Around Manila: City of the Philippines

Manila is awash with energy. The mega buildings look to its partially westernized palate, the beeping motorbikes look to the Southeast Asian-ness of the street culture. People yell in Tagalog at all hours and smile just as easily. Jollibees highlight sidewalks akin to the commonality of Starbucks in the West. There’s a voraciousness about the pace of Manila. Its young people seem driven to conquer something, a reclamation of its city carved by being Filipino and not something else.

Here’s a roster of travel highlights in this city.

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Highlights

Where to Stay? 1898 Hotel Colonia En Las Filipinas

Makati is a central area to stay in and has a lot of Western-friendly places in the vicinity: old-school diners, American fast-food chains, and coffee spots. Hotel 1989 Colonia En Las Filipinas is in the thick of this and has excellent service, comfortable rooms, and a wonderful restaurant. With a pool and help to organize transportation such as day excursions around the city, the hotel makes staying and exploring Manila a piece of cake. Make sure to have meals of Filipino food there as their traditional dishes are unique and the best hybrid local foods outside of the night markets.

Shopping:

Makati: Greenbelt 5 & BGC: Venice Grand Canal

A handful of shopping complexes are interconnected in Makati, and Filipinos love their malls. Skip Landmark. However, Greenbelt 5 in Makati is worth checking out. Specifically, there are artisan accessories, clothing, and home furnishing boutiques that are lovely, and with craftsmanship that’s all locally designed.

Zarah Juan

For a sensory spatial immersion, the area of BGC has the Venice Grand Canal shopping center. With a design to mimic Venice of Italy, it’s an immersive experience, with performers in front of the mini canals, and a whole slew of restaurants and cafes. There aren’t many shops in this area, it’s mostly a walk around and a place to have a meal. This is such a fun spot with so many great places to grab a bite at!

Image by John Matthew Flores, Venice Grand

Chinatown Entrance

Binondo or Chinatown

Binondo is the oldest Chinatown worldwide, and it’s one of the largest as well. With an archway that declares the longstanding friendship between the two countries, Chinatown has the usual suspects. There are herbs and tea shops, homewares, and electronic spots, there’s street food and food of diverse Chinese variety. You’ll see many a stray cat and dog as they meander along remembered routes…they’re pets to all of the shop owners, docile atop counters, and snoozing under motorbikes.

Intramuros: St. Augustine Church, Fort Santiago & Casa Manila

View from Fort Santiago, Image by Michael Buillerey

Intramuros is the old town of Manila with historic buildings and an old square, a handful of sites that encompass the traditional walled city. “Intramuros” means “within the walls” and depicts design and structure from the Spanish colonial period. St. Augustine Church, Fort Santiago, and Casa Manila are the primary places to visit here. Intramuros is about 30 minutes from Metro Manila.

The square next to the St. Augustine Church

This whole area is an immersion and a reminder of where Manila came from. Intramuros was once the center of social affairs and it’s walled with the idea of defense relatedly.

The St. Augustine Church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and itself the oldest church made of stone in the country. With outstanding Baroque architecture, it’s a beautiful place. Casa Manila is a colonial house that showcases how a household of the period was furnished and lived in. There’s a cafe on-site and the area is overall crowded with adorable eateries along all the cobblestone streets.

The area is a standout difference from the rest of contemporary Manila and worth the experience.

Casa Manila

St. Augustine

Antipolo!

Antipolo is a smaller city outside of Metro, just over an hour east. It’s easy to rent a driver or take a taxi and it is one of the highlights of the whole area. The area is a popular destination for locals and foreigners alike primarily for its representation of contemporary arts and culture. It’s a hillside city with refreshing air and notable views of the surroundings.

Crescent Moon Cafe

Crescent Moon Cafe within Antipolo encompasses a genuine rainforest feel and is a charming locally infused unique spot. It’s owned by the mother of a friend, the cafe has a garden, koi pond, murals, and its own pottery store. The food is a rich presentation of Filipino food with Thai influence added. Go for the shakes, the spiced mango shake is a must.

Pinto Art Museum

The Pinto Art Museum is an explosion of contemporary art in Filipino style. It sits on about three acres of property and showcases artwork all by locals, a pursuit by the founder of the space. The layout of the design is Mediterrean-inspired and open-concept buildings dot the property’s expanse. Stairways wind up and around the various gallery rooms, the walkarounds themselves are an immersion.

The establishment of the museum reflects the social changes from the 80s on, and likewise, the work is inclusive of assertive political perspectives, religious intonation alongside its rebellion, and colorful abstractions.

*Safety tip

Manila is humid. Carry water at all times.

Traffic can be heavy, for the brave, hop on the back of a motorbike to skirt traffic and have an adventure.

Bottom line

The Philippines is most coveted for its boast of beaches and rice terraces. At the same time, the country is a very city scene. There’s a sleepless zeal in Manila and endless nooks and crannies to explore. There’s traffic and endless sites that surprise when stopped bumper to bumper. For eaters, it’s a place of fresh amazing food that can’t be found elsewhere. For night owls, it’s a dungeon of pure raucousness of karaoke, dancing, and scouring the night away. Manila is considered by some as a mere stopover to more scenic spots, beachside or upland. These adventures are worth the time, but don’t disregard the capital city. It has a lot to indulge in.

Island posts upcoming…!