Manila The Entertainment Capital of The Philippines is a country of 7,107 vibrant and colourful islands, all pulsating with life and teeming Southeast Asia with flavour. Yet, it is in Manila where you can LAOAG hear its heart beating the loudest! Manila is a Banaue sophisticated capital - the seat of power, centre Manila Getting there Luzon of trade and industry, commerce, education, Major Airport Gateways: entertainment and the arts. It is an invigorating Ninoy Aquino International Airport ( NAIA) PHILIPPINE SEA blend of some of the country’s oldest and richest Airport Code MNL MANILAMMAMANMANIMANIL heritage treasures, and the most modern Air Transport: Aside from being a major international gateway city, metropolitan features of the Philippine landscape. Mindoro Its people have acquired an urban cosmopolitan Manila is also a jump off point for intra-regional air travel. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport services over Boracay air about them, but have managed to retain their Aklan Samar 40 airlines providing daily services to more than 26 cities warm and friendly smiles that have made Filipino Visayas and 19 countries worldwide. Duty-free centres, tourist Palawan Panay Iloilo Cebu hospitality renowned throughout the world. information counters, hotel and travel agency Leyte CEBUCCECEB representatives, banks, postal services, a medical clinic, and Manila started as a small tribal settlement along a baggage deposit area support airport operations. NAIA is Negros Bohol the Pasig River before it became the seat of also a series of domestic airport terminals that act as hubs Spanish colonial rule in Asia during the 16th to various regional and provincial airports in the country. SULU SEA century. For more than 300 years, Manila served Water Transport: DAVAO as the center of Spanish military might in the Manila has always been an important port of call for trade, Basilan region, and an important port in the trans-Pacific but lately has become an increasingly-popular destination galleon trade. When the Philippines was ceded to for cruise ships and leisure vessels. Situated within a tranquil Mindanao harbor, Manila is the chief seaport of the Philippines, the United States by the late 19th century, Manila serving the city’s commercial needs and is also considered CELEBES SEA transformed into a cosmopolitan city, patterned as one of Asia’s major ports. Scheduled trips to other after the styles of American post-colonial designs. Philippine ports leave on a regular basis, which provide areas like Binondo and Intramuros still have those quaint Today, surrounded by ultra-modern skyscrapers, travelers with a different mode for exploring the country. little kalesas or horse-drawn carriages. one can still catch glimpses of this Spanish- There are presently three elevated railway systems that ply American past. Manila has thrived and survived it Hotels and Resorts the entire width and breadth of Metro Manila. Stops are all, a bustling megalopolis of 17 cities and The country is known worldwide for its charming brand of strategically positioned to make traveling very convenient and comfortable. The system is a faster option to visiting municipalities and over 12 million inhabitants. hospitality. Not surprisingly, you can find the best chains of hotels in the metropolis, all providing top-rate services the city’s various sights and attractions. and amenities at reasonable prices. Accommodation facilities may be found in the city’s numerous districts, Eating out and Nightlife from Manila’s famed Roxas Boulevard to the Ayala Fast Facts Dining in Manila is such a delight, and one will be absolutely Commercial District in Makati, and from the Ortigas thrilled by the exciting blend of Philippine, Spanish, Malay, Time Zone: GMT + 8 Centre in Mandaluyong to the nightlife districts of Tomas Chinese and American influences. Filipinos love to eat, Morato in Quezon City. Budget-conscious travelers can Visa: Only required if staying more than 30 days and so restaurants are simply all over the place. The º, also avail of the city’s myriad of inns, apartelles and should appeal to the most discriminating palates. Climate: November to February – cool and pension houses. mostly dry; March to June – warm and mostly dry; Manila is the perfect place to go for daring culinary July to October – warm and mostly wet Manila Musts adventures. Look out for balut, taho, fishballs and dirty ice cream. Try San Miguel Beer with everything you eat, Average Temperature Yea r- round: 24°C – 32°C Transportation within the Metropolis but for the more adventurous, there’s tuba, gin bulag and Attire: Light casual clothes all year round Getting around the city can be quite an adventure, and Tanduay Rhum. Street vendors are everywhere, and you one does not truly experience Manila’s way of life without can even buy peanuts and all sorts of goodies while Money: Philippine Pesos. Check with the local a ride in a kaleidoscopic jeepney. Originally converted from riding in taxis, jeepneys and buses. banks for current exchange rates. All major credit left-over US Army jeeps, the jeepney has become an icon Five-star hotels and luxuriously-appointed restaurants cards accepted Philippines Department of Tourism of Filipino ingenuity and creativity and is the backbone of make perfect dinner venues for top-quality events. 10 -11 Suffolk Street London, SW1Y 4HG the Philippine transportation system. Passengers may get And if it’s partying you’re after, then it’s partying you Water: Bottled water available in resorts, on and off just about anywhere. It is the preferred mode get! The nightlife offers everything from dazzling cultural restaurants and convenience stores Tel: 020 7321 0668 Fax: 020 7925 2920 of public transport for short distances. shows to futuristic discotheques, karaoke bars, lively E-mail: info@ itsmorefuninthephilippines.co.uk Taxicabs and buses also ply the main routes of the city. For casinos, sensational entertainment lounges, and Communications: International and direct dial www. itsmorefuninthephilippines.co.uk phone and fax. Internet cafes are widely available inner city roads, one can always take a tricycle (motorbike fashionable cafes. Manila, after all, is the Entertainment with a side car) or a pedicab (bicycle with a side car). Some Capital of Southeast Asia! Shops Markets and Crafts MAP A - INTRAMUROS Shopping Useful Websites for the Region: E T J N S U ol 1. Market! Market! – Map C E er A G 22 ABCD N E S E All Regions: http://www. visitmyphilippines.com Manila is a shopping dreamland, and the city has the largest concentration of malls and shopping complexes R a E L t Chinatow n U 2. Glorietta – Map C U A R s N i l . N N R I E e 11 A O D E g ON T V in the entire Philippines. Some of them, like Shoe Mart’s (SM) Mall of Asia, are listed as among the world’s 8 G n V R PIN 3. Greenbelt – Map C C A a L r Manila: en. wikipedia.org/ wiki/Manila is v 25 L B to 3 E A N largest. All of them provide quality local and foreign merchandise at very affordable prices. Other than the Z 4. Makati Cinema Square – C4 I O 23 www. manilaguide.com Q O Binondo R 18 Z 19 D . s N a E VALENZUELA B P iñ 4 BAGUIO A A r a U MANILA 5. Power Plant – C4 posh fashion emporiums and endless rows of high-end retail boutiques, there are also the small bazaars, N i R n R sm 23 E o a a 17 Q E F D t en. wikipedia.org/ wiki/Metro_Manila n t e N D 19 d o 12 g A o E c S s d 6. Starmall – D3 trade fairs, shops, sidewalk stalls and markets that sprout all over the metropolis. Shop for South Sea Pearls, S E i r 21 24 J B o www. manila. gov. ph 1 r 24 1 n u 16 e 21 25 7. SM Megamalls A & B – D3 10 h e s 26 fashion accessories, ready-to-wear clothing, shoes and bags, housewares and home decoration items and be t 11 g r d B ri C r A B A i n d c o R 9 1 a z 17 9 g e L 22 8. The Podium – D3 Makati: www. makati. gov. ph e u O pleasantly surprised at the amount of savings made. And forget not to haggle, for haggling is not just M 17 23 Q S 17 10 e lanes Driv CALOOCAN 13 Magal PA 2 23 9. Shangri-La Plaza – D3 acceptable but a protocol when shopping in Manila’s frenzied, frantic flea markets. 4 LA 27 en. wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Makati . 9 7 18 11 e o CITY 12 v ri 14 A e r. at 10. Robinson’s Galleria – D3 J e 10 o B www.world66.com/ asia/ southeast n a 5 ia d 16 r M l E 10 o n a QUEZON S 1 a A e g S R U 11. Greenhills Shopping Centre - showcases . a 15 A l o A t la 9 asia/ philippines/ makati a N Manila Attractions and Landmarks r2 n n z e a CITY o s E 10 b G 16 various stalls selling every kind of 11. Robinson’s Galleria – D3 16. Makati Medical Centre – C4 16. Manila Japanese School – Map C is e 16 V 22 p n a . Concepcion d L A o u merchandise, from exotic South Sea pearls to www. makati.com n 3 C 15 a a 12. Greenhills Commercial Complex – ( Greenhills 17. Asian Hospital – B5 b ia N 17. British School – Map C i MANILA Historical Landmarks and Monuments r ld o 15 D B t R o c 17 O 8 cheap garments, mobile phones and o 2 i D V R a n 6 S V 9 i 14 L Z A Shopping Centre, Theatre Mall, The Promenade, l i r f O 18.