Sandalias Festival 2010

The Sandalias Festival delighted sandal lovers with a fabulous showcase of Ipanema, Ipanema Gisele Bündchen (GB), Grendha and Rider footwear. The festival was a fashion-cum-dance spectacle replete with fun games, pampering activities and the first-ever Giant Piñata shower.

Called “Step Into Some Love,” the Sandalias Festival made hearts beat happily throughout the two-day event. Guests enjoyed a Brazilian style soiree while finding the perfect “sole” mate to match their personality.

TriNoma was enveloped by a gleeful air as members of the Steps Dance Project sashayed around the mall donning their colorful and comfy Ipanema, Ipanema GB, Grendha and Rider sandals.

Guests likewise enjoyed free foot massage, nail art, and foot or body tattoo. They were also able to take home souvenir photos with different captivating destinations in the background. Sporty guests who aced the climbing wall and the gyrating mechanical surf board, Ride ‘N Surf, took home cash prizes and gift certificates.

The most unique attraction was the Giant Piñata, a larger-than-life flip-flop filled with goodies and freebies. Once hit, it unleashed a great shower of prizes including gift certificates from the footwear company and other sponsors like Lay Bare, Planet Sports, Nivea Sun, magazines from Summit Media and Orly Nail Lacquer as well as tickets to Boracay from Cebu Pacific Air and a three day/two night accommodation at Patio Pacific, Fairways and Bluewater and Discovery Shores. Other sponsors were Us Girls, Essensuals by Toni and Guy and Terra Wellness Spa.

Patxi Elizalde, managing director of ELRO Corp., exclusive distributor of the footwear brands in the Philippines, said, “Mounting the annual Sandalias Festival is part of our continuous effort to bring our brands closer to the market. This is our way of establishing an emotional connection with our patrons. We want them to not only experience our products but also be immersed in the culture and lifestyle that inspire the creation of our footwear.”

Elizalde added that also part of their effort in engaging the market is opening a concept store called Bambu, which features all their Brazilian footwear brands. Bambu outlets are located in Glorietta 4 in Makati and Marquee Mall in Angeles City, plus a kiosk in Alabang Town Center.

Wine and dine

It was an evening of California wines and American Wagyu at The Fireplace at Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila as it hosted a food and wine pairing dinner featuring the Californian wine Beringer. Chef de cuisine Tin Oro created a special five-course set menu designed to complement the distinct flavors of each of the four Napa Valley grown wines served. 

A Beringer Founders Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2008 was paired with an appetizer of forest mushroom tartlets with blue cheese crumble. The light lemon-parsley dressing of the cucumber-melon and prosciutto salad brought out the honeyed fruit flavors of the Beringer Chardonnay 2008 Napa Valley. The Beringer Pinot Noir 2007 Napa Valley went well with sweet potato and coconut velouté with spiced crab soup. The star of the evening was the succulent wood-fire oven grilled US Wagyu Ribeye 8+ (that’s grade 8 marbling) matched with a Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Knights Valley. Dessert was Felchlin Grand Cru chocolate tart with homemade banana ice cream and Baileys sauce.

Special guests of the evening included US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr., USDA Agricultural Counselor Philip Shull, USDA Agricultural Attaché David Wolf, Undersecretary Benjamin Martinez and Miss Universe 2010 4th runner-up Venus Raj. Present to welcome guests were the vice president for sales and marketing of ESV Corp. (distributor of the US Wagyu) Victoria Choi and CEO of Happy Living Wines Katherine Yao Santos.

Dinner was hosted by Hyatt’s GM Anthony Sebastian, together with director of food and beverage Edouard Demptos and executive chef Josef Miklavc.

Imperial Wagyu Beef and Beringer wines are now offered on the daily dinner menu at The Fireplace.

(For inquiries, please call at 247-8666 or 245-1234 or e-mail [email protected])

A promise of perfect nights

A good night’s sleep is dependent much on where you lay your head and body. People who have difficulty sleeping should heavily rely on how comfortable their bed and pillows are.

Tempur, my favorite pillow brand, launched the Promessa Bed during its fifth anniversary in the Philippines. Promessa has a design to complement both the contemporary and classic bedrooms. It also has the wave topper especially developed to deliver a luxurious feeling of relaxing comfort — that long sink-in feeling along with the pressure-relieving benefits associated with the label. Tempur, through its exclusive distributor Focus Global Inc., was launched in the Philippines in August 2005. 

Guests were welcomed by Tempur’s distributor Lolita and Stephen Sy. Tempur also continued its celebration by giving the promise of serene sleep to “little brothers” at the Boys Town in Marikina City and Gawad Kalinga through its Donate-A-Mattress program. As of press time, 17 mattresses have been donated.

The brand’s promise of nighttime renewal for body and mind covers relief of back and neck pain and stress by bringing comfort anchored on three words: serenity, renewal and comfort.

(For more details, visit www.tempur.com or drop by any of its showrooms and experience lying back on the gentle waves of the Promessa Bed. Its stores are located at Level 5, Shangri-La Mall (631-1391), Building 5, Bonifacio High Street, Global City (854-4700) and at the lower ground level, Greenbelt 5 (728-3015).)