Manila Shopping

Robinsons Place is a huge mall in Ermita, a tourist district in Manila.

What to buy: This mall is my personal favorite whenever I shop for clothing and hi-tech gadgets. Their cellfone arena at the ground floor is where I always go whenever I change from one celfone model/brand to another. Prices are as cheap as those at Greenhills.

Being a kid, toys were given to me only during birthday, Christmas and when we visit our grandmother in HK. Now, kids are given gifts all year round! And the only place to find all the toys every kid would ever want is in Toy Kingdom. From newborn to adults, it's a place where you can spend your whole day looking for the perfect toy and even playing with the toys...and you'll never get bored. There's more...you'll notice the friendly people in their yellow shirts and aprons (like Santa's little helpers...but not just during Christmas) helping you find or even choose the toys fit for your kid.

What to pay: When I go to shop, sometimes you can buy small toys for 49.75 or get some gadgets like the Playstation or Nintendo Wii for thousands...

all the things that you need.... be it grocery stuff, clothes for adults and kids, kitchenware, local goodies, food, furniture, signature clothes and shoes..bags..ties.. coffee shops, internet ..pets..cafes, churches.. salons, spa.,. EVERYTHING...EVERYTHING!

What to pay: Rustans - high-end budget
Greenbelt 3 - high end budget
Glorietta - mid range budget
Landmark - low end budget

This store is full of handicrafts from all over Philippines. Lovely wooden bowls, woven baskets, textiles and jeepney toys for children. Highly recommended. Just behind this handicraft store is a great restaurant, Illustrado.

Visit one and you've visited them all. Unfortunately, in Manila, "malling" has become a leisurely and cultural activity. The newer ones rival most modern malls in the world but some of the "older" ones are starting to show their age. Everyone contains a food court in which you can practically try anything you want for cheap. Megamall and Mall of Asia were particularly very cold inside and you probably need to have some sort of cover. If I had to choose a favorite one, it probably had to be Market-Market at the Fort because I felt it had the most "personality" with the open air food market but still had the typical mall stores inside.

The city doesn't need any more malls, just more creativity with activities.

What to buy: Surprisingly, like most Filipinos in the mall I didn't feel that I needed to spend any money in the malls other than eating in restaurants and food courts. I thought that I could get some deals with the dollar exchange but most things were still pretty expensive. I really couldn't imagine how a typical "peso" earner could or would shop in the mall.

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The world's 3rd largest mall. You can spend the whole day here from breakfast to dinner. More than 700 retail shops. The best part is breathing the sea breeze from the South China Sea which you can view and experience from it's bayside row of restaurants and cafes. Viewing the sun set here is just breathtaking.

It has a department store, a supermarket, hardware shop, Watson's, Marrionaud, Topshop, Mango, Zara(soon to open), Bench,Mossimo, Theme, La Coste, Mexx, Bossini, Forever 21, Dorothy Perkins, Dockers, Ep Espada, Esprit, G2000, Giordano, Girbaud, Kenneth Cole, Levi's Lulu Castagnette, Marks and Spencers, Izod, M)phosis, Salabianca, Topman, Timezone, British India, Calvin Klein, calvin Klein jeans, music stores, Apple (Mac) Center, HP, Nokia, Osim, Banco de Oro, China Bank, Body Shop, Dental Clinics, Dermatology Clinics, Spas, Elianto, GNC, a breastfeeding station, Travel agency, Beauty salons, watches, phoyography, a foodcourt, computer shops, internet cafes, Starbucks, Seattle's Best, Jewelry stores, Toy Kingdom, Bookstores, fashion apparel, electronic shops, art, shoes ,bags and luggage stores,Kultura Filipino, sporting goods, home furnishings, appliance center, eyewear shops, novelties, hobbies, an Olympic sized skating rink, etc... They have almost everything here. An IMAX theatre and several cinemas.

There's also a golf cart to take the elderly around.

Hotel shuttle buses service the Philippine Plaza and Heritage Hotel guests at a regular schedule daily.

What to buy: Everything is cheaper in Manila.

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168 Mall is in the heart of Divisoria in old Manila. While difficult to get to, all my relatives from out of town insist that I bring them there whenever they visit the country. Why? Because for a hundred dollars, they end up laden with bags and bags full of shopping finds. Shopping in Manila is generally cheap given the state of the economy and the peso exchange rate vis-a-vis the US dollar...and it doesn't get any cheaper than this!

The mall is supposedly 25,000 sq. m. in area (it seems much larger to my tired feet). It has two buildings which are interconnected and equipped with escalators . The various Sections are conveniently labeled "pasilyos" and numbered so you don't have to worry about getting lost. At the 3rd floor of Mall 1, there is also food court offering a varied menu from more than 20 food establishments - try the one called "Mitzi's" for really good (and cheap) chinese food.

What to buy: Mostly ladies garments, bags, shoes and small gifts. And for those interested in "gucci-compatibles" or other knock-offs, pirated videos and the like, it's a veritable treasure trove.

What to pay: Like I said, a hundred dollars goes a long, looong way. $ 3.00 for a blouse, $5.00 for a cute pair of ballet flats. Remember: always, always bargain! Everything is at least 30% off the first price they quote you. And if you buy "wholesale" - meaning 3 or more of the same item - they'll give you a bigger discount.

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Divisoria is Manila's hottest shopping hot spot. In fact, the country's hottest.

Shopping malls in Divisoria:
1. Tutuban Center Mall - used to be the city's central train station converted into a mall.
2. Tutuban Center Prime Block - next to the Tutuban Center Mall (see thumbnail photo).
3. 168 Shopping Mall - newest addition to Divisoria's malls.
4. Meisic Mall