Pasig is a city in the Philippines located along the eastern border of Metro Manila. While most business and luxury tourists usually stay in the Manila / Pasay area to be near the airport and backpackers will want to stay in the Makati / Poblacion area for the nightlife, I would recommend staying in Pasig if you’re traveling with the family or if you want to enjoy a mix of active pursuits and city comforts.
This vibrant destination is packed with family-friendly activities, restaurants, bars, and shopping malls. For those who are staying a few days in the area, or are looking for something new to do during the weekends, here are just a few fun and unique activities you can do in Pasig and very near including the Greenfield District (part of Mandaluyong City) and Bagumbayan in Quezon City.
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1. Relax at Ace Water Spa
Ace Water Spa is an all-weather indoor facility with Olympic Sized pools for laps and hydrotherapy pools with aquatic jets that massage specific areas of the body. Visitors can just chill out in the pools, float around the lazy river, or soak in the hot herbal pools which can help soothe muscles and release body toxins then submerge in the cold water pools to stimulate blood flow in the skin and underlying muscles.
2. Get a workout at Climb Central Manila
Climb Central Manila in Greenfield District is the largest indoor wall climbing gym in the country, with over 45 climbing lanes for up to 100 climbers. The whole place is air-conditioned with lockers and well-maintained shower rooms where you can freshen up after you scale the walls. This offers a fun indoor destinations, for beginners and advanced climbers alike. They have a lot of kid-friendly routes here. Even if you’re alone, you can try out the walls because some walls have an auto-belay system.
3. Feel like a kid at Trampoline Park
Right next to Climb Central Manila, you can visit Trampoline Park. Get to feel like a kid again while having a fun workout with jumping, hopping, and bouncing on trampolines at Trampoline Park’s Zero Gravity Zone at The Portal in Greenfield District, Mandaluyong. You would think something like this would be just for kids, but they get a lot of adults and teens here. Aside from the trampolines, there’s a foam pool and gravity dodgeball.
4. Go biking at The Bike Playground
The Bike Playground in Circulo Verde boasts of a one-kilometer outdoor trail and outdoor track for kids. The trail is well-designed and offers a few twists, ramps and jumps for a quick trail biking fix. The highlight here is the internationally designed pump track. Technically, The Bike Playground is not in Pasig anymore (it’s part of Bagumbayan in Quezon City), but it’s near enough Pasig accessible by C-5 going to Libis and Eastwood.
5. Get locked in a room for fun
Breakout Philippines is one of the first real life room escape games in the country, where you get a chance to plan as a team, solve puzzles and escape from locked rooms in just 45 minutes. They have lots of branches around Metro Manila including Pioneer Paragon Plaza Building, Ground floor Reliance St., corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City very near Greenfield District.
6. Visit Parks in the area
If you’re traveling with kids, you might be interested to check out The Pasig City RAVE Rainforest Adventure Experience, a mixed recreational and natural park with a mini-zoo, boating lagoon, botanical garden, zip line, obstacle course, and skating rink. I haven’t been there myself, but some residents say the park is a popular hangout for locals because entrance is free.
During weekends, you can also check out the weekend market at Greenfield District’s Central in Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City (very near Pasig’s Kapitolyo area) to look for unique finds featuring Metro Manila’s best kept secret shops and boutiques. You can enjoy an afternoon of outdoor shopping and dining under their carousel-like tents. The whole place is very family-friendly with interactive games for kids.
7. Go shopping and mall-hopping
There are a lot of malls near Pasig and the Ortigas Centre including SM Megamall, Shangri-la Plaza, Rustan’s, Capitol Commons, Estancia Mall, The Podium and Robinson’s Galleria to name a few, where you can head to for your shopping needs. Recently, as part of their Christmas display Estancia Mall in Capitol Commons launched the Vast Imaginarium, a series of themed “Instagram-worthy” mirror rooms inspired by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s mirror room exhibits. Entrance is free!
If you’re looking for something more distinctly Pinoy, you can check out Tiendesitas, a shopping complex of “villages” featuring stylized Filipino architecture. The complex is made up of twelve pavilions inspired by Maranao architecture, which in turn traces its roots back to the bahay kubo. Shoppers can take calesa rides through the complex. If you’re with kids, nearby attractions include Ark Avilon Zoo, Fun Ranch and Jump Yard, another trampoline park.
8. Go Food Tripping around Kapitolyo
Barangay Kapitolyo in Pasig is a great neighborhood destination for food-trippers. The nearby Capitol Commons has a lot of upscale restaurants and bars while the stretch of East Capitol Drive and nearby streets like Brixton and United Street have more budget-friendly options that offer everything from comfort food, desserts, to international specialties. My favorite restaurant in the area is Locavore Kapitolyo, which offers classic twists on Filipino food.
The Sizzling Sinigang and Oyster and Lechon Sisig are must-tries! Other great places to eat in Kapitolyo include Bistro United, Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina, CAB Cafe, Cafe Juanita. Many restaurants here are very cozy and family-friendly.
Cafe Juanita is another interesting restaurant in terms of its eclectic interiors. I found the food a bit pricey and ordinary for the portion size, but the place is visually interesting. Probably better for dessert or coffee just to see the place and not a full meal.
9. Hang out at a Food Park
You can find food parks everywhere these days, including Pasig. If you’re traveling with friends, Pasig has its own share of trendy food parks ideal for barkadas including The Yard Underground in Oranbo and Gastropark and Madison Commons in Kapitolyo.
Industrie Food Loft, an air-conditioned rooftop food hall with very Instagram-worthy interiors, is more ideal for families and kids. You can find this in J. Vargas corner Ruby Road, Ortigas.
ALBUM: FOOD TRIP: Kapitolyo
10. Drink at BeerHouse Kapitolyo
Did you know that Pasig has its own local microbrewery? Kapitolyo Brewing Company is a small brewery located in Barangay Kapitolyo which serves amazing craft beers made with the highest quality ingredients, malt and hops imported from around the world.
They use local specialty spices to give beers a distinct local taste and character. You can also get a selection of local craft beers from other parts of the Philippines here.
WHERE TO STAY IN PASIG: RED PLANET ORTIGAS
For those not from Manila looking for a place to stay in Pasig, Red Planet Ortigas is a good choice. Given its location close to the major business hub Ortigas Centre and accessibility to the MRT, Red Planet Ortigas is good for leisure and business travelers looking for a clean and modern hotel that offers value for money.
Rooms are small and basic, but offers everything you need for short and comfortable stays. They offer free high-speed Wi-Fi, a soothing power shower, quality custom-made beds with upscale linen, and many other features including air conditioning, a workstation, an in-room safe, a hair dryer, a ceiling fan, and a 32-inch flat screen TV. The hotel facilities include disabled facilities, 4 wheelchair accessible rooms, and a car park.
Red Planet is accessible via the capital’s main thoroughfare, EDSA just a 10-minute walk away. Even closer are Shangri-La Plaza Mall and Ortigas Metro Rail Transit.
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NOTE: Some activities listed were made possible by Red Planet Ortigas. Visit: https://preview.redplanethotels.com/hotel/ortigas-manila