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Makati City - a part of Metro Manila |
MANILA - The Capital
Our holidays to Boracay usually start and finish in Metro Manila - the vibrant, bustling capital city of the Philippines.
Makati, just one of many cities that make up Metro Manila is a sophisticated collection of tall, modern buildings, offices, and shopping malls that make it the most affluent and modern part of the capital - the seat of power, centre of commerce, entertainment, and the arts.
It is an invigorating blend of some of the country's oldest and richest heritage treasures, and the most modern metropolitan features of the Philippine landscape.
The people of Manila have acquired an urban cosmopolitan air about them, but have managed to retain their warm and friendly smiles that have made Filipino hospitality renowned throughout the world.
Manila actually started as a small tribal settlement along the Pasig River before it became the seat of Spanish colonial rule in Asia during the 16th century.
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Hard Rock Café, Makati City, Manila |
For more than 300 years, the city served as the centre of Spanish military might in the region, and an important port in the trans-Pacific galleon trade.
A Modern City
When the Philippines was ceded to the United States in the late 19th century, Manila began its transformation into a cosmopolitan city, patterned after the styles of American post-colonial designs.
Today, surrounded by ultramodern skyscrapers, one can still catch glimpses of this Spanish-American past.
Manila has thrived and survived it all, and is now a bustling megalopolis of seventeen cities and municipalities, with over twelve million inhabitants.
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A Philippines jeepney |
You'll be sure to pick up a bargain from any one of the most modern shopping centres; and do make the most of Manila's lively nightlife. There are countless bars, restaurants and cafés to enjoy.
Eating Out & Nightlife
Dining in Manila is such a delight, and one will be absolutely thrilled by the exciting blend of Philippine, Spanish, Malay, Chinese and American influences.
Five-star hotels and luxuriously appointed restaurants make perfect dinner venues for top quality events.
And if it's partying you're after, then it's partying you get! The nightlife offers everything from dazzling cultural shows to futuristic discotheques, karaoke bars, lively casinos, sensational entertainment lounges, and fashionable cafes. Manila, after all, is the Entertainment Capital of South East Asia!
