A spontaneous day in Manila, Philippines — may cost you a lot! 🫣

Hello hivers! So it’s been a while since my last vlog.. I finally have the time to share and write experiences that some of you have yet to try! This vlog is about my one day trip to Manila. Initially the plan was to travel to La Union for surfing and partying but my friends wanted to drop by and also experience the night life in Manila. I’ll be giving my personal reviews also for the food and places that we’ve been to 😊

Our departure time was 5:30 AM, Cebu to Clark. I woke up at 2 AM, headed out around 3:30, and arrived at the airport at 4 AM. I was so amazed it took me 30 minutes to travel to the airport. It only cost me around 150 pesos. On a normal day it would take an hour and a half thus an increase with the fare. This made me realize that it’s better this way and I might want to do this again 😂 it’s quiet, peaceful and clean? LOL

When we took off we were able to experience the sunrise and it was gorgeous! Another reason to have your flight early in the morning and also making sure you’re at the window seat 😍 see picture below of the beautiful sunrise.

I was so happy to witness this 😍

So we landed at 6:30 AM. It’s earlier that what we expected. We just kept talking with my friend Gerb while on transit. Our topic was planning on the things to do because this wasn’t really a part of our itinerary. We didn’t know what to do in the morning 😂 so we brainstormed on the things we knew and want to try and we sort of had a list HAHA

Arrived at Clark airport and it was super spacious. I guess it was also the new one. We walked to the terminal where there would be a bus from Clark to Manila and it would take us 3-4 hours. There wasn’t any traffic since it was only 7:30 in the morning. Airport food is and will always be pricey! For a plain hotdog it would cost you 80 pesos and a bottle of water for 35 pesos. We still bought it cause we were hungry but we planned on having brunch.

The pathway going to the terminal.

Waiting for the bus to arrive.

Finally the bus arrived at 8 AM and we took off. The bus fare was also pricey! It cost us 470 pesos. It was later halfway in our transit that we realized it would cost that much since it’s a bus specifically for the airports. It travels to Manila airport to Clark’s and vice versa. During the trip, I was able to sleep and had a mini tour of the place. Roads were wider and well constructed than Cebu (my hometown).

As we arrived at the airport we got our friend Justine and headed to BGC (Bonifacio Global City) for our brunch. She had a different flight since she booked at the last minute and Cebu to Manila was the only option.

We took a GRAB to BGC with only 20 minutes travel time. I was really expecting traffic since this was on June 3, Friday – a busy day for some and last working day of the week. But it wasn’t also rush hour or surge since it was already 10 AM when we arrived. We were 5 in the group so every time we book a grab it would cost us around 60 to 80 pesos each.

The name of the restaurant is called Wild Flour. One of the recommended cafes to have brunch. As we got a table inside the place and started ordering, my colleague messaged me and asked if I can cover for a few hours even if I was on PTO. It was really an emergency since back in Cebu, their town was fixing the electricity wires and it would take a few minutes or an hour for the power to the be back. The role that I was assigned to was to be the Host for our Virtual Recruitment Event via Zoom. Spent around 2 hours working (while eating my brunch). Thank God my friend brought her laptop since she also works from home. If she didn’t, I wouldn’t have helped.

But let’s talk about the food! It was actually an expensive cafe because their meals were on an average of 500 to 800 pesos. So I ordered Tapa, and my friends got Humba Rice (tender pork with soy sauce or salted black beans), American Breakfast, Burger and their French Toast. Luckily, my order was the best and was worth it’s price. Nothing like soft and chewy tapa with garlic rice that also had fresh lemon that you can taste. YUM!! I would give this cafe an 9/10 since the ambiance is really nice and bias because I was also full with the meal that I ordered. Felt bad for my friends tho. They also have a bakery inside that also looks good but we didn’t order.

The tapa that I ordered ☺️

After having brunch we walked to this recommended coffee shop called Because Coffee. The ambiance was nice and their coffee was good! I just took a sip from my friend’s order because of my hyperacidity. I wouldn’t enjoy the rest of the day’s activities. They also don’t accept cash! Just debit/credit card or GCASH. Their cookie is also good. Prices were a bit higher than Starbucks. My personal rating is 9/10.

After coffee we went to SM MOA or SM, Mall of Asia. One of the largest shopping malls in the Philippines. We basically went there because I just said I wanted to see it. It was just a regular shopping mall tho. IKEA just came in the Philippines and was in MOA but we weren’t able to visit. We just dropped by my friend’s agenda of getting some good yogurt. It was really hot we also needed something cold to eat.

Loved it since it wasn’t too sweet. Although I would love to have waffles plus the yogurt on top.

After eating froyo which was a 10/10 we checked-in our Airbnb in a place that was sort of sketchy. My friend found it and it was cheaper than the rest. We also just needed a place to sleep, bath and leave our things since we were only there for a night. Our airbnb cost us 2,000 pesos but since we were 5, it only costs us 200 pesos each.

Upon arriving we relaxed and had a short nap. A 9/10 btw since the bathroom drain was clogged for a few hours thus causing a short flood in the room. But it was very perfect for travelers since the room had bunk beds.

We were all very tired since we were traveling since 5 in the morning. Who wouldn’t right? HAHA we prepared and got ready for dinner by 7pm. We were also meeting with my best friend who now lives in Manila. She grew up there and transferred to Cebu due to her dad’s work but after her dad’s condition they moved back to their hometown. It was my first time in Manila btw.

We took a GRAB to Greenbelt and it was also hard booking at the time. Luckily we found one but with a 4 seater car. My friend who is a guy just gave way to us girls and rode a motorcycle which also operates like GRAB. The driver was kind enough and told us that our stay was a bit dangerous 😅 given that the roads were narrow, there wasn’t really any distance with the houses and some were made of light materials (it’s scary when there’s a fire). Nevertheless we were all safe going in and out of the place.

Arriving at Greenbelt was shocking. I didn’t know that’s where the most expensive brands are located. Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Dior and many more were there. These brands aren’t in my hometown so this was really new to me 😅✌🏼

I wasn’t able to go in because the whole agenda was to eat dinner HAHA. We were planning to eat at Din Tai Fung, a famous Chinese restaurant. Met with my best friend Steve in this restaurant I missed her so much see picture below!

The highlight for this trip would have to be eating in this place. We ordered xiao long bao of chicken and pork, crispy beef strips, hot garlic spareribs, shanghai rolls and fried rice. 11/10! Everything was super good! Their branches are only in Manila and I wished they’d put one in Cebu 😢 we spent 480 to 500 each because we ordered a lot for everyone to try. It was also Steve’s first time eating there. Pricey but definitely worth it!

After eating we traveled to a bar in Poblacion. It’s just a street where bars are lined up. We stayed at Kampai and ordered tequila. Their music wasn’t really nice since it gave off some old fashioned beats that weren’t really our thing. 8/10 - the aesthetics were cool and calming, the drinks weren’t that really great since they ran out of our go to drink and the music didn’t give us the kick to party 😕

So after finishing the bottle we transferred to Bugsy’s Bar and Bistro and that was a way better bar. The music was nice, it wasn’t really crowded and we had seats. The first bar was really the opposite. I invited also a few friends that were from my hometown and are staying in Manila for a few days. I’d give this a 9/10! RnB and Pop songs were played and everyone had a great time.

We ended our night at 2AM and parted ways with friends who are in Manila. We had to go home since we will be traveling to La Union in the morning.

All in all I spent an estimate of 3,200 to 3,500 pesos just for a day in Manila. A bit costly but the memories last forever!

Thank you for coming this far guys hope you enjoyed reading my short time in Manila.