Julie’s Biscuits – Baked With Love, From Malaysia to the Philippines

While walking at the grocery last weekend, at the biscuits aisle, I recognized a brand that has been there for quite some time and it was only now that I paid attention to it. I guess I was used to picking the more familiar brands in this aisle. Now that I know more about Julie’s Biscuits – the history of the brand, how they make them, the culture and the people behind the company – it’ll be pretty hard to resist grabbing packs of it to take home whenever I go grocery-shopping. 😀

Julie's Biscuits - Baked with Love, from Malaysia to the Philippines

Contrary to what most Filipinos know, Julie’s Biscuits is not in any way connected to the local bakeshop that bears the same name. Julie’s is a Malaysian brand that has been around since 1981, and they are available globally, in 75 countries to be exact. They have 3 factories in Malaysia where all their products come from. They don’t have factories outside Malaysia because they want to ensure the consistency and quality of their products, starting from the ingredients down to how their biscuits and cookies are made. They have been available here in the Philippines for 4 years now, and so you might already be seeing them at the grocery. Trust me, if you haven’t tried any of their biscuits or cookies yet, you’ve got to!

I was one of the lucky bloggers who were invited to visit Julie’s factory in Melaka, and to experience the culture and the food in Malaysia. I’ll tell you more about our whole Malaysian trip on a separate post, but you can read the highlights as you read on. 🙂

Filipino bloggers with Julie's Biscuits in Malaysia

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Azalea Baguio: Your Home in the City of Pines

When you think of summer in the Philippines, you would immediately imagine white sand beaches and crystal blue seas. But did you know that the place that racks up the most local vacationers every year—even beating El Nido and Boracay—is actually high up the mountains and boasts of a year-round cool and breezy climate, making it the perfect escape from Manila’s scorching heat? It is no other than the City of Pines itself, Baguio City! And we’re so elated that we were able to cap off our summer in this lovely city, all thanks to Azalea Baguio!

Azalea Baguio Hotel Facade

One wonderful Tuesday in May, top fashion, food, and lifestyle bloggers were all hurled into three different vans for a long, butt-numbing 5-hour drive! Our destination? Azalea Hotels and Residences Baguio! Our mission? To visit the Summer Capital of the Philippines and enjoy one last summer getaway before we officially welcome the rainy season!

 

Azalea Hotels & Residences Baguio

Azalea Baguio is the first and only 4-star serviced apartment hotel in Baguio City. They have luxury suites that each come complete with their own kitchen, living, and bedroom areas. What I love most about Azalea Baguio is its proximity to the city’s top tourist attractions BUT, because it is far from the busyness of the city and not located directly along a major road, it is the best place you can book if you’re searching for some peace and quiet.

Azalea Baguio Hotel

The front desk welcomes you as you enter the main door into the hotel lobby. Behind it are their incredibly friendly staff who would be more than happy to assist you with your inquiries and requests.

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Club Paradise Resort – A Piece of Paradise in Coron, Palawan

It started a couple of years ago when Ken and I made a pact that on our birthdays, we have to celebrate by traveling some place we’ve never been. Our 2014 birthday celebration was not as spectacular as we wanted so we vowed to make up for it in 2015. And, boy, that we did… in an island paradise in Coron, PalawanClub Paradise Resort. 🙂

Club Paradise Resort - our view

Club Paradise is under The Discovery Leisure Co. (TDLCI) We planned a 4D3N vacation in Coron, but due to unforeseen circumstances – my flight with nanay got cancelled, so we had to fly out early on our supposedly Day 2 – it was cut short by a day. Ken’s flight had no issues so he was there already. Thankfully, our stay in Coron and in Club Paradise made us forget all that happened on Day 1. They gladly made adjustments to our accommodation, and we had an absolutely amazing time. Nanay was particularly amused by the VIP treatment we got from the moment they picked us up until the time they dropped us off the airport to fly back to Manila.

We were picked up from the hotel where Ken stayed on his first day and we were taken to Club Paradise’s own private port where a speed boat is waiting to take us to Dimakya Island. The speed boat ride was exciting, and we had the whole boat to ourselves. They offered us some snacks – bottled water and a sandwich. It’s a 30-minute boat ride, I think. I can’t remember ’cause we were busy taking photos and enjoying the windy ride. 😀

Nanay on-board Club Paradise private speed boat Continue reading Club Paradise Resort – A Piece of Paradise in Coron, Palawan

An Unforgettable Stay at Bohol Bee Farm

Every year, Ken and I make sure to celebrate our birthdays somewhere out of town. In 2012, we decided it will be in Bohol. He’s been there before, and he can’t forget their wonderful stay at Bohol Bee Farm. He said it’s a truly memorable experience so I decided to check them out for our vacation.

Bohol Bee Farm - a charming resort for you and your family

Before anything else, I just wanted to say that this post shouldn’t have been delayed for more than a year. I wanted to write about our 2012 vacation in Bohol and our stay at Bohol Bee Farm as soon as we got back because we had an extremely fabulous time there, especially with the outstanding customer service we got from the farm’s staff. Sadly, too many things got in the way, including, I’ll admit, procrastination. 😐

After everything that has happened to Bohol in 2013 and our recent trip to Palawan for our birthdays (I’ll get into details of this on our post about it), I was determined to finally finish this series of posts to share with you why you must visit Bohol.

Rainbow while we were at Bohol Bee Farm

A rainbow appeared on our first day in Bohol. I didn’t have my DSLR with me so I took this using my smartphone. Couldn’t miss this shot. 🙂

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Van Gogh is Bipolar : A Must-Visit in Manila

This is part 2 of our blog post on Certified Foodies about Van Gogh is Bipolar, an extraordinary restaurant located at Maginhawa Street in Quezon City. If you’re visiting Manila, or you live here in the Metro and you want to bring your friends to a new restaurant, this is a must-visit.

Jetro of Van Gogh is Bipolar

Since I took a ton of photos at the place and some of them are not GP enough to be posted on our food blog 😀 (you’ll find out later), I decided to post them all here.

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