Makati City Travel information

About Makati City  |  Business  |  Things To do  |  Transportation 

Things to do in Makati City

Shopping and Tourism

THE AYALA CENTER

Makati City is home to the Ayala Center, probably the most recognized commercial center in the Philippines, running more than five blocks down Ayala Avenue from EDSA. Owned and developed by the Ayala Corporation headed by Ayala scion Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, The Ayala Center is home to two shopping malls, the Ayala Glorietta and the Ayala Greenbelt. Within its sizable grounds are five hotels.

THE AYALA GLORIETTA

The larger of the two shopping malls is the Ayala Glorietta, in itself a cluster of independent malls. Rising from Glorietta 4 is the Oakwood Premier, elegant serviced residences at the heart of the Ayala Center. Other Makati hotels in the vicinity of the Ayala Glorietta are the Makati Shangri-la Hotel, the Manila Peninsula, the Dusit Hotel Nikko Manila Garden, and the Hotel Intercontinental Manila.

Along the periphery of Glorietta are three department stores: SM Department Store Makati, Rustan's, and the Landmark.

THE AYALA GREENBELT

Across Makati Avenue from Glorietta is the Ayala Greenbelt. Award-winning in design and architecture and thoroughly sophisticated in scope, the Ayala Greenbelt features dozens of coffee stores and restaurants, all overlooking a well-landscaped green park, at the center of which a domed Catholic chapel rests regally. Makati hotels in the vicinity of the Ayala Greenbelt are the Sunette Suites and the New World Renaissance Hotel.

THE ROCKWELL CENTER

The Rockwell Center is the other first-class shopping center in Makati City. The Rockwell features the large Power Plant Mall, a popular destination with expatriates for its quality shops and tight security. At the periphery of the Rockwell Center are many high-class residential condominium towers, as well as the the Asian Eye Institute. The Rockwell Center is also home to the Ateneo Professional Schools main campus, which houses the Ateneo School of Law, the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, and the Ateneo School of Government.

CASH AND CARRY SUPERMARKET

Cash and Carry is a cozy shopping center along South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), perpendicular to Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue. It is well-known for its duty-free items in the shopping complex opposite the supermarket; its rather run-down appearance should not hide the fact that many a great bargain awaits to be found here.

MAKATI CINEMA SQUARE

Makati Cinema Square, along Pasong Tamo Road, at first glance, appears unconventional, even seedy. But within the grounds of MCS, as the mall is commonly known, are a wealth of treasure troves, selling everything from brand-new mobile phones to clothes to electronic devices, all at bargain-basement prices. A shopper's dream.

WALTERMART

Adjacent to the Makati Cinema Square is the relatively new shopping complex Waltermart Mall. Its prime location next to the Don Bosco Makati school for boys, the Don Bosco Church, and the Makati Cinema Square make this mall a relatively frequented mall in Makati.

GUADALUPE COMMERCIAL CENTER

The Guadalupe Commercial Center, located along EDSA and the Pasig River, is a middle-class shopping center frequented by residents from the poorer areas of Makati.

PUREGOLD

Puregold is another independent supermarket located at the end of JP Rizal Street in Barangay Singkamas.

SHOPWISE

Another popular Philippine hypermarket chain, Shopwise is situated along Pasong Tamo corner Vito Cruz.

Museums and Churches

The Ayala Museum, arguably the country's most famous museum, is located in a glitzy new building along Makati Avenue across the Makati Shangri-la. This museum is most noted for its series of dioramas depicting major events in Philippine history, from the Battle of Mactan to the EDSA Revolution.

Makati has many churches of Spanish architectural influence, including the churches of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and the Nuestra Señora de Gracia (Our Lady of Grace) Parish.

The Sto. Niño de la Paz's modernist domed chapel is the heart of the Ayala Greenbelt park.

Beteen Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village is the Santuario de San Antonio, a popular church for weddings in the Makati area.

The National Shrine of the Sacred Heart is located in San Antonio Village.

At the northern part of the city is the 25-hectare Manila South Cemetery. Every All Saints' Day, thousands of people flock to the cemetery to pay their respects to their deceased loved ones.

Sports

Despite its industrial nature, Makati City is home to several sporting facilities.

The Sta. Ana Racetrack, one of two primary centers of horseracing in the Philippines, the other being the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite, bridges the borders of Makati City and the City of Manila with its location beside the Pasig River in the northern part of the city. Along the southeastern border of the city near Fort Bonifacio is the Manila Polo Club, where some of the Philippines' wealthier polo enthusiasts engage in exhilarating competitions.

The Manila Golf Club, also near Fort Bonifacio, features a lush and manicured 18-hole golf course.

Yuppies and the country's elite can also enjoy a day of swimming, tennis, basketball, and other activities at the exclusive Makati Sports Club in Salcedo Village; both elite and the masses, however, have been known to set aside their social differences to gather in droves and enjoy a good sports match-up at the Makati Coliseum.