Weekend in Manila / Philippines
Jul 6, 2011, 5:16 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 15,656
Weekend in Manila / Philippines
For better or worse, I am in Manila this upcoming weekend. I am pretty much free from 6pm Friday through 9am Monday.
Any suggestions from Manila regulars as to what I might get up to nearby? Or is it worth heading out elsewhere in the Philippines for the weekend? I'm staying in Makati area of Manila if that makes any difference.
I'm not into any adventure sports or beach jaunts which seems to rule out pretty much anything that the tourist brochures at the hotel suggest. Urban experience is much more my thing, but preferably not somewhere with Manila-esque traffic.
Original plan was to go to Hong Kong for the weekend but sadly I could only get a single entry Business visa to the Philippines so I'm stuck here for the duration.
Any suggestions from Manila regulars as to what I might get up to nearby? Or is it worth heading out elsewhere in the Philippines for the weekend? I'm staying in Makati area of Manila if that makes any difference.
I'm not into any adventure sports or beach jaunts which seems to rule out pretty much anything that the tourist brochures at the hotel suggest. Urban experience is much more my thing, but preferably not somewhere with Manila-esque traffic.
Original plan was to go to Hong Kong for the weekend but sadly I could only get a single entry Business visa to the Philippines so I'm stuck here for the duration.
Jul 6, 2011, 6:33 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Midwest, USA
Programs: Hilton Gold
Posts: 27
For better or worse, I am in Manila this upcoming weekend. I am pretty much free from 6pm Friday through 9am Monday.
Any suggestions from Manila regulars as to what I might get up to nearby? Or is it worth heading out elsewhere in the Philippines for the weekend? I'm staying in Makati area of Manila if that makes any difference.
Any suggestions from Manila regulars as to what I might get up to nearby? Or is it worth heading out elsewhere in the Philippines for the weekend? I'm staying in Makati area of Manila if that makes any difference.
It's renown for adult entertainment, but there are actually a few night spots that have very good music.
Getting to Angeles is not difficult. I'm not sure of your economic situation, but there are special buses that go to Angeles about three times/day, and you can catch them in Ermita. The cost is very reasonable. I wouldn't consider the regular buses, unless you're a veteran of traveling in the Philippines.
I'm in Angeles right now (business trip), and if I was in your situation, and I had to choose between Makati and Angeles for the weekend, I'd choose Angeles, hands down.
Best of luck to you!
Jul 6, 2011, 8:35 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA Platinum, ex-UA 1P
Posts: 228
You don't have to go all the way to Angeles City for live music, there's a decent scene in Makati as well as at Remedios Circle. If you are a party person for whom Patpong or Pattaya sound appealing then you'll like Angeles City...otherwise I suggest giving it a pass.
Staying in Makati you will be near the huge Ayala Center (Glorietta + Greenbelt) complex, which is partly under re-construction. There are plenty of restaurants, shops and cinemas to spend time in, for a fairly ordinary mall experience. If you want decent Filipino food, I recommend Fely J's in Greenbelt 5 or Abe's Restaurant at Bonifacio High Street, in BGC near Makati.
Other things to do during the day would be to visit the old city at Fort Santiago / Intramuros, see the American Cemetery in Fort Bonifacio, or just hang out at the hotel pool. There's also a casino at the Marriott by the airport, if you want to gamble.
Options outside the city would be a day trip to Corregidor, to Taal Volcano, or a weekend trip up north to Baguio. There were a couple of threads that described these options:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...nd-manila.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...ilippines.html
Manila will never be a top tourist destination on the order of Hong Kong or London but if you go in with appropriate expectations for low-key, inexpensive time off you should be fine.
Staying in Makati you will be near the huge Ayala Center (Glorietta + Greenbelt) complex, which is partly under re-construction. There are plenty of restaurants, shops and cinemas to spend time in, for a fairly ordinary mall experience. If you want decent Filipino food, I recommend Fely J's in Greenbelt 5 or Abe's Restaurant at Bonifacio High Street, in BGC near Makati.
Other things to do during the day would be to visit the old city at Fort Santiago / Intramuros, see the American Cemetery in Fort Bonifacio, or just hang out at the hotel pool. There's also a casino at the Marriott by the airport, if you want to gamble.
Options outside the city would be a day trip to Corregidor, to Taal Volcano, or a weekend trip up north to Baguio. There were a couple of threads that described these options:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...nd-manila.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...ilippines.html
Manila will never be a top tourist destination on the order of Hong Kong or London but if you go in with appropriate expectations for low-key, inexpensive time off you should be fine.
Jul 6, 2011, 9:48 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: CX Silver, QFF Bronze, Mabuhay Miles
Posts: 571
You don't really have time to get away.
A walk around the Malate area near the old Fort is worthwhile.
Also a visit to the American Cemetery and Memorial.
Mall of Asia is worth a visit, possibly (they have a IMAX theatre there also).
A walk around the Malate area near the old Fort is worthwhile.
Also a visit to the American Cemetery and Memorial.
Mall of Asia is worth a visit, possibly (they have a IMAX theatre there also).
Jul 7, 2011, 8:53 pm
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Southern California, USA
Posts: 1,393
+2 on visiting Corregidor.
I took the full day tour (w/lunch) this past February and paid PHP 1999 (approx. USD46 at the time), good value & very informative, especially if you're into WWII history.
This is the tour company: SUN CRUISES
BTW, book in advance, I didn't and had to go standby at the pier, luckily I got on. Also, check the weather report, you don't want to go if it's raining, the trams on the island are open-air, and it is rainy season now. In fact you don't want to go too far from your hotel if it's raining as the traffic in Manila gets even worse.
I took the full day tour (w/lunch) this past February and paid PHP 1999 (approx. USD46 at the time), good value & very informative, especially if you're into WWII history.
This is the tour company: SUN CRUISES
BTW, book in advance, I didn't and had to go standby at the pier, luckily I got on. Also, check the weather report, you don't want to go if it's raining, the trams on the island are open-air, and it is rainy season now. In fact you don't want to go too far from your hotel if it's raining as the traffic in Manila gets even worse.
Last edited by Mr. Roboto; Jul 7, 2011 at 9:26 pm
Jul 8, 2011, 5:22 am
#8
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 181
Tagaytay is a popular weekend jaunt among locals. Not that there's much to do but the views are magnificent and the weather is cooler because of the elevation. It's about an hour and a half drive (you can negotiate with a taxi driver to take you and back or take the public bus from EDSA-Taft terminal in Pasay City near Makati).
The one variable is weather, though: it's the rainy season now and Luzon gets smacked fairly regularly by heavy rains.
The one variable is weather, though: it's the rainy season now and Luzon gets smacked fairly regularly by heavy rains.
Jul 8, 2011, 5:56 pm
#10
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SAN
Programs: PR Premier Elite
Posts: 1,950
Jul 10, 2011, 11:27 pm
#11
Join Date: May 2010
Location: YLMQ
Programs: QF Gold, WY Gold
Posts: 682
Taal Volcano is within a reasonable distance to visit. If your with family you can goto the theme park 'Enchanted Kingdom'.
There are some excellent restaurants and bars around, whether you visit Hard Rock Cafe in Makati, or head across town to Cowboy Grill which has liveband every night who are normally excellent. There are a few nightclubs in the vicinity if thats your thing.
Other tourist attractions include Ocean Park or Subic Safari.
In general the Philippines isn't geared up for tourism. My family will be coming over to visit in September and i'm struggling to give them a schedule for the two weeks they'll be here.
There are some excellent restaurants and bars around, whether you visit Hard Rock Cafe in Makati, or head across town to Cowboy Grill which has liveband every night who are normally excellent. There are a few nightclubs in the vicinity if thats your thing.
Other tourist attractions include Ocean Park or Subic Safari.
In general the Philippines isn't geared up for tourism. My family will be coming over to visit in September and i'm struggling to give them a schedule for the two weeks they'll be here.