By: Steffi Amoranto
You realize two things during the holidays: One, it is the only time of the year where everything looks like magic. Second, it is also the only time of the year where booking flights and traffic is a complete nightmare.
But what people don’t realize is that Manila has it’s own Christmas gems to offer that extends until the first week of January. There are enjoyable and exciting things to do in our buzzing capital that you won’t find anywhere else, especially during the holiday season. So before you think your precious vacation time is doomed, here are a few suggestions that will leave you and your family positively delighted to have spent your holidays “stuck” in Manila.
Ayala Triangle Gardens
Paseo de Roxas, Makati City
This lush garden situated right smack in the middle of Paseo de Roxas, Ayala Avenue and Makati Avenue is the perfect place for people who need to detach themselves from the hustle and bustle of city living. Ayala Triangle however is not only famous for its strip of restaurants and pristine patch of greenery but also for its dazzling display of Christmas lights that will surely leave your spirits glowing. Forget dining indoors, opt to have your food wrapped up and dine under the cascading lights that dangle like colored vines.
Other Tips:
- There are no proper dining areas in the pavilion so make sure your food is easy to hold. But if you want to eat a heavier meal, you can have a picnic by the garden. Just make sure to properly dispose your trash!
- Some people enjoy their favorite cup of Christmas drinks while they catch up with friends and family. Oh and don’t forget to take a lot of photos!
Salcedo Market (Open from 7:00am-3pm on December)
Barangay Bel-Air, Makati City
There is nothing more satisfying than spending your Saturday morning surrounded by a massive selection of food that can satisfy any tummy craving. Salcedo Market is where food lovers and market shoppers unite to hunt for the latest belly-rumbling creations. Indulge yourselves from healthy organic fruits and vegetables to exotic international specialties from Thailand, Spain, France and Greece.
Split your group and agree to meet by the dining area or the playground. Try to have a friendly competition with one another and scour each food stall for the most uncommon and yummiest cuisine you can quench your taste buds in! Also dare each other to try local exotic food, such as Adobong Kamaru (crickets)-P180 from Pampanga’s popular restaurant “Everybody’s Café”. Salcedo Market can get very humid so beat the heat by choosing among “Dave Natural’s Yogurt” cart’s sugar-free yogurt flavors such as grape and pistachio, which is Dave’s best-seller.
Other Tips:
- Salcedo Market is also the perfect place to look for holiday food gifts. Unique gift items such as Himalayan Pink Salt (P195/jar) can be bought from Chlorophyll Manila.
- Dress comfortably. Wear light clothing and a hat. Salcedo market is open-air and the sun be very hot at lunch hour.
Chocolate Fire
Corner Leviste and Rufino Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City
No holiday is celebrated without the presence of chocolate. If you crown yourself to be a chocolate lover then you absolutely cannot miss this Chocolate deli that only Manila can offer to you.
Chocolate Fire is like entering a whole universe of chocolate where every treat is lovingly crafted to perfection. Their lavish selection of chocolate will have your eyes darting from one creation to the next, choosing which chocolates to taste has never been this difficult and amusing! Every ingredient in Chocolate Fire is guaranteed fresh and free from chemicals, additives and emulsifiers. Fillings are all 95% chocolate and imported from Belgium. Their chocolates are also available in sugar free and you may choose from dark, milk, white, caramel, cappuccino, orange, strawberry & peppermint chocolate.
Instead of hanging out in your usual coffee shop, choose to unwind yourselves in Chocolate Fire’s snug and well-decorated lounges. Chocolate Fire has a wide range of “Aussie style” chocolate drinks to offer, you may choose from Italian coffee, chocolate cocktails and sugar free iced chocolate drinks.
If you are a fan of hot chocolate, we highly recommend the Jaffa Hot Chocolate (P200 a mug/milk and dark chocolate is P160 a mug) which is made of pure dark and orange chocolate and topped with fresh whip cream. Relish yourselves with Chocolate Fire’s fresh fruits dipped in dark or milk chocolate.
You may choose from fresh blackberry’s, raspberry’s (P35 each) and strawberry’s (customers favorite, P75-140 depending on the size and availability of the strawberry). Order yourselves a plate of Honeycomb Crunch Barks (P150/50g) and True Blue Barks that contain the famous macadamia nuts (P170/50g). Barks also come in smaller sizes so there is no actual minimum for the weighted items. They have over 35 varieties of chocolate barks to choose from! We also recommend Chocolate Fire’s Soft Center Belgian Pralines, which is made of pure chocolate with no coca liquor filling. Try Bailey’s Crème and their newest flavor, Lemon Cream Cheese (pralines price range are from P45-P65 each). Their pralines can be personalized too, you can have them write short Christmas greetings for Christmas parties!
You can also try Chocolate Fire’s famous Chocolate Ganache Cake. I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about this cake so when I finally got to taste it I instantly became a fan. The Ganache cake is a chocolate sponge cake with Chocolate Ganache filling and drizzled with white icing on top. A slice of Chocolate Ganache cake costs P180 and a whole cake can costs P1,250. Sugar free is P1,550. The Ganache cake can be made from white chocolate, milk, dark, caramel, cappuccino, jaffa (dark & orange chocolate), white peppermint and strawberry creme. You can request for a specific design and if you want it really special you can ask them to add strawberry chocolate, which is one of the most expensive chocolate in the world. Chocolate Fire is the only Chocolate Café that has this rare type of chocolate.
Chocolate Fire is a favorite hangout place for city dwellers and spending the holidays in this chocolate deli is always a pleasant experience due to their excellent service. Spoil yourselves silly with an alluring chocolate feast and bask in that warm fuzzy holiday feeling that chocolate seems to bring out!
Be a fan and like their scrumptious-looking facebook page: Chocolate Fire Live and be regularly updated with new chocolates that have just been freshly created!
Other Tips:
- Chocolate Fire is constantly inventing creative mouth-watering chocolate products so be a regular visitor and treat yourself to their latest creations. They serve pasta and finger foods too!
4. Greenhills Christmas-on-Display (COD) Show
Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan City
This much-loved animated mannequin show originally started in a department store in Cubao but was forced to shut down due to lack of funds. But Greenhills Shopping Center thankfully decided to take the reigns and revive this Filipino family tradition by reconstructing a towering Christmas display with an automated mechanical show in correspondence with the original COD display.
The Christmas show is located right next to the Shopping Center and opens the same time as the night tiangge, a perfect way to end the night after doing a bit of shopping! Share a piece of your childhood with your children and watch the Christmas Show which runs from 6:30pm-11:30pm and repeats every thirty minutes thereafter. You can do a little shopping before it starts or simply enjoy a scrumptious meal in Greenhills’ wide array of restaurants in the Shopping Center and the Promenade. You can reminisce on how the original COD shows were like and share your sweetest childhood memories to your family. This show not only proves to be a charming form of entertainment but also brings about an overwhelming sense of family togetherness right in time for the holidays.
Other Manila Holiday Must’s!
Snowville
SM Mall of Asia
Now just because we will never have snow during Christmas it doesn’t mean we won’t find a way to experience it. Christmas is now officially being celebrated in SM Supermalls and Mall of Asia particularly spreads Christmas joy with a 50-foot glimmering Christmas tree and Snowville.
If you have a fascination for snow globes than step into Snowville and know what t it feels like to be inside one! There’s snow constantly falling from the top and you can have your photos taken for a minimal fee.
Meralco’s Paskuhan Village
Meralco, Pasig
Every Christmas, Pasig enjoys a feast of lights and holiday cheer thanks to Meralco’s Paskuhan Village. Gather your family and friends and be amazed at the Nativity Belen made out of recycled copper or enjoy a ride through Toy Town on the electric toy train!
Meralco also encourages their customers to unite and brighten their homes through the “Maliwanag Ang Pasko decor and lighting campaign” This campaign was launched in 2006 and seeks to encourage everyone to celebrate Christmas joy by decorating and lighting their houses. Last year, Meralco awarded P25,000 to 9 of the brightest and best decorated homes. Meralco will donate the same amount to a chosen partner charity institution.
Experience Christmas beauty at it’s best by driving by these awarded houses or better yet, join this campaign and lavish your home with the brightest lights and enchanting decorations. Make it a family project and enjoy people’s delight overyour stunning creation!
Meralco Paskuhan Village is open to public from 7pm-10pm on weekdays and 7pm-12am on weekends.
Photography by: Alexis Cuizon
