Manila
Once known as the Pearl of the Orient, and has after years of neglect, enjoyed a building boom, especially in Makati and Ortigas business areas. In the Bayside area, new buildings continue to sprout.
Manila has always been a haven in the Far East, and renowned for its dining and entertainment - live music, lively discos, watering holes, night life, shopping - Manila has it all.
The main dining districts are Adriatico, and Jupiter Street (Makati). Entertainment areas are P Burgos (Makati) and Pasay (Bayside). The old tourist belt (Ermita) has staged a comeback, but with-out the old “girlie” bars.
One of the places to head for is the Manila Bay Cafe (MBC formerly the L.A. Cafe and Rosie's ’Diner), where the downstairs bar has become a lively meeting place.
The Bavarian restaurant – Munchen – is still a popular dining and meeting place, and their daily lunch and dinner specials are the best value in Ermita.
Along A Mabini Street, in an old Spanish style building next to the Mabini Pension, there is a the new Bar 28, a nice place to chill over a cold drink. They have a nice pool table and friendly staff.
Queen Isabella, Intramuros
Another popular watering hole, worth heading for is Juri’s Grand Café, a touch of old Amsterdam in Manila.
Shoppers are more than well catered for, the peso has never been lower, and garments (especially children’s clothes) offer an extremely attractive deal - even compared to Hong Kong. For the adventurous, Divisoria market offers more good buys than a departing troop ship, but my advice is to head for the many large Air-conditioned Malls. The largest is S.M. Megamall, with the nearby Robinson’s and Rustan’s in Ortigas (Shaw and Ortigas stations on the MTR).
My favorite is Ayala Centre, SM and Landmark. All are within a few minutes stroll from the major Makati hotels, and the prices in the department stores are not that much higher (if at all) than the markets. All have excellent handicraft sections, and best of all are the food halls where you can eat a hearty, tasty meal for around P60!!
So get out of your hotel, and look around at all that Manila has to offer. Swagman Hotel, Ermita, Manila
www.swaggy.com