Makati Shopping

I like the ambience and merchandising of Marks & Spencer. The staff are efficient and helpful, but not "tailing" you while you're choosing.

What to buy: Original Marks & Spencer apparel like men's shirts, ladies' blouses and dresses/pants

Glorietta 4 includes Rustan's and other signature brand boutiques, Mercury Drug, Tower Recors,etc

What to buy: Signature brands of apparel, footwear, medicines, health products/nutriceuticals, interior decor, fabrics, cd/dvd, etc

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Despite the numerous shopping malls in Makati, SM Department Store remains to be popular among Class A-E shoppers. It has the amenities of a mall, yet its ambience is not intimidating to Class C-E shoppers. MRT commuters find it convenient to shop at SM which has an exit to the MRT Station.

Whenever we go to Ayala Center, our first stop is SM. There is a bridgeway connecting SM to the Carpark of Park Square 1, and there is another walkway connecting SM to Glorietta, which in turn is connected to The Landmark, Rustans and Greenbelt... so, SM is a logical starting point to shop, especially when you're looking/ canvassing for some items.

What to buy: Almost everything you need, SM has its own line of merchandise priced very reasonably, but there are also signature brands available. It has a supermarket, too.

Very interesting name for a bookshop - one with a very nice ambience. A pleasure to browse and buy books at this place. I saw books that I did not see in the bookshops back home in my country.

This outlet I think by far is the biggest and most spacious of the three Fully Booked shops I have been to so far.

The other two Fully Booked outlets that I have been to are at SM Mall of Asia along Roxas Boulevard at Pasay City and SM City North EDSA at Quezon City.

The SM Mall of Asia outlet is located at the South Wing, Ground Level. (Tel: (632) 556 0264) while the SM City North EDSA outlet is at the 3rd Level of the Block section. (Tel (632) 442 0107).

What to buy: Other than produced or printed or edited in Philippines versions of international magazines titles such as Top Gear or FHM, you can expect to find Philippines-specific magazines of good editioral quality.

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Louis Vuitton, the Most Copied Brand in the World was Founded by Malletier Louis Vuitton in 1854, never would he realize that it would become a status symbol and a most copied brand in the world! Louis Vuitton Store started its prescence in 1993, first at the exclusive Ayala-owned 6750 Ayala Avenue street-level development Makati City. Vuitton occupied one corner and Bulgari the other. In 2004, both brands moved to Greenbelt 4.

Shopping Hours: 10:00am - 20:00 pm daily

buy now!

What to buy: Caveat! louis vuitton goods here in Makati is more expensive than other part of asia and even in the United States! on a vacation, I bought a Damier Reporter Melville Bag here for 57,000 Pesos ($ 1284) while on going back in Louis Vuitton in Union Square, Tommy, my friend (suki) there says the same Bag only Cost 1,090 dollars (8.25% CA sales tax included).

the cheapest type of monogram canvass Bag is the speedy, which is about $375-425, the Damier type of canvass bags start at $1100, the traveller bags start at $ 2,400 and wallets start at $ 350.

What to pay: MAXX out Your Credit Card!

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A New Mega luxury shopping center in Makati! It is the final piece of the Puzzle in the Sprawling Greenbelt Complex area of Ayala Center here in the ritzy Makati Area. Greenbelt 5 boast of various high end local and foreign retailers and fashion houses and assortment of ecletic mid price and high end restaurants! and the newly redeloped, modern Ayala Museum.

the Area is Connected to other areas of Greenbelt like Greenbelt 4 and the Glorieatta Malls via the Elevated Walkway at Landmark Department Store. The Area has high end stores like Zara, Paul Smith, Bang and Olufsen, DKNY, Bally, Kenneth Cole, Escada, Laurel and others. Restaurants Include Myron's Place, Something's Fishy, Ayala Museum cafe, John and Yoko, Travel Cafe Philippines, Padre y Damaso and others.

What to buy: as you can see in the write up above, the stores here are high end so expect to spend much if you want to shop and splurge! how about some bally shoes or Zara Shirts or DKNY Belts or my favorite Louis Vuitton Iron Graphite Belt at nearby Greenbelt 4!

opens 10:00 am to 9:00 pm everyday.

What to pay: maxx out your credit card!

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Air Conditioned Counterfeit Heaven! The Makati Cinema Square in my youth was a cool place to hang around due to the magazine stands, cool shops and modern cinemas here. Not anymore! altough the Makati Cinema Square still features a shopping mall, state-of-the-art cinemas and cozy restaurants, the lower levels have become a mecca, a mecca of counterfeit items. Name it, they have it like bootleg DVD's, VCD's, MP3's, MP3 Players, DVD Players, Computer Programs, Playstation Video Games, bags, clothes, etc. (hey I'm not complaining, I sometimes patronize these products too hehehe) It has become the place to be to buy these stuff in air conditioned glory (the main counterfeit area is in Quiapo District in Manila but the place is seedy and lots of petty criminals roaming around there) so for a few pesos more, you can buy what you want here.

Opens everday: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm

lower levels houses the counterfeit stuff, the upper levels houses the original stuff and the cinemas and restaurants.

What to buy: very dirt cheap prices! a copied from blu-ray DVD movie title for 55 pesos. A Regular DVD movie title for 45 pesos, tv series like CSI or House or Nip & Tuck or Lost at 55 pesos a DVD Disc. Bootleg CD's of any artist or Music at 30 pesos a disc. Computer Programs like Auto Cad, Microsoft Office, Photo Shop, etc at 60 pesos a disc. DVD players t 1,500 pesos. MP3 players at 500 pesos and a lot more!

What to pay: dirt cheap! at rock bottom prices especially if you know how to haggle!

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Powerplant Mall is a former Coal Powered Powerplant in Makati CIty and was renovated to become a plush Complex within Makati City. Conveniently tucked away in the verdant "city within a city" that is the Rockwell Center, Power Plant Mall provides a unique and leisurely experience for the discerning shopper.Its four-level complex incorporates a mix of specialty brands, both international and local,The mall also offers a new concept store, Rustan's Fresh,which promises to reinvent supermarket shopping. Besides shopping, the mall, lifestyle retailers, signature mini-anchors, themed restaurants and state-of-the-art cinemas equipped with Dolby Digital Surround Sound and plush seating arranged stadium-style for optimum viewing. Some sections evenhave club seats that allow sofa seating for two and bowling alleys.

Lately, it has become a popular hang out place of the South Korean Community since there is a growing korean prescence in the philippines due to it's english language proficiency wherein koreans go and study english here and spend long vacations. A Korean Town is nearby this mall in Barangay Poblacion, Makati.

The Bars here are popular night spots!
examples are Cork, Dencio's, Mati, U-Bar, Via Mare Oyster Bar.

Not as congested as greenbelt, park square or Jupiter street bars.

What to buy: Luxury Brands like what you can find in other areas of Asia like in Shangai Tang, Ocean Center, Siam Paragon, Parkson, Takashimaya, etc.

examples are: Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, Polo Ralph Lauren, Crabtree and Evelyn, Bass Shoes, DKNY, Mango, Chronos (where I bought my Rolex Submariner on a Vacation here in Manila) etc.

be ready to maxx out your credit card!

Powerplant mall is open from Monday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 9:00 Pm

Bars close at 12:00 am on weekdays and 2:00 am on weekends.