Arrival
Ninoy Aquino International Airport , also known by the acronym NAIA, is in Paranaque, on the southern fringes of the city. In the arrivals hall there's a small 24-hour Department of Tourism (DoT) reception desk, where you can get maps. There are two small banks in the arrivals hall, but their opening hours are a bit erratic, so it's best to make sure you have enough pesos or US dollars to get to your hotel. Getting from the airport to the city can be a headache. The Manila Bay area is only 7km away, but there are no airport shuttle buses. The best thing is to take an official airport taxi ; they charge around P350 to the main tourist areas. You pay in advance at a small booth (in the arrivals hall), then present your receipt to the driver. Taking a non-official taxi from the airport is a risk, with many tourists being conned into paying much more than the metered rate. You should never get into a taxi that is unmarked or has other people in it.
intramuros...fort santiago & san agustinandrea nicu says "a must appreciate place. just ride a quiapo pier jeep and tell the driver youre heading to fort santiago. an entrance fee of 40 pesos,less than a dollar, you can stroll the historical place. outside fort santiago, you can ride a pedicab (bicycle with side car) up to san agustin church for 40 pesos also. an entarnce fee of 75 pesos ($1.50) is needed to see the old church. its creepy inside. maybe because its so old, i can feel how strange it is. but its nice to be in history. go and see it, especially with your loved ones." manila tigersmastijack says "manila is a place for wonderful night life with music, drinks, food etc..." where to eatsupremebea says "Manila has been influenced by Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and American Culture. You can see it clearly in our food. We can never be accused of bland taste :)
Some suggestions for casual dining places:
Teriyaki Grill - They serve japanese food with filipino taste. I always always order their chizu maki (chicken roll with cheese $3), tofu steak (with wonderful sauce $3) and california maki ($2).
Chef D'Angelo - Pasta, Pizza and Chicken. Best seller is their White Pizza (seafood with lots of cheese $3) pasta paella (a different take on pasta $3) and spicy chicken (kind of like buffalo wings 3 pcs for $4). Their German chocolate cheesecake is also my favorite (and I don't even like cheesecake).
Figaro Coffee Shop - Competitor of Starbucks. I love their little "Oscar" (sansrival $1.5), Bread pudding with warm vanilla sauce ($1) and their Chorizo pasta (pasta with sausage $3). However, their hot chocolate was very disappointing since I caught a server using the regular SwissMiss.
Dencio's - If you want Filipino food, this is the place to be. Try the sizzling bangus belly (milkfish $3), nilaga (boiled beef with vegtables $4) and gambas (shrimp with sauce $3). The bottomless ice tea is the cheapest I had ($1).
UCC Vienna Coffee - It's a Vienna themed coffee restaurant home based in Japan but located in the Philippines! This cafe is pretty expensive. But their salads are pretty good ($4) with wonderful wonderful Asian dressing and my absolute favorite Samba Cake ($3). A brownie like cake with molten chocolate inside so that when you cut into it, the liquid chocolate comes puring out. Can't beat that.
Ref Crab - Value for money, this is the place. Their buffet cost around $10 and it's all you can eat crab. Not only steamed but with different sauces. Other seafood as well. My favorite is the thermidor prawns.
All of the restaurants above are usually situated inside the malls. So, it's pretty safe.
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Your Tip for Manila
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