Wow Davao: Islands to Highlands

[monde8]

Since mid of 2012 I have been going in and out of Davao due to work.

I learned to love it here thats why when 2013 started, I brought my family here with me and worked out an arrangement with my company to be assigned here for the rest of the year.

In this thread let me share with you the beauty of Davao. Please note that I'm working here so me and my family only gets to roam around during weekends so I'm not claiming to be a know it all but I'll do my best to give everyone a glimpse of what its like here and what cool places to visit.

[monde8]

Franciso Bangoy International Airport

Also called Davao International Airport, is the main airport serving Davao City in the Philippines. It is the busiest airport in the island of Mindanao. The airport has a single 3,000-meter precision runway.

The modern facility is designed to handle approximately 2 million passengers annually and 84,600 metric tons of cargo annually. The added capacity is also complemented by the latest navigational, security, and baggage handling equipment.

[monde8]

Abreeza Mall

Abreeza Mall is a large shopping mall complex located at J.P. Laurel Avenue, Bajada in Davao City, Philippines. It is the first Ayala Shopping Center located in Mindanao. It opened on May 12, 2011.

The 3-storey mall lies within a 4-hectare space of the 10-hectare commercial complex. Also in the same complex stands a 4-storey Robinson's Mall. Abreeza Mall has the biggest total retail floor area in Mindanao.

Since Abreeza is owned by Ayala Malls, the feel of the place is somewhat like Trinoma. Department store here though is not Landmark but rather Robinson's. This is the place to be if you want to go malling but don't want too much crowd. Among all the malls here, I think Abreeza is the less frequented. Most of the locals are still loyal to Gaisano Mall which is the mall that they already got used to even before SM Davao was establised. There's also Victoria Mall which is already a bit old but some locals still patronize the place.

[fayt]

nice share monde.... talaga maganda mga place dyan... minsan nga napunta ako sa airport at nakapagpapic pa ako kay rodrigo duterte haha.. lahat ng place na napost mo mga napuntahan ko rin.. marami pa nga ako hindi nga lang napupuntahan dyan..

tapos sa place i feature mo na rin ang masasarap na food hehe.. dencias,banoks, etc hehe

+k

[monde8]

Gaisano Mall

Gaisano Mall of Davao (also known as G-Mall) is a major shopping mall located along J.P. Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City. It is the largest of more than 40 Gaisano malls in the Visayas and Mindanao. The mall  has a gross land area of 120,000m². It has four floors of stores and restaurants, a department store, a supermarket on the ground floor, and a cinema on the top floor.

In my books, this is most visited mall here in Davao City. Gmall is even more popular than SM. It has a feel of Market! Market! less the bazaars.

They have a cool roof deck area called The Peak which is somewhat similar to the Skygarden in SM North Edsa.

[monde8]

nice share monde.... talaga maganda mga place dyan... minsan nga napunta ako sa airport at nakapagpapic pa ako kay rodrigo duterte haha.. lahat ng place na napost mo mga napuntahan ko rin.. marami pa nga ako hindi nga lang napupuntahan dyan..

tapos sa place i feature mo na rin ang masasarap na food hehe.. dencias,banoks, etc hehe

+k

Thanks bro.

Umpisahan ko muna ngayon sa mga malls tapos sunod ko din mga food trip, mode of transportation, feel of the crowd, pasyalans from islands to highland and kung ano man na worth sharing.

Medyo brief lang descriptions na ilalagay ko para hindi nakaka tamad basahin. Few pics lang din para hindi masyado matagal mag load ang page lalo kung slow connection. Kumbaga summary lang para may quick reference mga ka PT natin sa mga pwedeng puntahan dito.

[monde8]

NCCC Mall Davao City is located at the corner of Ma-a Road and McArthur Highway and is the biggest of the city's three NCCC malls. It has three floors and houses a bowling alley and billiards room, a department store, a supermarket, a cinema, a food court, and many electronics and appliance stores, including an activity center for kids, and a post office.

I haven't been here yet but I heard that a lot of locals also frequent this place. There are also a lot of small NCCC convenience stores all over Davao..

Where I've been to is the NCCC Mall in Magsaysay Ave. Only went there once and was dissatisfied with the slow service so was turned off to go back there. I guess its different in the branch in Maa since its bigger and more like an SM. On a sidenote, people here are laid back that's why service is a lot slower as compared in Manila where everything is fast paced. Dito minsan nakaka inip kasi medyo mabagal ang kilos ng mga tao. I guess that just the way that they roll here. Kaya minsan sa Metro Manila nakakakita tayo ng mga taong mababagal and we refer to them as galing probinsiya, well now I understand that perhaps thats really the way they are from what they came from kaya pag napunta sa Metro Manila kailangan pa nila ng a little bit of getting used to.

Maa branch


Magsaysay Ave branch...Magsaysay Ave is more popularly known as Uyanguren.

[monde8]

New and old street names:

There are some streets here which have been renamed but most of the locals and even the signboards on jeepneys still go by the former names. Here are some of those which I'm familiar of:

C Bangoy St. formerly known as Ponciano
CM Recto St. formerly known as Claveria
Pichon St. formerly known as Magallanes
Magsaysay Ave. formerly known as Uyanguren

[monde8]

Victoria Plaza Mall was built in the 1990's and is one of the earlier malls in Davao City. It is located along J. P. Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City.

It has a feel like Grand Central, Ever Gotesco Malls, and Isetann. It looks old and is not renovated to compete to the look of the newer malls. Despite that, a lot of locals still frequent the place. If you're in Davao and want to buy class A shoes like the ones in Greenhills then this is the place for you to visit.

What I like in Victoria is their supermarket. Its more organized as compared to the one in Gaisano Mall and prices are a bit lower there too. This is where my wife and I do our groceries.

[monde8]

Davao Chimes Mall is an upscale shopping complex located along Sales Street, Chinatown. The mall is noted for its most costly of commodities and luxurious brands - such as Louis Vuitton, Coach, Figaro, Red Ribbon, etc. Other high end shops sell designer watches, jewelry, and appliances. The restaurants are exotic and offer international cuisines from countries, such as Malaysia, India, Singapore, and Vietnam.

We visited this place on a Sunday and most stores are closed. That's really how it is here that's why if its Sunday, the down town area sort of looks like a ghost town because most business establishments are closed but I didn't expect that even those in Chimes Mall are closed too.

Its like a very small version of the department store of Gateway Mall in Cubao.

[GoodnightGuy]

napansin ko sa davao na pag linggo, sarado karamihan sa mga establishments pag umaga.

[monde8]

SM Malls

There are two SM Malls here.

SM City Davao is a major shopping mall located along Quimpo Boulevard at Ecoland Drive, Matina. The mall opened in November 2001. It has three floors and has many restaurants, a department store, a supermarket, an appliance center, and a cinema. It's the only mall in Davao City that has free Wi-Fi. It is the first SM Supermall constructed in Mindanao. Its style feels like you're in SM City Fairview.




The newer one is SM Lanang Premiere located along JP Laurel Ave and is near the airport. It opened only last September 2012. Its style feels like you're in The Block of SM North. It also has a mini version of the Sky Garden. For girls who go gaga over Forever21, this is your place to be. There's also Starbucks here. Afaik only Abreeza and SM Lanang has Starbucks.

They have a dancing fountain show and in front of the fountain is where you could do picture picture that will let everyone one your fb friends know that you're in Davao.

Fewer crowd here as compared to the older SM near Ecoland.

[monde8]

napansin ko sa davao na pag linggo, sarado karamihan sa mga establishments pag umaga.

Nagulat nga din ako dati kasi namasyal ako ng Sunday and was looking for a tattoo shop. I heard na meron daw sa down town area so I went there and to my surprise ay parang ghost town dahil puro sarado karamihan ng establishments. Kumabaga eh para silang mga hardware sa Maynila na sarado kapag Linggo.

[xxxchoholic Rai ♥]

ang dami talaga pwedeng punthan sa davao eh

di lang yan mga establishments na yan yun nature ang gusto ko jan 

[fayt]

i see.. dalawa na pala ang sm.. sayang di ko na sya napuntahan....

yun una lang napuntahan ko yun maliit lang.. parang sm manila sa liit hehe..