Parks & Days Out
Green space, weekend markets, good shops and somewhere to be still. The quieter half of the city, for a morning off or a slow Sunday.
Makati
Via old.spot.ph
Aphro
Functional art and ceramics from Filipino makers
- Get in
- ₱₱
Via Elmer B. Domingo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Ayala Triangle Gardens
Real shade and quiet inside the central business district, a rare thing in Makati
- Get in
- Free
Photo: Everyday, via Lifestyle Asia
Everyday: Archivo 1984 + Hindy Weber
Archivo 1984's books on Filipino film and design
- Get in
- ₱₱₱
Via everythingsfine.cococart.co
Everything's Fine
Sharply curated titles you will not find in chain bookstores
- Get in
- ₱
Via mb.com.ph
Open Mat Makati
Yoga and jiu-jitsu under one considered, design-led roof
- Get in
- ₱₱
Photo: Retail Lab x Flair / Google
Retail Lab
Sixty-plus local brands in one curated space
- Get in
- ₱₱
Via Salcedo Market via Philippine Primer (primer.com.ph)
Salcedo Saturday Market
Strong food line-up, from Filipino home cooking to international stalls, all in one park
- Get in
- Free
Via sunspace.ph
Sunspace Makati
Intimate classes, capped small, never a packed room
- Get in
- ₱
Via tatlerasia.com
Univers
Avant-garde fashion you rarely find together in one room locally
- Get in
- ₱₱₱
Via w17home.com
W/17
Antiques and one-off pieces you cannot source anywhere else in the city
- Get in
- ₱₱₱
Booky
Carmen's Best
Made from the family's own farm milk
- Get in
- ₱₱
Willow Stream Spa
Willow Stream Spa
Hotel-grade service and private treatment suites
- Get in
- ₱₱₱₱
BGC
Photo: Cocoon Spa
Cocoon Spa & Sauna
Taiwanese Tui Na with Japanese shiatsu pressure
- Get in
- ₱₱₱
Photo: American Battle Monuments Commission
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
Rows of white crosses against the BGC skyline
- Get in
- Free
Photo: Reformer Revolution PH
Reformer Revolution
Small-group and private sessions, not crowded classes
- Get in
- ₱₱₱
Via Wikimedia Commons / Elmer B. Domingo (CC BY-SA 4.0), The Mind Museum building exterior, BGC, Taguig
The Mind Museum
More than 300 interactive exhibits and a planetarium, properly designed rather than thrown together
- Get in
- ₱₱
Monocle
Fully Booked BGC
The deepest general stock in the country, plus Kinokuniya's imported and Japanese titles
- Get in
- ₱₱
Ortigas
Pasig
Elsewhere in the city
Via en.wikipedia.org
Arroceros Forest Park
The only real urban forest in the city centre, genuinely cool and quiet under the canopy
- Get in
- Free
Via Tatler Asia (photo credit: A Momma Abroad Blog), artbooks.ph bookstore interior, modular shelving
artbooks.ph
The city's dedicated source for Filipino art and culture books
- Get in
- ₱
Photo: Dos Ocampo / Google
Escolta Street and the First United Building
Some of the best-preserved pre-war and art deco architecture in the country
- Get in
- Free
Via quezoncity.gov.ph
La Mesa Eco Park
Genuine green space and birdwatching minutes from the city
- Get in
- ₱
Via pintoart.org
Pinto Art Museum
Strong Philippine contemporary art set inside beautiful, walkable gardens
- Get in
- ₱
Via Wikimedia Commons / Foxyreign (CC BY 3.0), Oceanarium acrylic tunnel, Manila Ocean Park
Manila Ocean Park
Walkthrough oceanarium tunnel that holds the attention of even small children
- Get in
- ₱