The new gift shop at the Dauis church is straight out of a snazzy southeast asian resort… A very pleasant surprise to come across, and hopefully appealing to enough visitors to support itself. While I was on my lightning visit, I noticed that cafe workers were also undergoing training in the proper way to serve customers. I hung around for a few minutes listening to the instructions, which must have been coming from an expert brought in from Manila or Cebu, as the instructions were certainly impressive… I hope the service there surpasses all of our expectations as that will really be a gem of a cafe in such an unexpected location…
The gift shop was still sparsely stocked, but there was an impressive selection of locally made placemats which were just a notch above the ones you commonly see for sale in handicraft stores. These had slightly more sophisticated colors and designs, and while incredibly pricey at PHP75 a piece, I bought two dozen as my little show of support for the incredible efforts being exerted to bring the Dauis complex back from incredible neglect and disrepair.
The cafe is expected to open in afew weeks, first inside the building that was recently refurbished, and then later, outside under the wonderful acacia tree and teak terrace.
One of the display cabinets at the shop was an old aparador, now with a glass front. Simply beautiful… I am told that Handumanan, roughly translated, means remembrance or perhaps memories of a bygone time…
13 Responses
When we had dinner there, they said that the guy in charge of table settings, etc., was trained at Peninsula Manila. It’s terrific that they’re going about it in a professional manner. That’s the difference a benefactor with taste and long-term vision makes.
I so love the name of the shop…
For me, it a very authentic Bisaya word :)
My oh my, I love the old aparador. We keep such cabinets at home, handed down from my grandparents. What makes me really happy is that I got my Lolo’s study table :)
Whoa!!! Just looking the the first pic, I thought this topic was part of your foreign journey. I had to take a second look before I realize it had native stuff. The gift shop is really very chic!!!
mm, is dauis in bohol? They did a good job in the interior design.
sorry, my question answered in previous entry. My bad.
oh and by the way, while you were in bohol, did you order the famous baklayon torta and baked polvoron from Didang`s? SUPERB!!!
Love the rustic, Balinesque feel in the photos. I hope this site becomes a must see tourist destination in Bohol.
Handumanan — a nostalgic memento, a reminder. Whoever chose the shop name, did a good job.
from what i was told, bea jr. brought in the members of movement 8– a group of the country’s known designers — to help her with the shop– hence the polished look and choice merchandise.
lets hope the tourist trade in bohol is vibrant enough to sustain the shop
I had the same reaction as Apicio! I thought it was a continuation of the caviar blog. Same foreign location…NOT!. Very impressive.
They did a good job with the interior, the wooden beams and girders are offer a nice contrast to the plastered wall with the lighted shelves. It is a nice touch of blending a little modernity without sacrificing the structure’s heritage.
Hope more of our well-off kababayans would adopt this stance and conserve our structures but still make it useful for business.
I so love the aparador!!!!
Handumanan also translates as “keepsake”.