Makati City travel guide and advice

“Wall Street Of The Philippines”

Philippine’s largest financial center is located in Makati City called Ayala Center or Ayala CBD. Most Filipino headquarters are located here. It is also the home of Philippine Stock Exchange.

Ayala Center is one of the country’s modern city. Modern skyscrapers were rising in less than a decade, making it the Philippines’ premier city. Some of the tallest buildings and largest shopping malls can be found here.

Things to do

Even though Makati is dubbed as the most expensive city in the Philippines, people can still go around without costing you too much money. You may try walking around Ayala Triangle Gardens, it’s Manila’s version of New York Central Park. There are plenty of coffee shops and restaurants  to choose from.

Nearby is The Ayala Museum, it’s a 5-minute walk from Ayala Triangle Gardens. You may be asking how to get there, you may take the underground tunnel to get to the other side. Just take note to take the tunnel right in front of Shangri La Hotel.

Ayala Museum is located in a high-end Greenbelt Shopping Mall. You can visit the Greenbelt Park located in the middle of the complex. There you may feed some wild birds and feed Japanese Koi fish.

Night Life

Metro Manila is 24 hours 7 days a week alive due to businesses serving North America, Europe and Australia.

Night clubs and bars are located along Makati Avenue. If you’d like to see the whole Makati, you can visit 71 Gramercy. It’s a night club located on top of the tallest residential building in the country. Just get some beer and you’re good to go.

There are also Karaoke clubs in nearby Jupiter Street.

Rockwell Center

It’s a 5 to 10-minute walking distance from 71 Gramercy. It’s another city within the city and is home to multinational companies. Don’t forget to walk around and shop at Rockwell center and try some sweet Churro.

Getting there

From Ninoy Aquino International Airport

The average cost for UBER service from each terminal will be around ₱ 90 – ₱ 120 only. This is the cheapest, fastest and safest option. You can also choose taxi but most of the time, you’ll need to queue just to get an airport or regular one.

You can also take an Airport Bus Service (UBE Express) which will drop you at Glorietta Shopping Mall and Ascott Hotel in Makati. There is a flat rate of ₱ 300 which is way too expensive than taking UBER or regular taxi.

Currently, there are no trains that connect NAIA to any point of the metro. Nevertheless, your trip will be only 15 to 20 minutes via Skyway. You can always ask your driver to take the fastest route but I wouldn’t mind paying ₱ 20 for the Skyway toll.

Book advance so you’ll good to go when you exit the airport terminal. Isn’t it better if somebody is waiting outside to pick you up?

Accommodation

There are many options around ranging from USD 25 to USD 100 for a 4-star hotel or apartment in Makati. If you’d like to experience how to be local and sleep overnight for free, you may try Couchsurfing. It’s an app that allows you to find a host in every city.

Airbnb is big in the Philippines. Sometimes, using this app will end up staying in a luxury home with a great location while paying less, thus you can save big with Airbnb.