What to do overnight in Manila

[melissabeads]

We will be landing in Manila at 1:30pm and fly out the next day to Cebu at 11:00 am.

We are trying to decide what to do and where to stay. Any ideas would be very helpful. We were thinking about spending the afternoon/evening checking out the intramurous.

 

[FT]

Intramuros is a good choice: beautiful churches, scenic fort, a couple of good handicraft stores. You won't have much daylight to explore it by, though. Decent hotels nearby.

 

[Hintermann]

Check out if there is a good evening/night tour of the city. Might be worth it.

 

[Maverick17]

My answer for Manila usually depends on how traveled you and your group are. Manila can be a bit overwhelming to some if they haven't been abroad much. Intramuros is the best for a quick look at history and culture. But I haven't been inside the walls after dark, as mentioned above. The Mall of Asia and the Manila Bay area like Roxas Blvd. are pleasant for a nice walk to stretch out after long flights. Some of the newer better hotels are in these areas, or in Makati. If you want a bit more modern, or haven't been to SE Asia before and want the easy option, Makati or the Fort area have nice restaurants and are pretty clean and easy to navigate, also with some shopping options. In the Fort is the American Cemetery, which is fantastic IMO. I have been many times to there. But if you're not into the conflict history maybe not for you. (Although doesn't work for OP, if others browsing later have a full day, the tour to Corregidor is great also.)

And give yourself plenty of time getting to the airport the next morning. MNL can have some nasty traffic. Make sure the doorman at the hotel or whoever tells the cab driver where to go knows which terminal you're going to, as that adds a lot of time too going one terminal to the other.

 

[Searcaigh]

I usually head over to the Glorietta Mall where you will find the Hard Rock Cafe which generally has a pretty good live band (different every night), plus reasonable food and beer

 

[melissabeads]

My husband and would love the American Cemetery. Thanks for the info!

 

[Damselfish]

I saw this thread and thought I'd chime in here instead of starting another one - I'm also interested in Manila ideas. We're getting into Manila late on a Friday and our domestic flight on Cebu Pacific leaves around 4pm Saturday. (This could always devolve into being lazy and adjusting to the time zone while hanging out at the hotel for as long as possible.)

Our trickier question is departure. We will be getting back into Manila around 11:30am on a Saturday, and our international departure (United, as best I can tell Terminal 1) isn't until 10:30pm. United info says they are are only open for checkin a few hours before flights. Since we'll miss the morning time that means checkin no earlier than 7:30pm. So besides what to do all day - what best to do with checked luggage all day?

 

[saila]

Hi Damselfish, there's a free package counter in Mall of Asia (which is nearby the airport). I live in Dumaguete but travel quite a lot and that's where I usually take my luggage for the day if I have several hours between my domestic and international flights. Most taxi drivers knows where the package drop is.

Girl tip :girl:: There's also lovely little manicure/pedicure place called Dashing Diva in the back of makeup store Beauty Bar in the 2nd floor of the mall. I know you gentlemen couldn't care less but your wife/gf might appreciate a quick leg massage and pedicure on travelling day, especially when the price is quite low (around 600 pesos for combined manicure & pedicure).

 

[FT]

If you like the idea of wandering the American Cemetery (and it is beautiful), then definitely book a hotel in Fort Bonifacio. Wide sidewalks, pedestrian zones, well-lit, stuffed with restaurants, and a short taxi ride back to the airport.

 

[jjwebster]

There is also a free left package/luggage in Makati at the mall opposite greenbelt (I can't remember the name but the security guards can direct you there).

Greenbelt is a bit nicer to kill a few hours but essentially you will be walking around a mall, eating and drinking. They also have good shisha if that's your thing.