Manila-The Best kept Secret in Asia

Whether you visit the upmarket Makati, the historical and beautiful Intramuros, the buzzing nightlife of Ermita and Malate, the massive shopping complexes of Robinson's, Greenhills or Tutuban, the numerous spas and beauty salons, or some of the best eateries in Asia, Manila is one of the most fascinating World Cities. It is worth at least a 4- to 5-day stay, especially for those who are into some serious bargain shopping.

Quick Tips:

Manila has a lot more to offer than you can imagine. Do not miss the shopping opportunities (read the rest of my journal about Greenhills, Tutuban, Chinatown). There are moments of great relaxation in this frenetic city (read about Intramuros below), there is some fantastic food (read below on my recommendations), and superb nightlife (and I am not referring to girly bars).

Best Way To Get Around:

The locals move around with the amazing Jeepneys and tricycles. Not an option for the faint hearted, or those with some extras pounds around their waist. The best options are : 1. Taxis. Choose the ones with the orange sticker "Meter tested and sealed," and insist the driver switches it on as soon as you enter. A 20-minute journey will set you back only a couple of Euros. 2. The LRT or MRT, acronyms which stand for Light Rail Transit and Metro Rail Transit. Both are cheap, fast, and reliable. Or, of course, a combination of both .

Park Oasis Hotel has many advantages; the main ones being that is centrally located (Paco Park is just off the northeastern corner of Ermita); it's next to Paco Park and cemetery, which is a superb asset in an extremely noisy city; and it is reasonably priced, with double bedrooms starting at $28 (breakfast included). Breakfast is tea or coffee and one egg with bacon, plus a slice of toasted bread with butter. Rooms have a television and air-conditioning, with a bathtub/shower and hot water. The hotel has a lounge internet facility ,although a bit expensive. The greatest PLUS of the hotel is the breakfast area with a small but nice and handy swimming pool, relaxing music, ambient surroundings, and very good service. The staff is simply excellent. There is a pool table in the breakfast area. The biggest MINUS is the rather expensive menu if one wishes to order a snack, and also the relatively poor illumination of the bedrooms. The funniest aspect: The reception desk will sell Viagra pills to guests!!!

We stayed in Garden Plaza last year and in many ways it is a very competitive choice to Park Oasis , which is literally next door. Like Park Oasis, it shares the same advantages (location, relatively quiet environment). Compared to Park Oasis, it is slightly more expensive. In February, 2006, a double-bed room would cost you $36 per room, per night (breakfast included), compared to Park Oasis's $28. Rooms are far superior, compared to Park Oasis, and definitely worth the $8 difference; and also the breakfast is superior, too. The breakfast area (which is served indoors) is very nice and the service is impeccable, but it lacks the open-air feeling and the simplicity combined with cool of the Park Oasis. On occasions, the Garden Plaza has special offers. When the price of a room matches or is below that of the next door competitor, the Garden Plaza is a far better choice of value for money since it has a slightly more upmarket feel about it. To use the internet for contact, their Email is gplazahotel@yahoo.com.

Juri's was established in 1995 by Julie and Rinus Besteben, an Amsterdammer Dutchman. Rinus was missing the special cozy atmosphere and ambience of the Dutch cafes and bars , referred in Dutch as "kroeg". With the assistance of his co-patriot Dutch interior designer, Jacob van der Hulst, he created this superb place with some of the finest continental tastes in Manila. Yuri's is in the heart of Ermita, close to Robinson's shopping complex, and the junction of Padre del Faura Street and MH del Pillar, heading south on Del Pillar on your left. Admittedly, Yuri's is not a cheap place by Manila price standards , but definitely worth a visit. We copied some of the prices on the menu: Blue cheese filet 825 Pesos, Tartar 650 Pesos , Clogg Salad 590 Pesos, Fondu 1700 Pesos for two persons and Belgian beers (Palm, De Konick, Jupiter etc) from 130-195 Pesos. More information on the website : www.juris.ph and email rdw52@pldtdsl.net

Mah Yuen is a Seafood restaurant in the heart of Ermita, great if you are into no nonsense superb far eastern cuisine. The Restaurant is classed as Cantonese cuisine, but there are plenty of Japanese dishes on the menu. It is located at 1337 Adriatico Street, very close to Robinson’s shopping complex at the junction of Adriatico with Padre Faura Street. Mah Yuen is excellent value for money. Six pieces of sushi will set you back 200 Pesos, Sashimi Maguro (Tuna) will set you back 230 Pesos, a huge portion of rice will cost only 200-300 Pesos, and shrimps/prawns dishes vary between 200 and 300 Pesos. Everything is truly fresh, and the restaurant has a regular loyal clientele among the expat far eastern community.

Located just east of the intersection with Candara street, Lai Lai is a superb restaurant for value for money. Try the shrimp tempura for 240 Pesos (4 euros), an absolutely massive bowl of soup for 4 persons for 160 Pesos ( 2,5 Euros), and a pancit (noodle dish) with shrimps and pork ,also for 4 persons for 180 Pesos (3 euros).

The telephone number is 309 1457.  Notice the innovative ashtrays on the second photo from Coca-Cola cans.

Manila is a hectic frenetic city , with a traffic that literally takes your breath away , noise and car exhaust pollution second to none and at first impression a city that does not appear “friendly” to children. Yet in a one of our morning walks we discovered a children's playground on General Louna street, at the intersection of UN Avenue and Taft Avenue in Ermita. We paid the 10 pesos entrance fee and there we were , three fully grown up adults , behaving like 5 year old kids in this oasis of peace and leisure ,inspired and themed from Spielberg's Jurrasic Park. It is a perfect leisure spot for children and families and grown ups who want to become kids again

Intramuros is an area of 64 hectares, and is the part of the city that was fortified during the Spanish rule era of the city. Founded in 1571, it was at the time a powerful demonstration of the Might of the Spanish Crown. Today, Intramuros is, perhaps, the most pleasant part of Manila to walk on foot and is worth several hours of a day's holiday.

You can either start your visit from Fort Santiago on the northwest corner or, as I chose, from the southern gate on General Luna street. There is so much to see in Intramuros, and in a way it feels as a walk in the path of history. Do not miss the church of San Agustin (the oldest church in the Philippines), which started being built around 1587.

It is located on General Luna Street. Less than 200m further north is the impressive Manila Cathedral. And, of course, at the end of General Luna street is the Fort Santiago. There is no shortage of some stylish shops and eateries in Intramuros (read about Silatis Arts and Artifacts in this journals) to make your day's excursion even more interesting. We walked from our hotel at Paco Park to Intramuros, and the distance was about 1 mile (to the southern gate). From the southern gate to Fort Santiago is less than a mile.

This very interesting retail outlet is located on General Luna Street, at Intramuros, very near the Southern Gate. It specialises in Filipino Art, artifacts, and products, and although it is not cheap, it is not expensive either. What makes the place special is that you can find a lot of quality products under one roof , displayed beautifully in a very large area on two floors. Particularly interesting were cigars, aromatic cigarrillos (which make an excellent gift), and edible produce (like fine quality cocoa, chocolate , exotic fruit jams, etc), as well as a lot of tribal art and handicrafts. Staff were particularly helpful , informative, and certainly not pushy. The telephone number is, 632-52721111.

 

 

This is a definite must. Fort Santiago is the top historical attraction in the Intramuros, and for those readers who will spare some time to read the history of the Philippines, then the tour of the Fort Santiago and the Rizal shrine housed inside, would become most rewarding.

Fort Santiago has been a fortress, a torture chamber, a prison , a dungeon , a site of military atrocities, and yet today, walking around the site, there are no negative vibes about the place. There is just a relaxing, cool feeling, and it is nice to be away from the Manila fuss and noise. Don't miss the Rizal Shrine of the Filipino national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, with a lot of his personal belongings and furniture.

In many aspects, Manila’s Chinatown is no different than so many Chinatowns in the rest of the world. The borders are clearly marked with the large Chinese Arches above the main road and the two reasons to visit are, that is within walking distance from Intramuros (at the northeastern corner, just after crossing Jones Bridge) making a good day’s walk (if you walked Intramuros) even better. The other is that, you may want to experience that special feel of Chinatowns with hundreds of herbal shops, shops selling Chinese artifacts (mooncakes, incense , toys, ringing balls ), great Chinese restaurants and eateries, and the noise and charm that penetrates the air.

Looking at the map , Manila’s Chinatown is defined by an imaginary triangle. It is formed by the linear extension of Ongpin street on the north, Dasmarinas street on the east, and Quintin Paredes street on the west. The main, and interesting street to walk is Ongpin street ,which is the one with the highest concentration of Chinese retail outlets (and eateries).