Welcome to Mindanao's hotspots

Written by Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews
Sunday, 28 May 2006 00 00 00

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/27 May) – There’s a new kind of “hot spot” in Mindanao, not the ones you’d shun, as you would election hotspots, but the kind you’d welcome, especially if you are someone who will die without an internet connection.
Welcome to Mindanao’s wi-fi (wireless fidelity) hotspots.
Of Mindanao’s 25 provinces and 27 cities, there are still a few areas where wi-fi access for laptop users is available.

Davao City has the most hotspots as of now but the other cities are catching up. Even Surigao City has one, at Mario’s Grill & Restaurant, according to Smart Communication’s Jane Paredes, Public Affairs Officer for Visayas-Mindanao.
In Cagayan de Oro City, go to Limketkai Mall, get your self a cup of coffee at Coffee Works or dine at Café Laguna or Sunburst and while waiting for your orders, use your laptop to find out what’s happening elsewhere.

At the newly-opened (partially, though) Mallberry Suites, a business hotel behind Robinson’s Mall, a P100 Magnet wi-fi zone card will give you three hours internet access. A P50 card will allow you access for an hour and a half.

If you don’t have enough for a Mallberry room, go to Balay Mindanaw, a training center in Bulua where you can rent an air conditioned room at a very reasonable price, with wi-fi access, as bonus.

In General Santos City, East Asia Royale Hotel is a wi-fi hotspot, too, but you have to buy a P100 Globequest card for 3000 seconds (50 minutes). Same with Tower Inn in Davao City.

But Marco Polo hotel in Davao City is a bit pricey. The same P100 Globequest card elsewhere will cost you P350 there. No, you can’t use cards bought elsewhere.

In Davao City, most of the wi-fi hotspots serve hot coffee or tea and pastries, too. You don’t pay for wi-fi access in BluGre Café Landco or Matina (well, but you have to buy coffee to justify your stay or overstay there). Same with Matina Town Saquare’s Kanto Bar, where Davao’s Mac Users club meet Saturday nights, their iBooks on the table, and food, too.

Formula Pete’s Café at the AutoShop Bajada is another favorite of wi-fi chasers.

The list below is a combination of the list provided by Smart Communications, Globe, friends and actual site visits. This list is by no means complete.

Consider this, however, as the wi-fi chaser’s initial guide to hotspots in Mindanao. You can e-mail
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if you know of other wi-fi hotspots that are not included in this list.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: Balay Mindanaw, Bo’s Coffee (Divisoria), Bo’s Coffee (Big-R), Bigby’s Café at Limketkai, Café Laguna (Big-R), Coffee Works, Mallberry Suites behind Robinson’s Mall, OIC or Only In Cagayan along Corrales St., Petsmart and Sunburst CDO.

DAVAO CITY: Bagobo House, Basti’s Brew, BluGre Café at Landco, Blue Post (Ponciano), Casa Leticia, Damosa Gateway, Davao International Airport, Eden Mountain Resort, Formula Pete’s Café at Auto Shop Bajada, Hotel Galleria, Jack’s Ridge, Karlo’s Koffee Korner, Marco Polo Hotel, Matina Town Square (Kanto Bar, Whistletop, BlueGre), Mergrande Beach Resort, NCCC Mall Davao, Orange Grove Hotel, The Manor Hotel, The Venue, Tower Inn, Villa Margarita, Waterfront Insular Davao.

The Ateneo de Davao University Jacinto campus will be wi-fi ready by June. At present, one can access the internet from the ground floor.

The Davao City list of mindanao.com’s Bob Martin includes Apo View Hotel, Grand Men Seng Hotel, Grand Regal Hotel, Humberto’s Hotel and K1 Coffee Shop on F. Torres Street.
GENERAL SANTOS CITY: East Asia Royale Hotel, General Santos City airport

ILIGAN CITY: Area 51 Net Café, Keema Arcade, Quezon Avenue Ext., according to Martin. MindaNews’ Violeta Gloria says the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology is also wi-fi ready.
ISLAND GARDEN CITY OF SAMAL: Pearl Farm Beach Resort.

SURIGAO CITY: Mario’s Grill and Restaurant.

And the list goes on…. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)