Most travelers entering the Philippines through the capital Manila find themselves getting intimately – and unhurriedly – acquainted with the musty, concrete corridors of the city’s ageing Ninoy Aquino International Airport. A more modern terminal down the road is the exclusive domain of Philippine Airlines; if you’re not flying PAL, prepare for some worldly adventures. A newly-built terminal around the corner is still awaiting the go signal to open after lengthy legal battles over alleged contractual graft and unsafe construction. The queues can be long for peak-hour flights, but arriving visitors are usually spared the tedious inspection that is reserved for outbound folks. Most immigration and customs checks are perfunctory and should not take more than a couple of minutes if all your travel documents are in order and you have nothing serious to declare.
Moving around town
Getting around in Metro Manila isn’t really challenging, although you will want to keep an eye on taxi drivers out to make a fast buck. Using hotel transport is a lot more expensive than just walking out of the lobby and flagging down a cab on the street outside. Most hotels and areas of interest in Metro Manila are no more than $3 apart by taxi. However, make sure your driver turns on his meter – some will conveniently “forget” or say the fare is “up to you.”Three commuter rail systems circle Metro Manila. They are cheap, quite comfortable and airconditioned, although you’ll probably have to stand up on most trips, especially if you’re male, during the crowded morning and evening rush hours. Women and elderly passengers have one or two compartments reserved for them and these are less crowded. One train runs from Pasay City past Makati City to Quezon City along the length of EDSA, a major artery through the metropolis. Another runs from Pasay City through the Malate, Ermita and Manila bayside areas, Rizal Park, Chinatown and the Quiapo cheap shopping district. The third train links the first two, from Araneta Center to the fringe of downtown Manila. All three trains interconnect with short walks in between terminals. They are safe, reliable and often much faster transport options than taxis – although you might need a bit of practice to get the hang of them. Public buses and the smaller “jeepney” minibuses are plentiful and cheap on many franchised routes, but again, local knowledge is essential with these. Getting around on foot is generally safe if you stick to the more populous places. Foreigners may not be entirely safe in some areas like Pasay City, so it’s wise to ask your hotel concierge about places you might want to visit especially for men who, emboldened by a few San Miguel beers, decide to venture out into the neon night in search of svelte companions.
Dining Out
Whatever your taste or pleasure, eating out in Manila offers something for everyone. At the Ayala Center in Makati, a row of restaurants span Italian to native Filipino fare. A meal for two at most of the establishments here will cost about $35. In the Greenbelt corner of Ayala Center, try to make time to visit Café Bola, where Filipino food is served with panache, and try its sinigang (boiled pork in sour soup) and tuyo (dried herring) for a decidedly Filipino experience. MyLK, another Greenbelt restaurant, serves a kaleidoscope of dishes centered on the concept of comfort food. MyLK’s executive chef Melissa Sison is a product of Les Roche School in Switzerland. On the other side of the metropolis, in the historic Spanish-era walled city of Intramuros, Illustrado, housed in a rebuilt turn-of-the-century house, offers Spanish and traditional Filipino fare. Try their paella and adobong usa (venison cooked in vinegar and soy sauce). The restaurant has a separate coffee-shop with freshly prepared pastries. Barbra’s is another Spanish-inspired setting in Intramuros. It’s quite romantic and seafood is the order of the day there. On St Francis Square in Ortigas Center, Mario’s is for fine dining, complete with a grand piano and elegant chandeliers. Try the oysters Rockefeller with spinach hollandaise sauce, and angel hair pasta with black olives. In the Malate nightlife district (Jorge Bocobo Street), the menu at long-established Guernica’s is traditional Spanish. The dishes there are heavy on olive oil and garlic and the restaurant’s trio of musicians serenade tables – a pleasant touch to a romantic dinner.
Time Out partying
Manila is a place for partying until the wee hours with a bewildering range of options for young and wannabe-young. The local Hard Rock Café in Glorietta comes to life at about 10pm. Happy hour starts at noon and ends at 7pm, making it perhaps one of the longest “hours” anywhere. Forget that siesta – get happy instead. Slightly slower-paced but also a good pace to meet new friend is TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday) next door to Hard Rock. The Café Havana bar-restaurants in Malate and also at Greenbelt in Makati have a well-earned reputation for serious drinking and uninhibited dancing by the customers. Similar things happen at Embassy in Fort Bonifacio just outside Makati – the main difference is that the crowd in Embassy is younger and faster; it’s a mainly mid-aged crowd of swingers at Havana. Manila has many dozens of pubs and clubs catering to every taste. In very general terms, the places in Makati’s Greenbelt/Glorietta, Power Plant and nearby Fort Bonifacio are up-market and trendy; Malate is more original-
Philippines, a place where artists, musicians and university students used to and sometimes still do congregate; Quezon City is for locals and foreigners who know the local scene; the girlie bars are mainly found along Makati’s P. Burgos Street strip and in Ermita.
Time in: Where to stay
When it comes to choosing your Metro Manila hotel, firstly figure out what part of town you want to be in for work or play. As the crow flies, the cities of Manila (the Roxas Boulevard area along the seafront) and Makati (the business and financial hub) are just a few kilometers apart. But as the car travels – especially in peak hours – a commute can be a test of patience and skill. Plan ahead. Businessmen often stay in Makati where most business is done; holiday-makers often prefer the Manila side. And then there is the growing Ortigas Center area with a combination of business and malling; and further out Quezon City with government offices, some business centers, TV stations, the movie-making set and a lot of nightlife.
Manila & bayside hotels
One of Manila’s newer and better hotels is the 378-room Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila (from US$220) in the Malate area, well-known for its extensive casino operation which attracts high-rollers. Apart from gambling tables, the Hyatt has 378 rooms including Regency Club floors, a ballroom that can handle a 600-person sit-down dinner, and Club Oasis where guests can enjoy spa facilities, a fitness center, sauna, hot and cold plunge pools and a 35-meter lap pool. Room rates at the Hyatt Manila start at US$220 (room rates in this myPH Explorer guide are based on published rack rates; often you can negotiate cheaper if you’re staying for a while or have bargaining power).
A few kilometers along Roxas Boulevard from Malate is the Heritage Hotel (from $116), which also has a casino, albeit smaller than the Hyatt’s, with 448 rooms, a pool and fitness center – and a restaurant with one of the more popular buffet spreads in the city. All rooms have dial-up internet access for a fee plus the usual mini-bar and cable TV. Standard rooms come with either a king-size bed or two twins. Millennium deluxe rooms offer great views of Manila Bay. Right across the busy road is a bustling nightlife area, popular with aficionados of slightly off-the-beaten-track hostess bars.
Around the corner from the Hyatt in Malate is the Pan Pacific Hotel (from $110). All rooms there are equipped with high-speed internet connections for a fee and CD players and boasts hypo-allergenic bedding for extra-sensitive guests.
In the same area the long-serving Century Park (from $96) remains as popular as ever (it was once a Sheraton). Another veteran chain-hotel-turned-independent in Manila is the 538-room Manila Pavilion (from $130). The Pavilion in fact is a much better hotel now than it was in yesteryears when it went through periods under Hilton and then Holiday Inn management. It too has a casino.
The Sofitel Philippine Plaza (from $80) offers guests panoramic harbor views from its location on the edge of Manila Bay. It’s also adjacent to the Philippine International Convention Center and a short walk to the Cultural Center of the Philippines which regularly stages world-class shows. Guests can use the hotel’s putting greens and driving range (where you whack golf balls out into the harbor), and play on all-weather floodlit tennis courts.
The Bayview Park Hotel (from $54) is right on Roxas Boulevard, opposite the American Embassy and a short walk from the nightlife of Ermita. The hotel restaurant features Filipino fare for those not in the mood to venture out for meals. The Bayview Park is entirely non-smoking, with 268 rooms and nine suites. Rooms have high-speed internet access with either a hard-line hook-up or the more convenient WiFi, plus cable TV, mini-bar and come with complimentary newspapers.
Further down Roxas Boulevard beside Rizal Park, the city’s ageing but still gracious icon, the Manila Hotel (from $150), has been home to just about every head of state and celebrity who has ever visited the Philippines, from wartime General Douglas McArthur through to Michael Jackson. It offers hoary Philippine hospitality, old-world furnishings and décor (and somewhat creaky waiters), but all 570 rooms and public amenities have been continuously renovated and upgraded over the years. The old dowager is much more modern than she first appears.
Also on Roxas Boulevard opposite Manila Bay is the Diamond Hotel Philippines (from $130). The Diamond’s bars and restaurants have won accolades and service is crisp. Its 485 rooms are fashionably European in taste and style and come with broadband internet access with hourly and daily rates.
Makati City hotels
One of a dozen hotels that opened in 1976 to help Manila host that year’s big World Bank and International Monetary Fund conferences, the Peninsula Manila (from $195) sits proudly on the main intersection of the Makati business district. Guests quickly notice it has the usual attributes of a Peninsula group hotel, starting with the sprawling lobby which remains a favorite see-and-be-seen meeting place for Manila’s high society. Its mix of modern facilities and traditional service rival the best in the country and the hotel is a favorite with business – and banquet – clients.
Right across the same main busy intersection is the Shangri-La Makati (from $255), known as much for its excellent restaurants and its Conways music lounge as for its up-market accommodation and service. The Shangri-La’s 699 rooms and 94 suites come with bathtubs or bathtub-shower combinations, mini-bar, cable TV and morning newspapers. Shangri-La Horizon Club members also enjoy free high-speed internet access and coddling by personal butlers. The hotel also features a very good fitness center that is open 24 hours.
Tucked in behind Makati’s Greenbelt restaurants, bars and shops is the Renaissance Makati City Hotel (from $140). The hotel offers good business facilities and a stress-relieving Maharai Spa. It’s ageing a bit but progressive renovation of rooms and facilities is taking care of that. The Renaissance’s rooms come with internet access. Club Floor rooms have irons and ironing boards, work desks and hair driers.
Across Makati and down the road from the Peninsula is the Mandarin Oriental Manila (from $130), also a member of a distinguished Hong Kong-originating luxury chain and popular with visiting businessmen. Its restaurants and bars are among the best in the city. The Mandarin’s 448 rooms are all equipped with high-speed internet access. Conventions and functions are accommodated well in themed function rooms that range from European baroque to Chinese bamboo with a main ballroom that can accommodate up to 1,000 guests. Worth a visit is the Mandarin’s spa which was recently renovated and is also among Manila’s best.
A Makati stalwart, the InterContinental Manila (from US$220), offers easy access to shopping and recreation, being located next to Ayala Center, Makati’s central complex of cinemas, shops, dining and wining. The InterContinental has 338 rooms including 73 suites that are looking good after the latest round of renovation and come with paid internet access, work tables with ergonomic chairs, safes and a variety of bathroom styles, some with showers, others with bathtubs. The InterContinental has a fitness center, large outdoor swimming pool, and extensive function rooms with a grand ballroom, all with overhead projectors, high-speed internet and modern audiovisual equipment.
Across the road from the InterContinental and rising out of the Glorietta mall complex itself is the Ascott Makati (from $277). Its 306 units include studios, one- to three-bedroom apartments and penthouses which are especially popular with visiting businessmen. It offers broadband access points in each unit and WiFi in the public areas. Long-staying guests can negotiate special rates.
On the other side of the Glorietta mall complex is the Dusit Hotel Nikko (from $145) with its six bars and restaurants that serve Japanese (still regarded by many as the best in town), Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino and western fare. Facilities in the hotel are suited to hosting events and gatherings of up to 1,000 guests. There is a good fitness center, a business center and a wide range of function and banquet rooms.
Makati is best known as the business center of the Philippines – and it is also home to one of the country’s most popular red light girlie bar districts – P. Burgos Street and the surrounding lanes. For visitors who want to mix business with pleasure, there are several mid-priced options and one of the better (and safer) ones is the Oxford Suites (from $62), right on Burgos Street. All rooms have cable TV, mini-bar, in-room safe, and internet access with WiFi also available in the lobby, business center, coffee shop and function rooms.
Ortigas Center hotels
Ortigas Center is actually a convergence of three of the cities that make up the Manila metropolis – Mandaluyong City, San Juan City and Quezon City. It’s a mix of business and shopping with some entertainment places.
On the northern fringe of Ortigas Center are two adjacent sister hotels, the Holiday Inn Galleria Manila (from $120) and the Crowne Plaza, both owned by the same business empire and both under the InterContinental umbrella. They’re newish with all mod cons, good value, and they rise above the sprawling Robinsons Galleria shopping and restaurant mall which is owned by the same group. They’re also adjacent to the Asian Development Bank headquarters which helps maintain a nice clean neighborhood, and a short walk away from Ortigas Station on the commuter train line linking Pasay, Makati and Quezon cities.
In the heart of Ortigas Center is the Discovery Suites (from $120), a favorite with businessmen staying in the area. It mixes the trappings of a business hotel with the comforts of serviced apartments. Rooms come with unlimited internet access, pay-per-view movie channels, a fully-stocked kitchen and morning newspapers. Right opposite the Discovery Suites is the Podium, a mid-sized, up-market mall.
A few blocks away, the Shangri-La EDSA Plaza (from $180) is slotted conveniently between Ortigas Center’s two biggest shopping complexes, SM Megamall and the Shangri-La Plaza. It has sprawling tropical gardens around a large swimming pool, popular restaurants, a big spa center and all the usual up-market hotel amenities.
Ortigas Center visitors who prefer to stay somewhere mid-sized and more intimate should look at two good options, the Astoria Plaza (from $66) and the Richmonde ($90). Both are modern and well-appointed with all the amenities most guests would want including restaurants, internet access and health center facilities. - myPH Explorer guide
