Tagged: Destination

Makati is the financial center of the Philippines, being the location of choice for the regional headquarters of multinational companies and the country's largest conglomerates. It is also home to the Philippine Stock Exchange. At Ayala Center, the heart of Makati, there are several shopping malls and international restaurants. It is also surrounded by a number of hotels such as Oakwood Premiere Hotel (now Ascott), Hotel Intercontinental, Makati Shangri La, Dusit Hotel Nikko, and Renaissance Hotel. Also within walking distance are the Peninsula Manila and the Mandarin Oriental.

A US magazine has listed Negros Oriental as one of the planet's 20 best islands to live on. In its July-August issue, Islands Magazine, one of the widest circulated and most trusted travel publications in the United States , included Negros Oriental with its capital Dumaguete as among the best islands in the whole world where expatriates may settle based on the following criteria: flip-flop wearability, strong expat communities, and affordable real estate.

Rizal Park

Manila Tourist District

Manila, which was named after a white-flowered mangrove plant called nilad, was a tiny Malay settlement along the Pasig River ruled by Rajah Sulayman in the 16th century. The Spanish colonizers moved the capital of the Philippines from Cebu to Manila in 1571. They built the walled city of Intramuros, which for the next 300 years, was to become the nerve center of the Spanish rule.

About 804 new hotel and resort rooms opened in Cebu in 2009.  These rooms included those of the PhP3.18 billion Imperial Palace Water Park, Resort and Spa (567 rooms), Citi Park Hotel (105 rooms), Alpa City Suites (84 rooms), Oftana Suites (24 rooms), and Grand Terra Suite (24 rooms).

Surigao del Norte province plans to offer more attractions beyond surfing to entice more visitors.  In August, the local government held its first Siargao Surfing Festival, making the sport an official part of the province’s tourism programme. Aside from the usual surfing contest, the festival also involved an Agri and Aqua Trade Fair in the town of General Luna.
More tourist spots are now being developed on Siargao Island, including a mangrove fishing project to be patterned after Darwin, Australia’s mangrove sports fishing festival. The project will cover the town of Del Carmen, extending to the towns San Benito, Santa Monica and Pilar. The mangrove area on the island covers around 8,000 hectares.
Two international events are also held in Siargao – the International Surfing Cup in Gen. Luna and the International Game Fishing Competition in the town of Pilar.

As the capital city of Ilocos Sur province, Vigan is a beautiful Hispanic city most known for its cobblestone street called Calle Crisologo.  Spanish houses dating back to the 18th century still stand on the site, which is frequented by both foreign and domestic tourists. Of course, there are other streets in Vigan that are also lined with old houses bearing the influence of European architecture.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has listed Vigan as a world heritage site for maintaining its buildings the way they were built centuries ago.  The old houses in Vigan share the same features as those of Hispanic houses built in other towns in the Philippines with strong middle and upper class during the Spanish regime.  Intramuros in Manila, of course, was the center of Spanish government in the Philippines at that time.

Makati and Ortigas Districts

Across the Pasig River from Intramuros is the Binondo area, home of Chinatown. The district is filled with all things Chinese from Peking duck and Buddhist temples to gold watches, snake soup, and wonder herbs. The high chords of Chinese songs and the permeating smell of incense complete the uniquely Chinese ambiance. It is said that this quaint district was already a hub of Chinese commerce even before the Spaniards came in 1571.
 

Another popular destination, specially during the Lent period, is Mount Banahaw, an extinct volcano which rises 2,100 meters above sea level.   View Larger Map Disclaimer: EnjoyPhilippines.com is not responsible for content on external... Read More | Share it now!

View Larger Map Disclaimer: EnjoyPhilippines.com is not responsible for content on external websites. All content appearing on our internal pages are for information purposes only. While EnjoyPhilippines.com believes that these information are... Read More | Share it now!