Need help and advice with logistics for Manila
 

Hi everyone,

I've always gotten great advice from FTers, and I'm dipping back into the well to see if people can help me out with some logistical issues I'm encountering with my first trip to Manila. I did a few searches on the site, but most of the information tends to be older and somewhat outdated. Primarily, I'm looking to get advice on:

1. Money Exchange: Looking to find the best place to change overall. Arriving on Tuesday morning and staying till Sunday.

2. Cell phone: I have an iPhone5 but am unsure if there will be micro SIM cards that are compatible with them. Will I not get ripped off too much if I decide to borrow a phone at the airport?

3. Food/Restaurants: I've always had horrible luck relying on tripadvisor restaurant reviews, so I'm asking FTers who invariably have much better taste. I'm staying at the Peninsula in Makati, but my friend and I are pretty open and are particularly interested in native Filipino food. Best lechon in Manila and/or pancit and crispy pata would be most appreciated.

4. Fun attractions: My friend and I like to gamble a little, so we'll probably hit the casinos for a day or two. The ongoing joke seems to be that Manila's an ugly city, but I'm sure there are some people who can suggest things to see/do that are unique.

5. Nightlife: Heard that the greenbelt and Fort Bonifacio are fun places to be, but specific/current recommendations are more than welcome.

Thanks again for all your help.

I have my own trip to MNL in a few days here is what my cousin who lives over there told me about money and cell phones.

The best exchange rates can usually be found at any money changers in the city near the malls. ATMs also offer excellent rates. Avoid money changers at the airport as they charge steeper fees.

Globe and Smart both offer nano sims at prepaid rates for iPhone 5. Go to their websites and look at their rates and specials. You can buy these right in the airport. I personally went with Globe.

Tripadvisor tip, try sifting through the reviews and pay attention to those from people from your region of the world. I learned that the hard way travelling about in Europe. European standards for a nice hotel are different than mine. Same for restaraunts reviews in PI, many of the reviewers are likely to be from neighboring southeast Asia countries, so their taste pallet will likely be a bit different.

That being said, the reviews on TripAdvisor should be quite reliable, there is a large EXPat US community and other English speaking countries that frequent there that contribute regularly. Browse the forums, you'll find lots of good recommendations in there.

There's a lot of restaurants in one of the malls within walking distance from Makati Penn. One of them, Centro mainly serves Filipino dishes. It's a little on the upscale side but the food generally is good. I believe the hotel has good native breakfast too.

As for nightlife, either of those two areas are nice especially on the weekends. My suggestion is to there and walk around and do a little hopping.

Thanks very much for the tips, I'll be sure to incorporate them into our travels.

Anyone can chime in on which casino is the best... or I suppose I should say the "least worst"? I'm not expecting Las Vegas or Macau style gaming, just somewhere that's clean and relatively non-seedy.

Resorts world or Hyatt are a reasonable choice.

I normally exchange about $50 at the aiport - it's only about 1% more.

When I mentioned that I can't get reception inside building much of the time the response was: "Oh, you have Globe" :(

YMMV.

EmailKid

Money changing

Best money changer rates are NEAR the Malls, not IN the malls.
If you do not have any Piso, change 50USD at the airport until you get to a competitive changers is a great recommendation.
If you are changing over $1000US; negotiate the rate but somehow let them know that you do have the money and intend to change it.

Phone service
I used Globe for a few years on a PAYG plan for phones and N7; then I got Smart. ;)

Hm, someone already suggested that @:-)

EmailKid

I was seconding your brilliant idea, it is also my standard operation when i am not able to get local currency before arrival for over 40 yrs of travels

Um, OK, sorry :)

Just used to a few posters in UA forum who will post the same answer two hours after it's already been answered :rolleyes:

EmailKid

Walang problema, Philippines discussions tend to take on a friendly Pinoy favour.

Magkatuwaan

Be aware that most ATMs have that P200 surcharge (about $5) for any transactions with cards from other countries. This is a real gouge on top of rates and the interchange fee (another fee the ATM operator gets, often recovered by your bank as a charge on the statement). A few accounts (State Farm, Schwab) will reimburse these charges.

From the Peninsula you can walk down the street to HSBC in Makati, where the ATM has higher limits and, at least for now, doesn't charge the P200. Citibank nearby does charge it but at least allows you to withdraw up to P15000 at a time. Local banks can have lower limits and some, like Maybank, didn't work at all with my cards.

PAGCOR operates all the casinos but keeps the equipment running for far longer than any house in Las Vegas would. The one at the Hyatt in Malate is one of their (relatively) newer places. Don't expect to see things like ShuffleMasters that speed up play in Vegas, and on blackjack they'll do shoe games and burn a lot of cards. Most of the locals I saw were wealthier and of Chinese ancestry (they use admission fees to discourage ordinary people from going).

The Greenbelts have gobs of restaurants, and combined with Ayala Center they have places like the Hard Rock, Outback, Chili's, Italianni's, and Bubba Gump for those who don't want to adapt. Others are slightly more adventurous, and some pretty good.

Makati isn't really Manila, or the Philippines, though. You could piece together a good day in Manila by seeing Intramuros, lunch at the original Aristocrat on Roxas Blvd. ("the" place for Filipino food), Rizal Park, and sunset from the baywalk or Harbor View restaurant.

The Mall of Asia also has an IMAX and a pretty good cluster of restaurants, some looking out toward the bay.

Also be aware that taxi availability into or out of Makati can be a real bear anytime near the morning or evening rush on weekdays. Traffic is bad and there's a real supply/demand imbalance. I usually stay in Malate (its own can of worms) and save Makati ventures for Saturday or Sunday. But the Peninsula is probably the best place for coccooning if needed.

I note on the Smart website that purchases require a valid ID. Presumably a foreign ID is suitable?

I got one of those Globe SIM cards and it worked just fine in my iphone 5 with my passport.

I'm about to finish up a five week stint in Manila.

At the airport I searched for the Globe kiosk to get a sim card for my iPad but could only find the Smart stand so I got one of them. The cost of unlimited data for one month was P1200 (~AUD32). When it worked it was great, quite fast, but when it didn't it was a real pain. On one occasion I got a PPP or PAP authentication failed message that persisted for several hours.

Earlier this week I went to get more data for my remaining week. That was difficult. Very few places, other than the telcos themselves, seem to sell nano sims suitable for the iPad. I eventually found a cell phone place at a mall where they cut a nano out of a micro.

Next time, I'd seek out a Globe sim before a Smart.

On a sidenote, does anyone know if you can purchase soda water or club soda in Manila (the mixer that goes with, for example, a Scotch and soda)?

Most supermarket should stock soda water / club soda.

walking tour
 

TimeOut Hong Kong ran an article on MNL, recommending this walking tour:

www.celdrantours.blogspot.com

I may check it out next week, will report back!

It may have changed, but IIRC, the Philippine companies charge for both incoming and outgoing mobile phone calls (unlike some plans in the USA).

Walk this way Tour (MNL) by Carlos Celdran
 

I did this tour in Jan and really enjoyed it. About 60-80 people were in the tour group. It's a combination theater/history lesson/comedy and was well organized and presented. Attendees ranged from young children to seniors, with a good mix of Filipinos (mostly expats) and visitors.

Overall, I'd highly recommend anyone visiting MNL to check it out if they have an afternoon to spare.

Which companies?

AFAIK, since the introduction of mobile phones in the PH, it's always been the caller that gets charged. There is no (incoming) fee for the callee.

The US on the other hand charges the mobile callee. It's not too obvious anymore since calling plans these days have lots of free (or unlimited) minutes.

I was just in the Philippines 2 weeks ago and can verify this, inbound calls Philippine mobile phones are not charged to the call recipient.

Had a Smart account for 9 yrs and Globe for 6. Never charged for incoming calls. YMMV

I have never been asked for an ID for a sim.
This may be a rule, but like many rules there, it is not enforced. :)
You should be able to get one in most of the convenience stores.
One 7-11 told me they stopped carrying them, but it may have been just that one.
If you need a nano you might need to get a sim cutter.
They will sometimes cut the sim and then charge extra.

1. Use an ATM card, I usually get cash there. If the fees bother you, get a card that pays ATM fees (I love Schwab bank)
3. Almost every American restaurant is in the Philippines (outback, tgi fridays, Teddys bigger burgers) so you can always find something. Gerry's grill is a kind of local TGI Fridays. In the mall by my hotel there was a place that had Indian food in addition to a place that had New Orleans style food, almost everyone will find something they like. If you are ever in a fast food mood, try Jollibee, the spaghetti is sarap (Delicious)
4. Star city is a fun amusement park, albeit small. Wencha is a fun (on the level, no special service) spa. They have a hot tub and an ice tub, wet and dry sauna, a buffet and a massage are included. The sunset at Manila bay is always fun. From Mall of Asia you can take a boat to watch it from the water. The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is a mirror of the one in the punchbowl, Honolulu. If you have the time, a tour of corregidor island is well worth it, you can see were Gen MacArthur said "I shall return" as well as the last stand of the allies and the last stand of the Japanese. If you have the time (It does not sound like it) I would recommend the following day (possibly long day) trips: puerto galera, not as nice as Boracay, but still a beautiful white beach. Angeles City, you can see the American cemetery as well as a museum of the air force base. Baguio, high in the hills, is the summer capitol of the Philippines.
5. I would either go to Mall of Asia or Malate for some fun nightlife. Lots of fun bars, and I find most people nice. Bedrock bar usually has a live band and the beer is cheap. I found Greenbelt nightlife a bit boring, but depends on your taste.