The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Writer Isobel Diamond describes the city as a “medieval Spanish walled town at its heart; it is chaotic and seedy in parts—with strip joints and dwarf-wrestling clubs—but steeped in old-world glamour.”
Leading United States travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler has again featured Metro Manila on its website, describing the Philippine capital as a “bustling city” where options for places to eat, drink, and stay are plentiful.
In her article “Manila on the Rise” (www.cntraveller.com/recommended/cities/manila-insider-guide), published this month, Isobel Diamond writes that, despite its being “battered by typhoons and bombings,” Manila is also “an Asian megacity.”
She describes the city as a “medieval Spanish walled town at its heart; it is chaotic and seedy in parts—with strip joints and dwarf-wrestling clubs—but steeped in old-world glamour.”
She begins by elaborating a little about the city’s culture, particularly its “thriving” art scene, which can be captured in the new Fringe Manila festival, which will run from February 12 to March 1.
Also mentioned is how a restored colonial townhouse, 1335 Mabini, became “the newest art space,” hosting exhibitions by emerging local and international contemporary artists.
Diamond also highlights Manila’s bar scene, noting how the backstreets of Makati City “conceal a handful of speakeasy-style bars.”
She enumerates some must-try bars, such as Finders Keepers, The Curator (coffee shop by day, cocktail den by night) and Red Rabbit.
As for notable restaurants, she praises Purple Yam, which, she writes, “puts a modern twist on Filipino classics, such as lechon kawali (deep-fried pork belly served with pickled papaya).”
The writer also mentions two just-opened hotels—The Luneta Hotel and The Amélie—as among the perfect places to spend the night in.
Diamond recommends tourists to “explore the old walled city of Intramuros at wind-in-your-hair speed on a Bambike Ecotour.”
She ends her article by naming some popular shopping destinations, namely the Cubao Expo (a hot place for home-grown designers), Coast Thru Life (has everything an urbanite needs), The Four Strings (musicians’ hangout) and Heima (sells international brands), as shops to drop by before leaving the country. PNA