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Shopping Manila: Suzy Gershman’s Postcard from the Philippines

Locations in this article:  Hong Kong
Shopping Manila: Suzy Gershman’s Postcard from the Philippines

Manila, Philippines shoppingDear Peter,
I have not been kidnapped in Manila, so perhaps this postcard is not as exciting as it could be, but I am certain you are wondering how I even came to pick this destination as part of my Asian tour this summer.

Soooo, here’s the travel tip—Manila is less than two hours by plane from Hong Kong, requires no visa for U.S. citizens and has low, low everyday prices on luxury hotels and, uh, shoes.

While a trip to Hanoi may sound more politically correct these days, airfares there from HKG are double than to Manila and the visa fee is over $100. Since I’ve never been here before, this has been quite an eye-opener!


ABOUT THE SPRAWL

Manila is a giant city and much of it is not yet ready for prime time. There are numerous historical and tourist areas, which I avoided. Instead, Sarah Lahey and I booked into Makati City, an artificial district of utmost glamour and other-worldliness filled with gorgeous hotels, miles of shopping and all sorts of food adventures.

For a weekend visitor, this is all you need, along with perhaps a $3 (each way) taxi tour to Greenhills Mall, where there are pearls and crafts and fakes and souvenirs galore. The airport is about a $5 taxi ride from Makati City, so you’re talking about a town with low prices and a well-located luxury district.

HOTELS R US

Manila, Philippines decorWhile there are indeed hotels in other parts of Manila, Makati City has all the big ones and all the big names. The top of the luxury scale goes to Peninsula Manila, but there’s nothing wrong with the InterContinental Manila, another five-star property that is more in the real-people category than The Pen. The Pen is for angels, celebrities and socialites who know this hotel is to Makati City what its mothership is to Kowloon.

All of the fancy hotels here have elaborate security systems, including checkpoints at the driveway, handbag inspections and dogs that sniff luggage. The Makati City hotels are all situated to be walking distance from what’s called The Greenbelt, a park that houses five different malls.

The InterConti is across the street from Glorietta, another five-part mall at the beginning of the Greenbelt. The Pen, two blocks away, is near Greenbelt 5, which has big name shopping as well as a floor devoted to local talents. All hotels also have their own gift shops that sell local crafts and mother of pearl treasures. Many hotel lobbies give you a good understanding of the local furniture style—made with Spanish colonial flair and a hint of Chinese ancestory. (All furniture stores do international shipping.)

FIBER ARTS

Because of the climate here, and the talent of the peoples, the specialty for shoppers (besides shoes) is fiber arts—there are clothes and accessories made from processed bamboo, banana leaf, palm, rattan, etc. Find salad bowls made from everything ranging to wood (acacia is big) to coconuts … yes, Mrs. Gershman, you’ve got a lovely set of coconuts.

Crafts for a CauseA firm called RIIR (stands for Rags to Riches) is a craft for a cause business that is making handbags and zipper pouches from potholder loops.

Crafts for a Cause, found at Kultura in the SM Mall (Glorietta), specializes in a dozen different fiber arts, with proceeds going to local charity.

KulturaFilipino is a two-part department store of local crafts and clothing—don’t miss it.

IT’S ABOUT THE MALL

Manila shopping revolves around the mall, maybe because of the weather. The Greenbelt series of malls is also a must-do—and you soon learn to know them apart as you explore and discover local trends. Greenbelt 4 houses Hermes, but next door, at Greenbelt 5, you can find Celestina for $2,000 handbags and a raft of affordable stores elsewhere throughout. Sorry about those $2,000 handbags, but they are amazing for the Barney’s shopper.

My new bag (not from Celestina, alas) is made of a woven linen and coconut blend with a leather handle and beads to boot, $65. That’s more like it!

Note that most malls open at 11 a.m. and while Makati City hotels provide free shopping shuttles, they don’t usually head out until 10:30 a.m.. Stores are open until 8 p.m..

The Greenhills Mall is at the opposite end of the luxe scale from anything in Makati City and is, uh, down and dirty … and inexpensive. Part of the mall is devoted to pearls and mother of pearl accessories, part sells fake designer goods from China and Korea, part sells electronics, appliances and telephones (DVDs are well hidden) and then, finally, there’s a portion for local crafts that is truly heavenly. This mall opens at 10 a.m.. It will take 15-30 minutes to get here by taxi from Makati City—try to avoid the traffic during rush hour.

If it all seems too mallish for you, head to Rustans, the Saks Fifth Avenue of Manila, with a branch in the Glorietta part of the Greenbelt near the InterConti. There’s a free-standing grocery store where you can load up on Asian spices (including dried banana leaf) and then the store itself, with its fourth-floor home style department where the table settings made from local products will make you swoon. Rustans is of course the most expensive store in town, but with prices this low, you can afford to splurge.

Clammy Kisses from Manila,
SuzyKG

By Suzy Gershman for PeterGreenberg.com. Suzy Gershman’s Born to Shop California Wine Country by Suzy Gershman & Sarah Lahey is now available on Amazon.com now and in book stores in mid-October!

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