Manila Shopping – Shops, Stores, Best Buys & Inside Tips

Manila Shopping Tips

Manila loves malls! You can find bargain markets outside the city, but within Manila you have an astounding assortment of malls to choose from.

Robinsons Place Manila

The main mall of Manila is in the touristy Ermita/Malate Districts. This 7-level shopping complex houses over 330 local shops, dining outlets, entertainment facilities and service centers. The mall is within walking distance of many of the good hotels in the area like the New World Hotel Manila Bay, Manila Diamond Hotel, Las Palmas Hotel, Best Western Hotel and a many more. You can find whatever you’d expect in a typical large mall anywhere in the world.

Century City Mall

Century City Mall is in the center of the chic Makati district, amid condominiums like the Trump Tower Manila, Versace Condominiums and the tallest building in the Philippines at present, Gramercy Tower. Inside this new six-story mall is an eclectic mix of restaurants, retail shopping from famous international brands, and a new state of the art cinemas.

Trinoma Mall

The first mall of the Ayala Group in the North of Makati competes with the larger SM North Edsa Mall across the street for customers, but the market here is more high-end than the mostly middle class SM North Edsa Mall. Trinoma is huge and has a large number of shops and vendors that offer food, accessories, branded products, saloons, bars, restaurants, antiques, and more.

The Podium

This is the SM Mall Group’s initial foray into the luxury mall market for the upper middle class and affluent population. This five-story mall is just across the street from the huge SM Megamall, which is a mall geared to the middle class. The Podium has products from top brands for clothing, leather goods, gadget shops, electronics, home appliances, furniture and bookstores.The upscale mall also houses several exquisite restaurants and food shops. Parking is never a problem because of the multi-level parking area in the mall and additional parking space within the vicinity of the mall.

Shangri-La Plaza

Undergoing a series of renovations since 2000, Shangri-La Plaza has been transformed into a premier urban destination mall. This posh shopping mall encompasses three department stores (Rustan’s Tower, Crossings and Marks & Spencer), name brand boutiques (Armani, Polo and Cerruti, among others), specialty stores, cafes, restaurants, game centers, the William J. Shaw Theater and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum. The mall is located just a minute away from the Edsa Shangri-La hotel and is connected to the MRT Shaw Boulevard station by a walkway.

Dangwa Flower Market is along Dimasalang Street, with flower stores side by side. Haggle for the best price.

Editor’s note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about shopping in Manila.