To foreign visitors to the Philippines for whom being without the amenities of their Western country of origin won't do, I recommend staying in Makati City.
A mere 30-minute drive from the international airport, this premier business district maintains higher standards of cleanliness, order, and service than do much of the rest of Metropolitan Manila, that agglomeration of 12 cities and 5 municipalities often referred to simply as "Manila."
Makati has been dubbed the financial capital of the country. At its heart is the Ayala Center, basically comprised by a pair of shopping zones - the Glorietta and Greenbelt - developed in phases amidst patches of green on approximately 50 hectares of real property. This hub is surrounded by tall office buildings, hotels and condominiums. I'd describe the atmosphere here as posh, and business-like, but leisurely all at once.
Boulevards within the district leading to and from this central point are lined by skyscrapers. Notable among these roads are Ayala, Paseo de Roxas and Makati Avenues. Palm trees in the middle island make the Ayala stretch particularly picturesque.
The malls all have central air-conditioning, a must in the humid climes this side of the tropics. Yet you can hardly be enclosed in this network of edifices: the structures are interconnected by elevated walkways and pathways along landscaped spaces, and al fresco cafes and eateries. And a stroll across the Greenbelt park can be a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of daily living. Right in the middle is a semi-open, circular chapel sitting on a pond.
The well-heeled, tourists, and your ordinary man-on-the-street congregate at Ayala Center to shop or to enjoy themselves. On weeknights, it's not unusual to see office workers trooping in droves to this complex before heading for home.
Everything you need to manage is here-in style if you wish. Rows of retail stores sell clothes and accessories, furnishings, electronic gadgets and various other specialties. The Rustan's, SM and Landmark department stores all have supermarkets in their ground or basement floors.
Restaurants, both of the fast food and gourmet varieties, as well as kiosks offering a quick bite or two, are not hard to find. Other commercial establishments include two swanky cinema complexes, a Gold's Gym, "spas" offering relaxing massage, and a karaoke parlor. And, yes, there are bars and watering holes that come to life at night.
Seven 5-star hotels dot the vicinity. For first-class accommodations, you can check in at one of these:
1) Dusit Hotel Nikko,
2) Makati Shangri-la,
3) Intercontinental Hotel,
4) Mandarin Oriental Manila,
5) Peninsula Manila,
6) New World Renaissance Hotel, and
7) The Ascott Makati (formerly called Oakwood) right atop the Glorietta shopping complex. Otherwise you may opt to lodge at any number of condominiums or apartment hotels around the area.
Most of the foreign embassies and consulates in the Philippines are headquartered here in Makati, not in the capital city of Manila. The U.S. embassy, though, is in Manila proper.
It might be worth mentioning for certain business travelers, that the Philippine Stock Exchange is a stone's throw from Ayala Center. Also within the district are numerous business process outsourcing (BPO) agencies, otherwise known as call centers. As for your health consultation and treatment needs, there is the 600-bed Makati Medical Center, which itself is surrounded by a number of medical offices.
One drawback to a stay in Makati is traffic that may snarl during the morning and early evening rush hours--despite strict enforcement of designated loading and unloading stops for public utility vehicles along Ayala Avenue. This inconvenience is a small price to pay, considering the other things going for the district, and considering that bottlenecks are an inescapable fact of life anyway in nearly all but the least busy parts of Metro Manila.
A more serious negative is Makati's record of being the site of two coups d'état attempts-or what seemed like ones-by a disgruntled faction of the Philippine military.
They occurred in July 27, 2003, when 321 mutinous soldiers holed themselves up at the Ascott Makati hotel-then called Oakwood-and in November 29, 2007, when 26 officers from the very same group seized control of the second floor of the Manila Peninsula. Fortunately, both rebellions were contained within 24 hours without anyone getting hurt.
Makati the city is certainly not without its social ills. While several of the Philippines' most exclusive residential subdivisions are found here, some sections remain blighted, and are settled by "squatters" living in squalid conditions.
Nevertheless, Makati has more than enough plusses to recommend itself to the foreign traveler.
One big bonus: the city is a take-off point to great vacation spots. The South Luzon Expressway, or SLEX, virtually begins here. This toll road connects to the nearby provinces of Laguna, Batangas and Cavite where are to be found hot springs, beaches, as well as the elevated and temperate resort city of Tagaytay, which overlooks the Taal Volcano and Lake. These sites are anywhere from 40-minute to four-hour rides away.
Finally, Makati's proximity to the airport makes it relatively easy to travel via local flights to any of the other tourist destinations of the Philippines, like the Island of Boracay, renowned for its white-sand beaches and vibrant night life.
Now, doesn't that sound inviting?
Penn Duke writes about Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur Province, and other places in the Philippines.
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