness to much of Philippine history in Manila, from Presidential inaugural parades to religious rallies to film festival parades. Regular Filipino patrons, as well as overseas-based Filipinos and tourists, visit this wholly-owned Filipino enterprise for its renowned Chicken Barbecue, Kare-Kare (Beef in a Peanut Butter Sauce), Chicken Honey, Crispy Pata (Deep-fried Pork Knuckles), Pancit Canton (Saucy Rice Noodles), Dinuguan (Pork Blood Stew) and Lumpias (Fresh Spring Rolls).

· Remedios Circle, the Watering-hole of Arts.

Right across Roxas Boulevard is Remedios Circle. In the daytime, Remedios Circle is a bustling dining mecca, with restaurants like Café Adriatico, Larry’s Bar and the Korean Village attracting foodies from all over the metropolis. At nighttime, however, Remedios Circle transforms into one of Manila’s most festive party places with night clubs, bars, and discothèques along Adriatico and Remedios streets providing solid entertainment for everyone. A popular hangout for artists, poets, writers, actors, and film industry professionals, Remedios Circle is full representative of Manila’s “be yourself, express yourself “philosophy.

· The Romantic Wedding Ambience of Manila Bay.

For romance and drama, the Manila Bay sunset is virtually incomparable. Many hotels along Roxas Boulevard offer wedding packages to include a great souvenir shot of the Manila Bay, but when it comes to weddings, few else beat the Bayview Park Hotel, located in the heart of Manila’s tourist district, directly opposite the American Embassy. With five packages – Elegant, Classic, Civil, Royal, and Fiesta – to suit one’s taste, style and budget, the Bayview Park Hotel is a couple’s logical, practical, and romantic choice to start their lives together.