East City Travel Guide

All the Latinate vibrancy of Philippines life comes out in Manila at night, although there is no denying its rough edge. Recent clean-up campaigns have cut into the legacy of sex tourism sleaze, although it can still be found by those who care to look. The generally high standards of English also allow for faster contact with locals. Barflies looking for genuine native excitement should gravitate to JM Nakpil Street, Makati Avenue or Pasay Road in Makati, or anywhere in Malate and Ermita districts. Almost any bar or club is likely to feature live music, so the sections below do overlap somewhat. Closing times range from 0200 or 0300 during the week to 0500 at weekends, depending on the venue. Dress codes also vary with the venue but are often robustly get-down. The legal drinking age in the Philippines is 18 years. An entire evening of hardy drinking at a typical bar will cost between P150 and P300 - anyone foolhardy enough to patronise a girlie bar can expect that figure to rise hugely.