The Zone Badminton Court has one of the best locker rooms among all the badminton courts that I've…read morebeen to within its price range. Nicely laid badminton court mat. However, some courts are damaged and they just patched the damages instead of replacing them. White stuff coming from the ceiling also fall down which I assume are bird feathers. They did not even bother to fix the damaged lights. Most of the staff are either lazy or rude. I have only come across two staff members who are nice so far (mostly women). Half of the time that we go there, they do not automatically turn on the exhaust on each court. We either have to turn it on ourselves or go back to the counter to ask them to turn it on, which, of course, consumes the time that we paid. Rudest of all is the guy receptionist who I think is on his late 20s or 30s. He once switched the light off of our court when we just started playing. When approached, not even one apology was heard from that guy or from any of the staff present. This guy also tends to answer sarcastically. They also have a very inconsistent rescheduling policy. Or so said this guy. We have asked to reschedule more than once before this incident because of an unexpected conflict on our schedule. We thought that that would be better instead of cancelling. All of the receptionists that we talked to have always been happy to accommodate this. However, on one eventful day, same receptionist guy said that they don't allow rescheduling even if it is on the same time period that we have scheduled and that it should be done at least 2 days before our supposed schedule. That is the first time that we have heard of that policy although guy insists that that is always how things go. Weird how that is not how it always was for us and only happened when he was the one we're talking to. When asked about this rescheduling fiasco and the unwarranted-turning-off-of-the-court-lights-incident, this receptionist guy even taunted that we should go there so we can discuss it in person. AGAIN, NO APOLOGY WAS HEARD. They suck at complaint resolution. Lastly, expect that when your schedule is near their closing time, they will turn off your court light without any warning 1-2 minutes before the supposed end of your playing time.

I've been to many badminton courts in the Metro, but The Zone remains to be my favorite. For one,…read moreit is conveniently located if one lives and works within Makati CBD. After work, I just walk to the court. I don't need to bring my car, even if there are ample street parking slots in front of the building. The Zone has a total of fifteen standard badminton courts. Six of which have wood flooring, while nine are equipped with Taraflex material. There's also a basketball court complete with digital scoring system. The shower and comfort rooms are air-conditioned and personal lockers are also available. A food stall in the receiving area makes sure that players don't have to worry about drinks and food. If you forget to bring accessories, there's even a small store that offers sports socks, apparel, and other badminton stuff. Recently, The Zone improved its security by placing surveillance cameras in strategic places inside and outside the building. With this, fees and court rentals have slightly increased. At present, the entrance fee is PHP 75.00 per person. During peak hours, weekends, and holidays, you can rent a Taraflex court for PHP 300.00 per hour, while a wood court can be used for PHP 250.00 an hour. A play-all-you-can promo is available during weekdays from 6:00am to 5:00pm for just PHP 150.00 per person. The basketball court rate is PHP 1,500.00 per hour during off-peak time and PHP 2,000.00 for peak hours.

We all know that basketball is part of our culture as Filipinos. Boys or girls, young or just young…read moreat heart, NBA or PBA or UAAP or just your neighbourhood basketball liga, Pinoys are just into this sport. I guess this explains why in most parts of the Metro, it's impossible for you not to see basketball courts - whether it's an indoor hardwood court, open cement court or even a makeshift half court on the streets. Some basketball courts have been put up for quite some time and recently, there have been a good number of new basketball courts that are popping in the city. Since my boyfriend is into basketball (just like most boys are, really) and has been regularly joining different basketball leagues, I have been exposed to a few different basketball courts. One that I have frequently gotten to visit is the Dumlao Gym found along Shaw Boulevard. The gym has been an institution for many generations of (pro and non-pro) basketball players living in the Mandaluyong area. The very first time I saw the façade of Dumlao, I wanted to run. It looked like a horror movie's set! Hahahaha! The gym definitely looked older than most courts I've seen based on the structure of the building. Despite this, a lot of professional and amateur basketball leagues have set this as their stage. I should know, I've watched countless of Pau's games in Dumlao, from different leagues, mind you. Dumlao Gym has 2 indoor basketball courts found on the first and second floor. Upon entering the gym, you will see trophies, newspaper cut outs and other memorabilia of the person the gym is named after - Cesar Dumlao. (Quick trivia: Cesar Dumlao used to be a basketball superstar back in the day. He was actually recorded to have had 162 points in one game. I don't know much about playing ball but I think that's pretty extraordinary!) For someone who watches games at Dumlao, one major complain that I have with it is the humidity and temperature inside the gym. It has poor ventilation and can really make you feel exhausted especially between 11am - 2pm, which is usually the time they have their games. Dumlao has shower rooms available for men and women, which my boyfriend says is pretty decent. I've only ever been to the normal bathrooms. They are clean but also a bit old. They also have a small sari-sari store where you can buy drinks and munchies while watching the games. Dumlao Gym is open 24/7 so all you hard core basketball fanatics can go here to play. Price of court rental at Dumlao is 900/hour. The courts can also be used for volleyball games and badminton competitions!

Dumlao Gym is one of the most commonly used basketball courts in Manila because of its central…read morelocation. Barring bad traffic, all it takes is a short drive to get here. Having said that, I'm not exactly a fan of playing at Dumlao. First off, parking is extremely limited. There are two basketball courts so you can only imagine how crazy it is when all the players bring cars. If you arrive and there are no slots available, you're out of luck and you will have to look somewhere else. The façade of the building looks decrepit as well. It's an old building and you immediately see it both inside and out. What Dumlao has going on for them is that they're open 24 hours, 7 days a week. This is good especially for call center employees who are night owls and might not have another place to play at.

I love parks! Just…read morein case anyone wants to find me, I'm always at the San Lorenzo Park. I started visiting this park during my breaks, before class, after class and sometimes I'd skip class and end up here. What I love about this park is that it's really quiet. During the day, the only people at the park are the security guards, the gardeners and some random people who pass by. In the afternoon, there are lots of children who play at the playground, attend their tennis classes, kick a soccer ball around, have picnics and some of them even have birthday parties here. At night, the adults come to jog, play basketball in the court or sit around to relax. The downside of visiting this park is that you have to be a resident of San Lorenzo or be invited by a resident or else the guards shoo you away. The kids also had to stop bringing their pets in since it's not allowed anymore. Also, when people smoke in the park during the day, the guards get angry, but at night they don't care. If you find yourself in this park, don't forget to say hi to me. I'm that weird girl under one of the trees reading a book.

As a bit of a sports fan, I also fancy myself athletic even though my last outing to a venue that…read morerequires physical exertion was a 6k run in the UP Academic Oval that left my legs weak and sore for weeks after. But when I do get the urge to get off the couch and work on my flabs, the Amoranto Sports Complex is one of my favorite places. This is a COMPLEX, so it has several venues inside, like a running track, a football stadium, and a basketball court, among others. I'd give the place five stars if it weren't for the fact that the place can use some touch-ups, and sometimes, they're closed to the public whenever there's an event there.

Not entirely sure if its the first of its kind but Kings of the Court (KOTC) organizes amateur…read morebasketball leagues which can give you the feeling of a professional player while playing the sport you love with your friends. The group started organizing basketball leagues since January 2014 and has been on the rise ever since. KOTC, which specializes in posting photos, videos and stats on Facebook, gives the players the feeling of being in a well-organized basketball league, which makes your quota payment worth it! After playing over the weekend, players will have something to look forward to thru the photos and of course the game recaps via the video highlights. Aside from posting photos and videos, they also give incentives to the best players and fans by providing prizes thru the form of GCs and special items from sponsors and marketing partners. Truly an additional motivation for players to perform better especially if Php 500 worth of GCs from Bugsy's will be awarded to you. Yes to free food after the game, right? A bunch of the other girlfriends of my boyfriend's kabarkada have actually won. I don't attend all the games so that's probably one of the reasons I didn't win. Haha. Games are usually held in Dumlao, Asia Pacific College, Makati Coliseum and Finman Gym. Also, they focus on the fundamentals of barkada as they provide victory party c/o partner venues to the champion team. The champion team gets treated to food and drinks together with his teammates and friends which definitely makes playing in this league worth it. One of the best, if not the best, amateur basketball leagues my boyfriend has ever played in.

One of the main reasons why I visit the Guadalupe Nuevo Barangay Hall and Sports Complex is to…read moreaccompany my mother-in-law when she gets her Certificate of Registration every year or when she applies for Barangay Clearance and other important paperwork related to her senior citizen's privilege card. This multi-storey barangay hall may not be newly renovated, but it's surely clean and well-maintained. The topmost part of the building is used for meetings and events. The area can be rented by residents of the barangay to hold parties and meetings. At the back of the barangay hall is a big sports complex that's typically used for summer basketball and volleyball tournaments. The covered sports area is also the default venue for inter-barangay competitions at various times. Apart from tournaments, the area can also hold proms, concerts, intramurals, and other important activities by the local church or nearby schools. Anybody can rent the multi-purpose hall for a fee. Our company rented the sports complex as venue for our team's sports fest several years ago.

I swear by this gym. It's run by army guys so, expect to be trained just like how they are trained-…read morerough but helpful, demanding but effective. You can't train here and act like a sissy. These men wake up at the break of dawn and train for 3 hours doing exercises that would leave anyone dying of pain. I came here years ago because it was near my office in BGC and it was the only gym that closes at 10pm. I was a flabby girl who never exercised, drank too much and ate the wrong food. I came there to box and within 3 months I lost 10 points by my sheer determination and my trainer's rigid commands. I loved all my trainers. Where else will you meet burly, muscular army guys with names like Tata and Zambales? More than the training they gave me it was their simplistic kindness that awed me. They were honest, rightfully loyal and dedicated. So, if you want to lose weight and at the same time meet men who live to REALLY serve the country (unlike others) try boxing at the Army Gym. Tips: There are other things you can do here too. You can play badminton, basketball, swim and run around the track. Entrance fee is just P70.

Beautiful hotel in Makati. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. They work very hard to…read moreensure guests are taken care of from the second you walk in the door. The room... Clean and spacious accommodates US and European plugs, USB and kind USB outlets as well. Bathroom complete with toothbrushes shampoos soap etc. two liters of glass bottled water. TV channel selection a little small but I get it. First time I ever watch MLB is Japanese! Pool etc... Large pool with two swim lanes for those who like to do that. Two tennis courts a decent size gym and an outdoor smoking area for those who smoke. The food... Lobby Lounge Service most times was excellent with a few gaps at times. Chicken Cesar was very good, decent amount-of chicken and just the right amount of dressing. The cheese burger was good as well. But if you have the time hit the sage grill for the Wagyu burger, much juicer and actually cheaper. Sage Bar... Nice interior and again super friendly and attentive staff. Wagyu burger with fries was very good. Cooked perfectly and was very juicy. A solid choice. I thought the burger was good but the pork belly was just as good. The apple marmalade was a great addition. Circles... Very large buffet that had all kinds of options. We usually went for breakfast but everything from eggs to sushi fish head and some regional dishes. Recommend to try some nee things as you can take a bite or two Really enjoyed this place while balancing work and exploring the area.

Such a beautiful hotel with great service and fabulous views. Security is high priority and every…read morecar entering the driveway is inspected? As well as luggage before being brought inside. We had a 26th floor room and loved the relaxing view of the bustling city below Room service was very efficient and worked with our schedule and respecting our property. The lobby features elegant dining and entertainment. Service there is rather slow but still worth the experience. I only wish we could have stayed longer. The experience was just that good.