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.
27 places
BGC
Cocoon Spa & Sauna
Taiwanese Tui Na with Japanese shiatsu pressure
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
Rows of white crosses against the BGC skyline
Reformer Revolution
Small-group and private sessions, not crowded classes
The Mind Museum
More than 300 interactive exhibits and a planetarium, properly designed rather than thrown together
Fully Booked BGC
The deepest general stock in the country, plus Kinokuniya's imported and Japanese titles
Makati
Aphro
Functional art and ceramics from Filipino makers
Ayala Triangle Gardens
Real shade and quiet inside the central business district, a rare thing in Makati
Everyday: Archivo 1984 + Hindy Weber
Archivo 1984's books on Filipino film and design
Univers
Avant-garde fashion you rarely find together in one room locally
W/17
Antiques and one-off pieces you cannot source anywhere else in the city
Willow Stream Spa
Hotel-grade service and private treatment suites
Rockwell
Poblacion
Salcedo
Everything's Fine
Sharply curated titles you will not find in chain bookstores
Open Mat Makati
Yoga and jiu-jitsu under one considered, design-led roof
Salcedo Saturday Market
Strong food line-up, from Filipino home cooking to international stalls, all in one park
Sunspace Makati
Intimate classes, capped small, never a packed room
Legazpi
Ortigas
Pasig
Elsewhere in the city
Arroceros Forest Park
The only real urban forest in the city centre, genuinely cool and quiet under the canopy
artbooks.ph
The city's dedicated source for Filipino art and culture books
Escolta Street and the First United Building
Some of the best-preserved pre-war and art deco architecture in the country
La Mesa Eco Park
Genuine green space and birdwatching minutes from the city
Pasig River Esplanade
One of the few places in old Manila built for an unhurried, traffic-free walk
Pinto Art Museum
Strong Philippine contemporary art set inside beautiful, walkable gardens
Manila Ocean Park
Walkthrough oceanarium tunnel that holds the attention of even small children