Manila Nightlife
Manila Nightlife has everything the tourist or businessman could want..Manila bars , clubs and restaurants range from the small 'back street venues' to the swanky 5* celeb haunts that wouldnt be out of place in London or New York. Here we will give you a brief insight to what to expect. The Manila nightlife scene is no different from Subic Bay nightlife and Angeles City nightlife in that it changes at a vast rate with establishments seeming to open and close almost everyday. A more diverse choice of venues you wont find anywhere and you might just find that the cost of a good night out in Manila is equal to only a couple of hours drinking in a lot of cities around the world.
BARS & CLUBS -
Although Manila bars, clubs and restaurants can be found anywhere in Manila, the main areas where this type of Manila nightlife is found is in the following :-
Edsa Entertainment Complex . Situated in the Pasay City district of Metro Manila , there are something in the region of 8 bars here to choose from although Firehouse Bar, The Pit Stop Bar and The Cotton Club seem to most people choice as the best to visit. Being under one roof makes life simple for 'Bar Hopping'.
The bars are of the 'girlie' type in that they have many girls in bikinis on stage whom you can invite for a drink if you so wish. The girls may even go out bar hopping with you if you like them enough but you have to 'compensate ' the bar for the missing girl by paying a bar fine. This can be around the 3000 pesos , this amount varies at different establishments . Make sure you are clear as to the cost of drinks and bar fines before you agree to anything , also what you expect from the girl involved. Speak to the Mamasan or Papasan ( sort of bar Managers).
Some bars will pressure you to buy dinks for the girls , some bother you more than others. Remember , just say no if you dont want to spend on expensive drinks for the girls. These rules can you used for ANY bar or club of this type in the Philippines.
Roxas Boulavard.
This is the main highway that runs along the bay of Manila and is a very busy thoroughfare. With hotels , Offices and Bars on one side and the bay, harbour, Asia Mall on the other. This area used to have many restaurants with live music known as the'Baywalk' and was very popular with Tourists and Filapinos alike , and I for one would love to see them return.
There are many bars along this highway but they can be spaced out a little too much for walking from one to another. You might need to get taxis for bar hopping and to be safer.
P . Bougos Street - Makati.
A lot easier to navigate between bars as its in a small area with restaurants bars, clubs and hotels mingling together. Jools nightclub with a proffessional dance troupe is a popular venue here.
Mabini Street Area- Ermita
The standard of bars and clubs vary in price and what they offer in the way of entertainment. Ermitta tends to be the cheaper end of the market with some in Roxas Boulavard being the more expensive. The bars tend to be of the smaller variety here but the prices generally tend to reflect the fact that its a cheaper end of Manila.
The Southern Cross Hotel on Del Pilar Street is a good starting point for a drink and useful to stay if you want a friendly, no frills hotel with decent food and plenty of expats on hand to advise on the best places to go. The Red Garter and its Sister bar next door on Mabini Street are also good places to start your bar experiances in Manila. Only on the small side but you will be made very welcome and most nights they have a keyborad player/singer on hand to enteratin you until the early hours. ( around 3am)
There are many sites on the internet that give detailed info about what the various bars offer , prices etc , so we wont go into that unless we find there is a need later. there will be some links to sites that you might find interesting if you want to know more about individual bars and clubs , and as our site matures we expect bars and clubs to advertise with us in the advertisers section on the right hand side of the page. This will give you addresses, contact numbers and website addresses if available.
CINEMA
These can be found in the various shopping Malls such as Robinsons , & Mall of Asia. They are the multi -screen variety so there are always a wide variety of movies to see. Most will be in English and are the same type of movies that you would find in the UK or USA. They usually do have a few Pinoy movies for the locals but usually only a few. The standard of the cinemas are very high , being very clean and spacious with nice seating and sound systems , as good if not better than the ones you can find back in the UK.
DINING OUT
Eating is one of the top 3 pastimes that the Filippino enjoys to do . The choice of restaraunts , type of cuisine , standard of establishment and price is as diverse as anywhere in the world. The Philippines is known for its fish dishes , but pork , and chicken are also favourites here. You can find food cooked in the style of any country in the world if you know where to look. Manila is probally the best place to get the biggest choice because its the Capital. , but for the same reason , you will pay more than in the provinces.
Chinese food has a big influence in the food of the Philippines , but while you are here you must try as many Filippino dishes as you can. Sinigan ( a clear type soup) Sweet and Sour Fish , and Calderata are my personal favourites. Crab , Shrimp , and the many sweets that are on offer are also worth a try. Halo Halo ( a mixture of fruits, cream and ice) is a favourite with the locals throughout the Philippines and is even sold in small containers from local streetside food outlets
The fruit in the Philippines is the best i have tasted and is as plentyful in choice as you would expect in an Asian country with Mangoes , Pineapple and Banana being popular. try a Green Mango Shake its beautiful and very refreshing on a hot day.
As well as the quality foods , fast foods are available everywhere in the Philippines such as Mcdonalds and the Philippine equivelent which is called JolliBee Here you will find the usual burgers and french fries but some Filippino style favourites are available and of course rice .
Street Traders selling everything from Barbecue Lizard to fresh fruit and fish are everywhere. Some of these are really nice but just be aware that the standards of hygene at these places are sometimes non existant so be prepared for a bad stomach if you are not used to this type of food. But its very cheap , if you are on a budget and worth a try even if only once.
THEATRE / CULTURAL SHOWS
Theatres and Cultural Shows are available. The Intramuras Centre on Bonifacio Drive just past Rizal Park, has great shows from time to time , as does the Cultural Arts centre of the Phillipines and the Folk Arts Centre which are both found near the Harbour
LIVE MUSIC
The Philippine people are the amongst the most musical people in the world. Everyone likes to sing , play an instrument or dance. This is reflected by the choice of live music thats available throughout the Philippines and in Manila in particular. Ranging from traditional music right through to todays popular and dance music.
The Filippinas love western music and artists as well as producing their own very talented artists. So you wont find any problem finding a hotel , bar or cafe that have live bands or artists performing usually free of charge to customers.
There also regular concerts by foriegn and local famous artists and bands .Watch out in the local press and ask at your hotel for details on whats happening while your there.
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