So it's been 17 years since last went to the Philippines, and I didn't know what to expect…read more What a pleasant surprise it was when my parents and I checked in to the Airbnb and we find out that the Venice Grand Canal Mall was just across the street. I spent a lot of time here. As soon as you walk into the mall, it doesn't feel like you're in the Philippines anymore. The canal was nice to see during the day and at night. You can even take a gondola through the canal. They also have an area where you can feed pigeons seeds. They have a lot of the stores and the restaurants that we have in the US. I was joking around saying that I traveled 7200 miles to eat at a Denny's in the Philippines. Lol. And you know I had to hit up the Uniqlo here! Will I be back? Of course. Especially if I stay at the same Airbnb. I'll see you when I see you Venice Grand Canal Mall!

The Venice Grand Canal Mall is a large lifestyle center located in Taguig, Philippines…read more The Venice Grand Canal Mall should be viewed within the context of a master planned development. Encircling this mall are apartments, condos and office towers. The mall offers a lot: a supermarket; bookstores; fast food and casual dining restaurants; a multi-screen movie theater; spaces for dance and play--and a lot of retail shopping. You can also buy tickets for a gondola ride or rent a swan boat. This location provided an opportunity for me to people watch; examine products and brands unfamiliar to me; and to price compare goods in the PHL, versus back home. It was interesting.

This mall has an outdoor and indoor portions the indoor food stall has a ton of local snacks…read more Totally worth trying if you are in the area

Market Market!It's been around for quite a while, even before BGC was developed. I visited the…read morePhilippines many times when I was younger, and back then, there wasn't much around. Seeing Market Market now shows how the Philippines has become more modern. It's a lively place where families can gather for special occasions, with various stands offering good prices, though I remember thinking the prices were quite reasonable. Interestingly, when you travel to the provinces or countryside, souvenirs and treats can be cheaper than here. Market Market has a nostalgic vibe, blending modern shopping with Filipino charm. Cheers to an OG spot with good food, great vibes, and a place that has stood the test of time!

I can see myself retiring in the Philippines as a snowbird. I know people who already do it so I'll…read moreprobably follow in their footsteps. Seattle is too expensive. BGC is affordable as long as you know how to manage finances and budget well. Bonifacio High Street has pretty much everything I would need for daily conveniences and comforts. St. Luke's is near High Street so that takes care of health services. Before my vacation I downloaded their local ride-hailing app and used it after landing in Ninoy Aquino International Airport. I couldn't believe how affordable rideshare was in the PI. This pedestrian zone has local and international businesses. We started at Market Market and walked our way down. Minimal noise pollution from cars. It's a business district for retail, entertainment, art, and dining. We ate at a buffet. I couldn't believe how affordable that bill was plus having a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees helped. Some businesses honor the senior citizen discount too. It's quite the perk when you have dual citizenship. It's a welcoming, clean, and modern area. Security was present and I didn't see any homeless people. If this was downtown Seattle you'd see homeless people yelling at the sky, see them sprawled out on benches, and see them sleeping on the ground. No unsightly overhead power lines. It's a nice pedestrianized open space with wide walkways. The urban planners thoughtfully designed the walkways as there are ramps for people with disabilities. High Street is beautifully landscaped incorporating public art. I loved listening to the water elements. It was peaceful walking around during the day. Not a lot of tree cover but the ground floor tenants have awnings to block the blaring sun. At night High Street switches to a lively environment. Lots of families, friends, and co-workers socializing and enjoying themselves since everyone is off work and out of school. I carried a portable fan, had sunblock on, used my sunglasses, drank from my water bottle, and wore comfy shoes. Leave room in your luggage for a major shopping haul.

BGC Bonifacio Global City will always be my first choice whenever I visit Manila, and Bonifacio…read moreHigh Street is most defintely a highlight. This reminds me of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, where wide pedestrian walkways/parks are between several retail. service and restaurants, and where people can stop and rest at benches, stairs/tables right at the center. There is literally a chain, or blocks fn these walkway/parks so we can walk through one, cross a street, the enter another. It's very family oriented. We saw several families playing in the park. It's also very pet-oriented where several people were walking (or carrying) their dogs. It's one big social. The choices of dining are endless, and one can take-out fast food, or stop and dine inside a restaurant. For US residents, it's almost like being in the USA because of the amazing number of US-based restaurants. Best of all, as a female senior citizen I felt perfectly safe walking by myself.

Design. This mall…read morehas many good stores like Muji, bench even a grocery on the first floor. For some reason, the escalator placement makes visibility awkward in this mall. The food court on the 4th is good. Seating can be tricky at rush hour. Diversity is great when you want options for dining. Great restaurants outside and din Thai Fung right across the street.

They have a little bit of everything here. Shopping, grocery, restaurants, fast food as well as…read moremovie theatre.

The mall was clean and pleasant to stroll and do some shopping. There are a medium amount of retail…read moreshops. Several cute coffee shops are also located on the upper levels and would be a good place to take a break and enjoy a Cappuccino. There are restaurants not only on the lower level but in the upper levels as well. A movie theater is located at the top level. Security check are located at all entry points. Highly recommend all guests staying at the Hilton Manila to take a walk to see this lovely mall.

Glitzy Shopping Mall in Pasay [MANILA Philippines]…read more Across the NAIA Terminal 3 is the Newport World Resorts and this very nice mall with high-end shops for the high rollers and the jet-setters. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit but the stores do look fancy: Longines, Pandora, LaCoste, Tissot, Bocu, Marks & Spencer. Honestly I wasn't paying much attention to the shops but more of the restaurants like Wolfgang's Steakhouse. There is also a casino and a movie theater inside the mall. I like this mall also because not only is it pleasing to the eyes but it's less crowded. If you have a lot of money to blow by all means shop till you drop, otherwise, I prefer dropping my money at the Mall of Asia (or even Divisoria) LoL Instagram: @newportmall_ Review #3304

Beautiful SM in BGC. Not sure how new it is but lots of trendy stores and food spots for your…read moreenjoyment. Just a little smaller than I'm normally accustomed to for SM malls. They love their mall culture in the Philippines and it reminds me of the early 80's in the US when malls were still packed with visitors and peeps keeping up with joneses. Tried some small Chinese spot that was like a poor man's Din Tai Fung and the food was good. Want to say it was on the 2nd level. Hope to visit again soon when I'm in BGC again.

I've seen better SM malls around the Philippines. Wasn't amazed here. Crowd is obnoxious and place…read morefeels overhyped as the rest of BGC.

Just the place to get some bargain knock offs! Yep, I'm cheap. Everyone's respectful and no one…read morepushes their stuff on to you. Just check them out and get only what you want.

Over the years, Tumblr users have skyrocketed. It's so popular that a lot of kids, teens and hip…read moreyuppies get inspiration from Tumblr blogs. May it be photography, quotes, memes, gifs, art, pop culture, style and most especially fashion. My friend actually introduced my sister and I to Fashion Market. After learning about it, we go there every time were at this mall. Fashion Market is split into 2 sides on the mall - the left and the right. I suggest going through all stores. It can take hours though, haha, but you won't regret it. They have every style and trend you'd typically see on Tumblr, fashion blogs, Youtube beauty channels and fashion week! Inside, you'll also find spas, salons, money changers and ATM's. The prices range from super inexpensive to normal clothing price rates. A lot of stores sell super hip shoes, clothes, hats, shades and even prom dresses and traditional Filipino costumes. Definitely check out these stores I frequent when you're there - (right side) Push Thru, Mastermind Chase and Muradito, (left side) Nava, Berca and Ballow. Happy shopping! :)

Overhyped "instagram" spot. Don't see what's the big deal of this area. I've been to much more…read moredeveloped shopping complexes in other Asian countries and I wasn't really amazed going here with my family. The people are obnoxiously loud just asking for attention, or blocking the walk-way taking an instagram post in a city they don't own a residence in. BGC is overhyped all around. Save your time and money for exploring other townships or malls around Philippines.

At first, I only referred to this mall as "The New Movie Place in Fort", because they finally…read moreopened a place to watch movies in the Fort (apart from SM Aura). When Central Square Mall was open for watching movies, my girlfriend and I decided to go watch a movie on a whim. When we got there, we got surprised that the cost of a ticket is almost double the cost of a standard one elsewhere - only to find out it's because of the 4D experience they offer (and super comfy lazy boy seating). We pretended to wait for our friends to confirm before purchasing tickets, because they were really out of our budget at the time (and we weren't going to waste 4D on a comedy film). I also hear that you can get your food delivered to you while you're inside the movie theater! Central Square has some pretty good restaurants on the top floor, especially Va Bene and Mad Mark's. My personal favorite snack, Jamaican Patties, has a kiosk present, which makes me very happy. There's also a small Family Mart on the top floor, which has a few tables and chairs for patrons to eat before or after watching the movie. The stores available here are pretty standard and also pretty high end. I'd still rather shop around the stores along High Street, mainly because of the price and the availability. Regardless, they have a variety of stores that will cater to your every (luxury) need.

This is a nice place to just sit, walk around, and eat. Walking from the Market! Market! side, you…read morewill find a really nice fountain when you cross to the side of Serendra. You can also just sit beside the fountain and rest, which is what I did a few times I was here. Serendra has a wide range of dining options, like Sentro 1771 and Abe for Filipino food, Balducci for Italian, 8 Cuts Burger Blends and Mamou for the meat lovers, ArAma and Echo Cafe for the health-conscious, and many more. Of course, they also have desserts, though Conti's and Cafe Mary Grace serves meals, too. And the very first Cupcakes by Sonja - and I thought it would be the only branch - is here! What I also like about Serendra are the nice, roomy restrooms. I think I haven't seen a public space - not including hotels - with better restrooms.

Are you in need of a Japanese massage? Or maybe a French pastry? No ... How about stone cold bowl…read moreof ice cream smushed together with delicious candies and chocolates?? Still no? Would you like to relax with some smooth sensual Yoga? Or how about sloppy burgers with a side of beer? Do any of those tickle your fancy? Well you should MOs def visit Serendra piazza! If you know a resident there are indoor basketball courts and swimming pools just a card scan away! Parking literally right under your nose as well as wifi in most of the shops.

As soon as night settles in this place comes alive…read more I only was able to get video of the night life here, but it's a really cool market to find deals on shoes or clothing or just about anything. Half the market is street food vendors-- a variety of things from kwek-kwek, day old chicks, balut, corn on a stick, etc... you get the drill.They also have things like vendors with congee and noodles. There is such a condensed variety of foods here. I found a lot of what was being sold fairly reasonable or cheap, but it was really cool just seeing the market in action. It's not a place just to go sightseeing, however. I can't stress how packed it is and you can easily lose your group if you blink. It should also be noted to keep your bags and valuables close to you, I imagine this would be a good place to pick-pocket. While I don't know of any reports related off the top of my head, I just believe it'd be better safe than sorry since it's a practical sensory overload being in the thick of it. In a nutshell, it's gritty and people aren't overly friendly, but they're there and it's an interesting place to explore. If I was a local, I might not venture here a lot, but every once and awhile it would seem like a good place to find a deal.