Manila
Metro Manila with close to 12 million inhabitants is the capital of the Philippines. It has the only international airport apart from Cebu City and is the center of all domestic flights. As in many other Asian megacities, traffic is chaotic at best and it is advisable to plan enough time to get to the airport from the hotel.
Getting a cab at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is quite a hassle. Best is to get a ticket with one of the taxi operators before you leave departure hall, cost to Ermita is 600.-pesos ( about 18.- US$). If you are on a budget try to get to the departure floor and grab a taxi from there. The ride to Ermita then should be between 300 to 400 Pesos. If you arrive in Terminal 3 we recommend to look for the metered taxis (Yellow color) at the far end of the arrival building, they are much cheaper than the fixed price taxis right at the exit.
Hotels in Manila:
Since there are not many sights of interest for the traveler, people tend to spend as little time as possible in Manila, it might however be necessary to spend a day or two in the city to have a visa extended etc. Following are a choice of hotels we can recommend, they are all in Ermita, where most of the tourists stay, about 30 min from the international airport (during rush hour it can take as long as 4 hours to get there!).
Chill-out Guesthouse Manila, 612 Remedios street (remedios circle), Malate, Manila, Philippines, +63 906 582 9080, chilloutmanila63@gmail.com. www.chillout-manila.com
Malate Pensionne*771 M.Adriatico St, Malate, Manila. Tel.:0063-2-523 83 04 Fax: 0063-2-522 23 89,. Double with shower and fan about 16.- US$. Double with shower and A/C about 22 US$,www.mpensionne.com.ph, they offer also airport pickup.
Cherry Blossoms Hotel, #550 Jorge Bocobo Extension next to Robinsons Ermita Mall, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, Telephone Numbers: (+632) 5247631 to 36, Fax Number: (+632) 5224172, Double with shower and A/C about 35 US$, Email Address: cbh@cherryblossomshotel.com.ph,www.cherryblossomshotel.com.ph
La Corona Hotel*** , 1166 Mh Del Pilar Cor., Arquiza Street, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, Phone: (632)524-2631 Fax: (632) 525-8268, Double with AC 40 US$
Another very good option (specially if you plan to stay in Manila for a few days) is to find accomodation on www.airbnb.com, they offer rooms and apartments for every budget and taste.
Restaurants:
Shawarma: 484 R. Salas Street, Ermita, Manila City, Metro Manila, another bargain is this middle eastern restaurant owned by a Lebanese. They offer a wide variety of Arab specialties at a very low price, in fact it is hard to spend more than 5 US$ a person, delicious
Korean Palace: Adriatico Street, Remedios Circle, Malate, Manila just around the corner from Malate Pension is the Korean Palace, famous for its Bulgogi (Korean barbecue), it comes with all kind of appetizers and is fun to go if you are in group.
Tanabe, 553 Remedios Street, Malate, Manila, Japanese restaurant, Remedios circle, Ermita, Manila, the authors long time favorite when in Manila. We recommend the set menues for around 650.- PHP (18.- USD), www.facebook.com/tanaberestaurant
Bistro Remedios: 1911 M. Adriatico Street, Remedios Circle, Malate, Manila, authentic philipino food at a high level and affordable prices, definitely worth a visit if you like to taste som local spcialities like pork adobo, bamboo rice or bulalo, ljcrestaurants.com.ph/bistro-remedios
Tim Ho Wan, Ground Floor, Robinson’s Place Manila, Ermita, Manila, delicous dim sum’s that easily compete with dimsums you would get in Hong Kong, absolutely recommended, www.zomato.com/manila/tim-ho-wan-ermita-manila
Robinsons Mall, Pedro Gil cor. Adriatico Streets, Ermita, Manila, huge mall with countless restaurants for every taste, quality of food varies greatly
Sofitel Hotel: Offers a huge lunch buffet at a very high level, Price is around 50$ but it is well worth the money, http://spiralmanila.com
Nightlife:
Nakpil Street: this little road not far from Remedios has become one of the party alleys of the young generation, the place is packed on weekends, beers are cheap, the music mostly techno or reggae.
LA Cafe: 1429 M. H. Del Pilar St, Manila City, Manila, Metro Manila, one of the last survivors of old red-light district Ermita, after 10 pm the place becomes alive with live bands, working girls, story tellers, pick pocketers, tourists, fossils, gamblers and drunkards. Loud music, cheap beer, not everybody’s taste but worth a visit if you are new in town.
G-Point: 510 Padre Faura St, Ermita, Manila, Metro Manila, Favourite hangout for Expats and longtime visitors of the Philippine. The beer is cheaper than in LA Cafe and the pace of action is somewhat slower. We do recommend the buffet between 11am an 2pm or Kinilaw (raw spanish makerel marinated in lemonjuice and coconutmilk, delicious), www.gpointbar.com
Erra’s: Adriatico cor J Nakpil Sts, Malate, Manila, apart from excellent Ramen this is an open air beerplace with interesting characters that hang out until the wee hours of the morning.
Wellness:
The Ritz Spa (no 15)1614 M. Adriatico Street, Malate, Ermita, excellent massages (shiatsu, nothing kinky here). Ideal if you arrive from overseas and have a few hours in Manila before going to Pandan Island.
A few words about safety: The Philipinos are a very friendly and helpful people, however, as in all tourist places, Manila got its share of crooks and con-artists. Avoid changing money in the streets and be cautious with strangers inviting you for a drink, to a party or to their house. If you have more money than you need with you, don’t show it. With a little bit of common sense, unpleasant experiences can easily be avoided.
In the twenty five years we have been in the Philippines, we never had any problems!