Bagong Tambayan: Robinson's Place Pangasinan

I've been thinking about going to the opening of Robinson's Place Pangasinan in Calasiao for about two weeks now when a great opportunity presented itself in the form of Siapno-Tada Optical. As part of the Asinan Bloggers of Pangasinan, we were requested to blog about their grand opening (and I already have, check it out). Of course I willingly went to their opening if it meant also being able to blog about the new mall's opening. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone, lucky me.  

photo courtesy of the What's Up Dagupan website

I roamed the mall for a while, looking for the usual mall brand staples-National Bookstore, Bench, Toys R Us, the department and appliance store and the supermarket. They were some of the few stalls that were open then since it was only supposed to be a soft opening. Most of the other shops were still boarded up and will probably open on or before the grand opening slated on May.

WHAT I LOVE:


First and foremost, I highly commend Robinson's for coming up with really modern architecture- everything looked so fresh and modern, especially the domed atrium. I really love how their hallways are huge! If you were there, people were just swarming about like ants but that didn't seem to bother anybody because the space was just wide, man!


Kudos to Robinson's for that. Shopping will never be the same in Pangasinan, thanks to your spacious halls. =)


What's really nice was I got to see some new brands like Kenko, a shop selling home and wellness products. They also have a CD-R King branch and it was huge! I'm sure most techies would love to drop by sometime. National Bookstore also had a wide, airy space and we got to browse through a large selection of books and whatnots.

uber cute tweezers, nail files all at very affordable prices

massage chairs and other wellness products at Kenko

huge CD-R King branch

I really loved Robinson's Department Store's variety of shoes and clothing, especially when I saw that most prices range from Php 300-800 pesos. And they were really nice! I told myself I'd come back to buy me and my boys a pair of shoes each because they offer really cute and affordable shoes. No girl can ever resist shoes. Ever.


Their department store also carries makeup brands like REVLON, Maybelline, Ever Bilena and Careline. Good to know they have variety. I tried Revlon's Grow Luscious mascara and it was truly divine! Talk about having practically weightless mascara no matter how much you put on! More on makeup next time. =P 

customers checking out makeup products at the department store

I also appreciated the fact that the mall has a BOOKSALE shop! I love their wide selection of books and magazines and absolutely like how they're dirt cheap. I recommend this shop to every bookworm out there. =)


They also have a 3D cinema, so that's good news for avid Pangasinan moviegoers out there. I'm not much of a fan of 3D though, it makes my head spin, but most people like it, so there, Pangasinan's 2nd ever cinema with 3D at Robinson's Place Pangasinan. =) And if you're thinking where to buy grub before watching a flick, head on to Tater's by the cinema entrance, they offer lots of yummy movie snacks.

WHAT I HATE:


What bugged me was the lack of food stalls and restaurants at their opening. I mean, grabe gutom ko just walking around ha! Did you know you can burn tons of calories while walking inside a mall? I saw ChicBoy and Gerry's Grill but they weren't open yet. The foodcourt was quite empty of food concessionaires, except for an Ilonggo food stall/ Good thing there were various food novelties scattered on kiosks around the mall like Jelly n Juice, Master Siomai, Fruitas, and Buko Republic among others.

a view of the foodcourt

I think people would also appreciate the mall better if there were benches along the mall corridors, walking around and shopping can be tiring, you know. I remember going to Trinoma and SM North and they had these nice benches and couches scattered along their halls.


BOTTOMLINE:


I'm sure once the mall opens on May there'll be more to discover, so I'm holding on to this bit first.  


HOW TO GO THERE:


From Dagupan's Perez Blvd., hail a jeep en route to Sta. Barbara. It should drop you directly in front of the new mall. If you have a car, you can take the De Venecia Road (the one with the famous Jech's and Panaderia Antonio), drive straight through the Calasiao intersection and you should see Robinson's Place at your right. 


Hope this helped. =)