Things to do in Escolta, Manila

Calle de la Escolta or Escolta Street is one of the oldest and most historic streets in Manila, Philippines. Located in the old downtown district of Binondo, it was once dubbed as “The Queen of Streets.” In fact, Manileños used to flock to Escolta to shop, work, and dine, making it a leading commercial district during the 1800s to the early 1930s.

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Tipsy Tales: Portal to Pinoy Folklore

Have you ever wanted to step into a Fairy Tale storybook or enter the hidden realm of mythical creatures? How would you react if you came face to face with a dwende or a kapre? You can do that in Tipsy Tales, an immersive theatre featuring tales from Philippine folklore right in the comforts of Eastwood Mall in Quezon City.

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Lakbay Museo: Explore the Philippines without leaving Manila

From festivals to food, the Philippines is amazingly vibrant and colorful. Lakbay Museo aims to give visitors a chance to travel around Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao and experience the best that the Philippines has to offer in under two hours right in Manila. We recently got a sneak peek of the museum inside S Maison at Conrad Manila right beside Mall of Asia (MOA), before its official opening on July 12.

Featuring hourly cultural dances and shows, free samples of native delicacies and even lambanog and fruit wine tasting (for adults), this is kind of like Nayong Pilipino for the Instagram generation.

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Museum Guide: Destileria Limtuaco Liquor Museum in Manila

Did you know that there’s a hidden museum in Intramuros where you can go liquor tasting? You can sample local craft spirits like the Ilocano basi (sugarcane wine), mango rum, premium lambanog, coffee liqueur, and Siok Tong (a Chinese herbal wine that’s been around for more than 150 years) while visiting this museum.

Destileria Limtuaco, the oldest and largest distillery in the Philippines founded in 1852, opened their liquor-themed museum in Intramuros to the public in 2018.

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Craft Beer in the Philippines

The craft beer scene in the Philippines is really booming. In the past few years, I’ve seen a rise in the number of microbreweries and locally-brewed beer being offered not just in Metro Manila, but around the country. One of the things I try to do when I travel is to check out these local microbreweries and taprooms and hunt for unique craft beer.

The widest variety can be found in craft beer bars in Manila (mostly concentrated in the Poblacion area of Makati) and several notable places in Cebu City in Visayas. You can also find other small bars scattered in different parts of the Philippines that are worth seeking out. Here’s a Craft Beer Map of the Philippines I made that might help you out in your beer-ventures. Click each icon on the map to get the exact location and other details.

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Holy Week Rides & Road Trips near Manila for Bikers

The Holy Week exodus has started, with thousands of Filipinos heading from Manila to their home provinces and popular vacation destinations around the country this Lenten Break. With the streets in the metro practically empty, this is the perfect excuse for cyclists and riders to gear up and ride to churches and pilgrimage sites. 

Here are a few suggestions for religious-themed rides and notable pilgrimage destinations relatively near the metro that you can ride to.

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Things to do in Manila: Ride a Bambike around Intramuros

Bambike is one of the most popular locally-made bicycle brands in the Philippines. These unique bicycles made from durable and all-natural bamboo and abaca materials are hand-made and crafted by builders from Gawad Kalinga, a Philippine-based community development organization. Bambike aims to be one of the greenest bikes on the planet.

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Craft Beer Bars in Manila

The local craft beer scene in the Philippines is really booming as brewers infuse local flavors and creativity to homegrown beers. You can find now find a growing number of Philippine craft beer breweries when you travel around the country, with cozy brewpubs and craft beer joints in top tourist hubs like Baguio, Sagada, Vigan, La Union, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Palawan, Davao and Iligan.

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Top 10 Places to Eat in Maginhawa (2019)

Maginhawa Street in Quezon City is one of the top go-to places for a food trip around the metro. However, the turnover rate in the area has become really high lately. I’m having a hard time keeping this list updated every time a new restaurant opens or closes in the area. To make my life easier, I’ve decided to just narrow down this list to 10 places to eat in the Maginhawa area (which are still open as of January 2019).

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Revisiting Siargao after Six Years

A lot has changed in Siargao since the fist time I visited in 2012. The quiet island where I found peace and serenity during one of my first memorable solo trips felt uncomfortably crowded. Despite it being the lean season, direct flights have made the island more accessible to international and local tourists. Tourism is booming in General Luna.
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