by MARK RABAGO
Saipan Correspondent
SAIPAN — Businesses openings may have slowed in Saipan due to economic uncertainties, but existing businesses apparently see some light at the end of the tunnel. In recent months, there have been renovations to old or opening of new restaurants, electric vehicle charging stations made available to customers, and new spa treatments for the health conscious.
Kanto Diyes
The island’s restaurant scene saw the opening of Kanto Diyes in early September.
The simple hole-in-the-wall restaurant serves authentic dishes from the Iloilo and Cebu region of the Philippines. Kantos Diyes’ lineup of Ilonggo dishes include Bacolod chicken inasal, sugba na lukos (grilled squid), KBL (kadyos, baboy, lanka), and every Ilonggo's hangover remedy, kansi.
All-time favorite native Cebuano dishes include balbacua (beef stew made from beef, collagen-rich beef parts, and various spices), paklay (pork or beef innards cooked in pineapple juice with bamboo shoots), and puto and sikawate (traditional Cebuano breakfast).
Kanto Diyes is open for dine-in and takeout daily from 11am to 9:30pm. It can seat a maximum of 20 customers and is located along the Flores Rosa Street corner and Alaihai Avenue near the back of Dollar Days in Garapan.
For more information, to reserve, or to order in advance, call (670) 989-2728 or email [email protected]. Kanto Diyes is also on Facebook.
Giovanni’s
Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Italian restaurant made a triumphant return in September with the reintroduction of its dinner a la carte menu.
Giovanni’s trattoria style menu has antipasti that include carpaccio di manzo (thinly sliced beef tenderloin, parmigiana cream, toasted pine nut, micro green) and fritto misto (deep fried calamari, shrimp, mahi mahi with lemon). Main courses offer meat such as lamb, pork or angus beef and also seafood. Pizza, pasta, and Italian dessert favorites are also on the menu.
Giovanni’s la carte dinner is available Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For reservations, visit saipan.regency.hyatt.com and click the “Dining tab” or call (670) 234-1234. Club at the Hyatt members are welcome.
Pacifica Insurance Underwriters
Pacifica Insurance Underwriters Inc., through its Pacifica GoGreen program, unveiled the NMI’s first commercial electric vehicle charging station located in the parking lot of the Joeten Shopping Center in Susupe on Sept. 7. In partnership with Honolulu, Hawaii-based Evolution Energy, the EV charging station is accessible to EV and plug-in hybrid car owners.
Pacifica Insurance said it will offer free charging to consumers for a year as a way of giving back to the community for nearly 50 years of business and support.
The charging station is compatible with electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles manufactured for the U.S. market. Tesla owners will need to provide a Tesla manufacturer’s adapter. The charger will require green drivers to download the application JuicePass Enterprise for the JuiceBox EV charger, which can be downloaded for both Apple and Android OS. JuiceBox promises 7x faster charging capability and is UL listed meeting all safety standards for the U.S.
The adapter cable is 25 feet long and has a J17712 connector standard compliancy. The hours of accessibility for the EV charging station are Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, contact Pacifica Insurance Underwriters Inc. at (670) 234-6267/7722/7310 and follow Pacifica on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube.
Spa Ocean
Spa Ocean introduced a novel way of losing stubborn belly fat and staying healthy with its Theranova Body Care treatment.
Theranova Body Care provides anti-cellulite care and pain relief through thermal decompression therapy that provides anti-aging and improved circulation.
Spa Ocean’s Theranova machine, imported from South Korea, generates heat within cells, which helps lymph flow, blood flow, pain relief, and concentrated fat loss. Spa Ocean has an introductory promotion where the $320 cost for four sessions has been discounted to $260.
Spa Ocean is located at Surfrider Resort Hotel in Chalan Kanoa and is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday to Sunday. For more information or to make an appointment, call (670) 235-7000 or (670)287-9009 or the Facebook page: Spa Ocean and Instagram: spaocean_saipan.
3Hi-Res Designs
For those who want custom-made shirts on island, 3Hi-Res Designs has a new T-shirt sublimation operation. T-shirt sublimation is made when an image or design is created on a computer and printed onto sublimation paper using sublimation ink.The printed design is then placed onto the T-shirt and the design is permanently transferred to the material using heat and pressure, using a heat press.
Because it eliminated the shipping cost, 3Hi-Res Designs’ T-shirt sublimation products are cheaper and also allow customers last-minute orders and changes, the company said. For T-shirt materials, 3Hi-Res Designs uses polyester shirts ordered from the U.S., China, South Korea, and the Philippines and the sizes range from extra small to 5XL. 3Hi-Res Designs is located next to Yu Bo Corp. tire shop along Beach Road in Oleai, and is open from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. For information, call (670) 234-1137 or (670) 989-7158, email [email protected] or reach out on Facebook. 3Hi-Res Designs will also soon launch a website (3hres.com) and a mobile app.
Kiara’s Gift Shop
Kiara’s Gift Shop relocated from Best Market Building in Chalan Monsignor Martinez in Afetna along Beach Road in Koblerville, across its sister company, Kiara’s Garden.
The shop is a go-to place for hard-to-find ready-to-wear clothes and accessories like bags, shoes, toys, and home decor. Kiara’s Gift Shop is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. For more information, call (670) 989-1062 and (670) 288-8480. Kiara’s Gift Shop can also be contacted via its Facebook page.
Saipan Pizza Hut
A newly renovated Saipan Pizza Hut restaurant greeted customers following an almost two-week overhaul in May. Customers can expect updated furniture, window treatments, and local artwork.
The restaurant in the Gualo Rai Commercial Center offers hot and fresh pizza, pasta, wings, and desserts at affordable prices.Visit Saipan Pizza Hut for dine-in or carry-out. To order ahead or place a delivery order, call 670-235-9333. Hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11p.m.
Meals 4 U
Meals 4U recently expanded its offerings by opening a fully enclosed barbecue stand next to the restaurant, expanding because of the popularity of barbecue on Saipan.
Aside from its bestselling crispy kare-kare, lechon kawali, dinuguan (fritada), and bopis, Meals 4 U now sells pork, chicken, pork isaw, pork ears, and chicken feet skewers. Since the restaurant already has a barbecue stand, Meals 4 U also offers grilled fish, stuffed squid, pork liempo, and chicken inasal but requires advance orders.
In addition to grilled meats, Meals 4 U has daily favorites. Customers have also been returning for crispy eggplant, tofu sisig, buttered chicken, orange chicken, and Korean fried chicken.
Meals 4 U is located in the former Ahbu Auto Repair Shop building at the corner of Hagoi Street and Texas Road in Susupe. It can comfortably seat 20 customers and is open from Monday to Friday, from 7.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed on holidays). For more information or for advance orders, call (670) 588-1886 or (670) 285-4811 or check out its Facebook page.
Kikass Snack Bar
Kikass Snack Bar is the island’s self-proclaimed headquarters of inexpensive mixed snacks and light meals, and has become known for its poke bowls, bento boxes, sushi, mezzing corn, pika corn, and pickles.
Like other stalls at Kada Dia, Kikass Snack Bar has dine-in accommodations for customers, but the majority of its business is take-away.
Kikass Snack Bar is located at the Kada Dia Everyday Market by the Chalan Kanoa post office and is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday. For more information or advance orders, call 670-484-5452 (KIKA) or check social media (Instagram and Facebook).
CamaKane Catering
CamaKane Catering opened its stall specializing in Chamorro meat bento at Sabalu Market across the Kristo Rai Church in May.
It primarily sells smoked meat bento plates (chicken leg quarter, pork butt, and beef fingers) prepared the traditional way with a serving of red rice, coco, finadeni. CamaKane also offers kelaguin biringhenas or eggplant kelaguin and vegan lantiyas or custard cake.
CamaKane Catering’s bento plates range from $9 to $13 depending on the type of smoked meat chosen. Call (670) 285-7668 or reach CamaKane Catering on Facebook.
HafaAdai Rent A Car
After starting business essentially as an in-service rental that provided loaners for customers who brought vehicles to Joeten Motors for service and repairs, HafaAdai Rent A Car recently expanded to the local and tourist markets.
The change is rooted in the NMI tourism industry finally rebounding after years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
HafaAdai Rent A Car’s 55-vehicle fleet includes high-end brands like the 2023 Nissan Armada, the 2023 Kia Carnival, and the latest Ford Mustang convertibles models, as well as offerings like the Nissan Versa. The company said it is confident it can deliver a better service than competitors because it has the support of Joeten Motors which carries Honda, Kia, Nissan, and Ford brands.
For more information on HafaAdai Rent A Car, call the office at the Joeten Motors Ford and Honda showroom at (670) 234-5567 or the 24-hour car rental office at the Francisco C. Ada-Saipan International Airport at (670) 288-0087.
After more than 40 years of outfitting residents, Meena’s in Chalan Kanoa closed in July due to slow sales and the desire of Owner Vashi Hemlani to close in Saipan, as his family is now in Guam. mbj
Saipan Correspondent
SAIPAN — Businesses openings may have slowed in Saipan due to economic uncertainties, but existing businesses apparently see some light at the end of the tunnel. In recent months, there have been renovations to old or opening of new restaurants, electric vehicle charging stations made available to customers, and new spa treatments for the health conscious.
Kanto Diyes
The island’s restaurant scene saw the opening of Kanto Diyes in early September.
The simple hole-in-the-wall restaurant serves authentic dishes from the Iloilo and Cebu region of the Philippines. Kantos Diyes’ lineup of Ilonggo dishes include Bacolod chicken inasal, sugba na lukos (grilled squid), KBL (kadyos, baboy, lanka), and every Ilonggo's hangover remedy, kansi.
All-time favorite native Cebuano dishes include balbacua (beef stew made from beef, collagen-rich beef parts, and various spices), paklay (pork or beef innards cooked in pineapple juice with bamboo shoots), and puto and sikawate (traditional Cebuano breakfast).
Kanto Diyes is open for dine-in and takeout daily from 11am to 9:30pm. It can seat a maximum of 20 customers and is located along the Flores Rosa Street corner and Alaihai Avenue near the back of Dollar Days in Garapan.
For more information, to reserve, or to order in advance, call (670) 989-2728 or email [email protected]. Kanto Diyes is also on Facebook.
Giovanni’s
Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Italian restaurant made a triumphant return in September with the reintroduction of its dinner a la carte menu.
Giovanni’s trattoria style menu has antipasti that include carpaccio di manzo (thinly sliced beef tenderloin, parmigiana cream, toasted pine nut, micro green) and fritto misto (deep fried calamari, shrimp, mahi mahi with lemon). Main courses offer meat such as lamb, pork or angus beef and also seafood. Pizza, pasta, and Italian dessert favorites are also on the menu.
Giovanni’s la carte dinner is available Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For reservations, visit saipan.regency.hyatt.com and click the “Dining tab” or call (670) 234-1234. Club at the Hyatt members are welcome.
Pacifica Insurance Underwriters
Pacifica Insurance Underwriters Inc., through its Pacifica GoGreen program, unveiled the NMI’s first commercial electric vehicle charging station located in the parking lot of the Joeten Shopping Center in Susupe on Sept. 7. In partnership with Honolulu, Hawaii-based Evolution Energy, the EV charging station is accessible to EV and plug-in hybrid car owners.
Pacifica Insurance said it will offer free charging to consumers for a year as a way of giving back to the community for nearly 50 years of business and support.
The charging station is compatible with electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles manufactured for the U.S. market. Tesla owners will need to provide a Tesla manufacturer’s adapter. The charger will require green drivers to download the application JuicePass Enterprise for the JuiceBox EV charger, which can be downloaded for both Apple and Android OS. JuiceBox promises 7x faster charging capability and is UL listed meeting all safety standards for the U.S.
The adapter cable is 25 feet long and has a J17712 connector standard compliancy. The hours of accessibility for the EV charging station are Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, contact Pacifica Insurance Underwriters Inc. at (670) 234-6267/7722/7310 and follow Pacifica on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube.
Spa Ocean
Spa Ocean introduced a novel way of losing stubborn belly fat and staying healthy with its Theranova Body Care treatment.
Theranova Body Care provides anti-cellulite care and pain relief through thermal decompression therapy that provides anti-aging and improved circulation.
Spa Ocean’s Theranova machine, imported from South Korea, generates heat within cells, which helps lymph flow, blood flow, pain relief, and concentrated fat loss. Spa Ocean has an introductory promotion where the $320 cost for four sessions has been discounted to $260.
Spa Ocean is located at Surfrider Resort Hotel in Chalan Kanoa and is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday to Sunday. For more information or to make an appointment, call (670) 235-7000 or (670)287-9009 or the Facebook page: Spa Ocean and Instagram: spaocean_saipan.
3Hi-Res Designs
For those who want custom-made shirts on island, 3Hi-Res Designs has a new T-shirt sublimation operation. T-shirt sublimation is made when an image or design is created on a computer and printed onto sublimation paper using sublimation ink.The printed design is then placed onto the T-shirt and the design is permanently transferred to the material using heat and pressure, using a heat press.
Because it eliminated the shipping cost, 3Hi-Res Designs’ T-shirt sublimation products are cheaper and also allow customers last-minute orders and changes, the company said. For T-shirt materials, 3Hi-Res Designs uses polyester shirts ordered from the U.S., China, South Korea, and the Philippines and the sizes range from extra small to 5XL. 3Hi-Res Designs is located next to Yu Bo Corp. tire shop along Beach Road in Oleai, and is open from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. For information, call (670) 234-1137 or (670) 989-7158, email [email protected] or reach out on Facebook. 3Hi-Res Designs will also soon launch a website (3hres.com) and a mobile app.
Kiara’s Gift Shop
Kiara’s Gift Shop relocated from Best Market Building in Chalan Monsignor Martinez in Afetna along Beach Road in Koblerville, across its sister company, Kiara’s Garden.
The shop is a go-to place for hard-to-find ready-to-wear clothes and accessories like bags, shoes, toys, and home decor. Kiara’s Gift Shop is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. For more information, call (670) 989-1062 and (670) 288-8480. Kiara’s Gift Shop can also be contacted via its Facebook page.
Saipan Pizza Hut
A newly renovated Saipan Pizza Hut restaurant greeted customers following an almost two-week overhaul in May. Customers can expect updated furniture, window treatments, and local artwork.
The restaurant in the Gualo Rai Commercial Center offers hot and fresh pizza, pasta, wings, and desserts at affordable prices.Visit Saipan Pizza Hut for dine-in or carry-out. To order ahead or place a delivery order, call 670-235-9333. Hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11p.m.
Meals 4 U
Meals 4U recently expanded its offerings by opening a fully enclosed barbecue stand next to the restaurant, expanding because of the popularity of barbecue on Saipan.
Aside from its bestselling crispy kare-kare, lechon kawali, dinuguan (fritada), and bopis, Meals 4 U now sells pork, chicken, pork isaw, pork ears, and chicken feet skewers. Since the restaurant already has a barbecue stand, Meals 4 U also offers grilled fish, stuffed squid, pork liempo, and chicken inasal but requires advance orders.
In addition to grilled meats, Meals 4 U has daily favorites. Customers have also been returning for crispy eggplant, tofu sisig, buttered chicken, orange chicken, and Korean fried chicken.
Meals 4 U is located in the former Ahbu Auto Repair Shop building at the corner of Hagoi Street and Texas Road in Susupe. It can comfortably seat 20 customers and is open from Monday to Friday, from 7.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed on holidays). For more information or for advance orders, call (670) 588-1886 or (670) 285-4811 or check out its Facebook page.
Kikass Snack Bar
Kikass Snack Bar is the island’s self-proclaimed headquarters of inexpensive mixed snacks and light meals, and has become known for its poke bowls, bento boxes, sushi, mezzing corn, pika corn, and pickles.
Like other stalls at Kada Dia, Kikass Snack Bar has dine-in accommodations for customers, but the majority of its business is take-away.
Kikass Snack Bar is located at the Kada Dia Everyday Market by the Chalan Kanoa post office and is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday. For more information or advance orders, call 670-484-5452 (KIKA) or check social media (Instagram and Facebook).
CamaKane Catering
CamaKane Catering opened its stall specializing in Chamorro meat bento at Sabalu Market across the Kristo Rai Church in May.
It primarily sells smoked meat bento plates (chicken leg quarter, pork butt, and beef fingers) prepared the traditional way with a serving of red rice, coco, finadeni. CamaKane also offers kelaguin biringhenas or eggplant kelaguin and vegan lantiyas or custard cake.
CamaKane Catering’s bento plates range from $9 to $13 depending on the type of smoked meat chosen. Call (670) 285-7668 or reach CamaKane Catering on Facebook.
HafaAdai Rent A Car
After starting business essentially as an in-service rental that provided loaners for customers who brought vehicles to Joeten Motors for service and repairs, HafaAdai Rent A Car recently expanded to the local and tourist markets.
The change is rooted in the NMI tourism industry finally rebounding after years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
HafaAdai Rent A Car’s 55-vehicle fleet includes high-end brands like the 2023 Nissan Armada, the 2023 Kia Carnival, and the latest Ford Mustang convertibles models, as well as offerings like the Nissan Versa. The company said it is confident it can deliver a better service than competitors because it has the support of Joeten Motors which carries Honda, Kia, Nissan, and Ford brands.
For more information on HafaAdai Rent A Car, call the office at the Joeten Motors Ford and Honda showroom at (670) 234-5567 or the 24-hour car rental office at the Francisco C. Ada-Saipan International Airport at (670) 288-0087.
After more than 40 years of outfitting residents, Meena’s in Chalan Kanoa closed in July due to slow sales and the desire of Owner Vashi Hemlani to close in Saipan, as his family is now in Guam. mbj