Originally Posted by
krystle920
I grew up in Manila and now live in LA. If you have 2-3 weeks, I would spend maybe a week at most in Manila to explore the city and get over jet lag, then definitely go to Boracay and Palawan the rest of the time to relax.
In Manila, people usually like the BGC/Makati area to stay. Explore the malls (Megamall, Mall of Asia, etc.), go to Intramuros, visit old churches, maybe go to old Manila area like Quiapo/Chinatown/Escolta. Recommend doing a day trip to Tagaytay.
I spent summers there as a kid. Shopping and dining have improved so much but the traffic has gotten a lot worse from what I remember. The gigantic Mall of Asia has more than enough of all that for stays in the bay area and near the casinos. Last time I was in BGC, the areas around the Shangri-La and Grand Hyatt were happening places and quite walkable for a CBD.
Peering at the vast Taal caldera from eateries up the ridge is one of my fonder Tagaytay memories. I discovered a few nice resorts like Hillcreek but needed a ride from Manila to get there and around. Hillside roads were quite congested the weekend I had arrived for an event last year.