One thing you need to realise if you are about to travel around the Philippines, is that it includes a hell of a lotto internal flights. Manila became our hub and was great to rest up for a few days before heading off to another island.
Manila doesn’t come across as the safest place in the Philippines. Just like any main city, there is a lot more crime here so you can forget what you have heard. As long as you are not an idiot, you will be fine!
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Getting out of the airport ✈️
Please buy a sim card at the airport, it will become your life line shorty 📱 Having a local SIM card is extremely handy as you can load your phone with 90 peso worth of credit (£1.30) and get 2gb of data a week. This will help you with getting around and booking accommodation.
You are a pale newbie to the Philippines and the taxi drivers at the airport know it. For that reason, this is where people get ripped off the most. The locals also know you are unfamiliar with the currency and how much things should cost. Have no fear, we know where the cheap taxis
Walk out of the arrivals, turn right, cross the road to the taxi rank 🚕 The taxi’s are white and on a meter and there is a marshal who will help you. We were quoted 3000 peso for a 5 minute journey right outside the airport doors. A metered taxi cost us 300 peso.
Failing that, download Grab – the Asian equivalent to Uber 🚕
Accommodation 🏠
Makati is the main area which is good for tourists to stay and eat out.
Lub D Hostel
Huge rooms, great beds and clean rooms. Showers are very clean with straighteners and hair dryers for ladies. Wifi is great and they have a Netflix chill room if you just want to chill. We equally have been here to just chill every time we are in Manila if we have time to kill before a flight.
Z Hostel
Every single person we have met in the Philippines has stayed here so it must be good!
Knightsbridge Residence
Why not rent an apartment in a fancy residential building ? At £22 a night for two of us you can’t go wrong. It also has a pool, gym, sauna and steam room for you to use.
Night Life 🍹
The Penthouse
The Penthouse Bar, In Manila
1920’S themed bar over looking the whole of Manila.
Location📍 : 8747 Paseo de Roxas, Makati, Luzon 1223, Philippines
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SECRET BARS IN MANILA 🤐
The Bunk
This is a secret bar hidden in a storage of a 7/11 store . First of all, you have to find the secret door the with bouncer. He will look you up and down and decided whether you’re let in or not! Dress code is pretty strict, for that reason no open toes or flip-flops.
Location📍: Ground Floor, RCBC Savings Bank Corporate Center, 26th and 25th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
ABV
ABV stands for Alcohol by Volume and is an underground bar inspired by the infamous speakeasy of America’s 1920’s. The venue is located behind a large wooden door inside the hole-in-the-wall fast food restaurant Lazy Bastard, and the entrance looks like an antique elevator shaft. You’ll only get in if you know the password (we won’t tell you, of course), but once you’re inside, a warm and cozy set up with moody interiors awaits you. With classic and signature craft cocktails and music from the 1920’s – this place brings you back to the golden era of Prohibition. ABV got voted #14 of Asia’s 50 Best Bars.
Location📍: Basement Floor, 22 Jupiter Corner Galaxy Street, Bel-Air, Makati City.
Check out our Siquijor Travel Guide here
The Curator
Hidden in the backdoor of Cyrano Wine Bar in Legazpi Village, The Curator serves delicious handcrafted coffee during the day and high quality cocktails during the night. The interior design is kept quite minimalistic–concrete walls with warm lights, artworks, wooden furniture and a few plants, as The Curator focuses on the quality of drinks rather than a pompous design. Definitely a great place to visit, and the service is excellent as well! The Curator got voted #16 of Asia’s 50 Best Bars. 
Location📍: 134 Legazpi St. corner C. Palanca St., Makati, 1229
Ocean’s Telephone Company
This place can only be entered by an old British phone booth, which is located on the upper floor of the American-Italian restaurant Frank & Dean in the Forbes Town Center area of BGC. Once you’re inside, you’ll find a cozy and dimly lit set up, with leather seats and red lights. Imported beers, wine and spirits, and a small selection of food including Frank & Dean’s Pizza.
Location📍 : Inside Frank & Dean, Forbestown Rd. cor 26th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Exit Bar
This bar lies behind an exit door of the Plaza Cafe in the Corinthian Plaza building. Cozy set up with quilted leather couches, dark interiors and dim lights, Exit Bar creates a perfect mysterious and speakeasy atmosphere. The menu offers a wide selection of imported beers and whiskies, and a few selected signature cocktails.
Location📍 : Corinthian Plaza, 121 Paseo De Roxas, Legaspi Village, Makati.
Blind Pig
One of the very first speakeasy bars in Manila, Blind Pig opened its doors for the first time in 2011 and has kept its secret vibe ever since. Once you’ll spot the small braille sign that marks the entrance of Blind Pig, you’ll have to knock on the door for a sliding peephole to open up. As a result a staff member will allow you to enter (or not). The place bursts with a romantic, dark and intimate ambiance–luxurious interiors, dark wood furniture, a dimly lit chandelier and scores of fantastic cocktails. If you are not sure what to drink, just share your current mood with one of the bartenders and he will prepare the perfect drink for you! FYI, flash photos and loud conversations are not allowed in this place!
Location 📍 : 227 Salcedo St., Legazpi Village, Makati
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