Manilla Visit

[northtoalaska]

Hi All,

I’m currently in Cebu but I’d like to fly to Manilla to visit the American Military Cemetery, Corregidor and maybe Bataan. 

I know nothing about Manilla in terms of neighborhoods, ease of transport, etc. 

I plan to spend a day visiting the cemetery and another day seeing Corregidor. I haven’t researched Bataan to see if there are any memorials to the “Death March” that would be worth the time to visit. 

Does anyone have suggestions as to which neighborhoods I should be looking in for accommodations? I’ve read Makati is good, but is it too far away from my points of interest?

Thanks so much for any thoughts 

 

[earthdome]

2 hours ago, northtoalaska said:

Hi All,

I’m currently in Cebu but I’d like to fly to Manilla to visit the American Military Cemetery, Corregidor and maybe Bataan. 

I know nothing about Manilla in terms of neighborhoods, ease of transport, etc. 

I plan to spend a day visiting the cemetery and another day seeing Corregidor. I haven’t researched Bataan to see if there are any memorials to the “Death March” that would be worth the time to visit. 

Does anyone have suggestions as to which neighborhoods I should be looking in for accommodations? I’ve read Makati is good, but is it too far away from my points of interest?

Thanks so much for any thoughts 

 

Makati would be a good choice. Plenty of nice hotels, restaurants, shopping, etc. The cemetery is in Global City/Fort Bonafacio which is about 1-2 miles from Makati depending on where you stay.  A quick search for Corregidor tours found ones that will pick up from your  hotel, including Makati hotels. I recommend downloading the Grab rideshare app and getting that setup and ready to use in Manila. It really is a much better experience than trying to use taxi's. And you can get a pickup by Grab at NAIA, I only had to wait 5-10 minutes.

[Gary D]

Mount Samat Bataan well worth a visit. Not sure if you could do it comfortably as a day trip. May be possible to do it from Manila by ferry to Limay.

[KC813]

 

I’m sure you have read enough on here about transport woes in Manila to know all you need to know – it’s lousy!

 You mention Corregidor and the US cemetery -- my two top places when I give the 'friends & family manila tour’.  In fact, I’m hoping to hit corregedor again with my son when I pass through in two weeks.  

I’d suggest touring the rock first before the cemetery visit.  The cemetery feels much more meaningful with the tour of Corregidor fresh in your head.

For getting a rough orientation of Manila in relation to these two sites, picture the airport at the center.  

Mall of Asia (ferry to Corregidor) is ~3 miles to the WNW of the airport, and the cemetery ~4 miles to the ENE.

Although there are many variables to consider when choosing accommodations -- length of stay, itinerary, wallet weight -- you might well consider the Mall of Asia area.  10-15 minutes from the airport and all ranges of accommodations since area is overgrown with condo/apartment/hotels.  Most rooms are walkable (or 3 minute ride) to the ferry port for the 7am Corregidor departure.

The USCem closes at 5pm.  Unless you are participating in a special service, a couple of hours is enough time there for most people.  Add an hour if you are a naval history buff and want to spend quality time with the dozen murals charting the pacific sea battles.  The trip from MofA to USCem shouldn't be too bad (20 minutes?) between 10a and 2p, even without taking the tollway.

Also, staying in the MofA area gives you a direct shot north on Roxas if you decide to tour Intramuros / Lunita.

Touring the Bataan pennisula is a whole different ballgame.  Hiring a tour guide w/driver is possible, but pricey.  With just a little research, a self-guided tour with a driver can be just as good.  If you leave at 5am, figure about a 14 hour day trip to see the main Bataan memorials and return to Manila.  I'd say only hitting about 2-3 sites there is sufficient.  Still, makes for a very long day.    Not everyone considers a Bataan trip worth the hassle (I do), but maybe it would be more enjoyable if combined with an overnight visit to the Angeles or Subic area.

 

 

[northtoalaska]

Perfect! Thanks so much. This is exactly what I needed to know. 

Cheers!

[northtoalaska]

4 hours ago, KC813 said:

 

I’m sure you have read enough on here about transport woes in Manila to know all you need to know – it’s lousy!

 You mention Corregidor and the US cemetery -- my two top places when I give the 'friends & family manila tour’.  In fact, I’m hoping to hit corregedor again with my son when I pass through in two weeks.  

I’d suggest touring the rock first before the cemetery visit.  The cemetery feels much more meaningful with the tour of Corregidor fresh in your head.

For getting a rough orientation of Manila Although there are many variables to consider  Most rooms are walkable (or 3 minute ride) to the ferry port for the 7am Corregidor departure.

When you go to Corregidor, do you do the, I think it’s Sunshine Tour for 3,000+ or do you just buy a ferry ticket and wander around?

For a first, and likely, only time visitor, what would you suggest?

Thanks. 

[Gary D]

We did the Corregidor  tour on the tour bus, not sure walking is an option. There is a hotel there so an overnight stay is possible.

[Arizona Kid]

Years ago I went to Angeles City with my GF. to visit the RAO run by Jim Boyd to establish my FPO address. On the ex airbase there we stopped at a cemetary for Americans that wished to be buried there. It was well kept and nobody else was there but us. I'm not usually an emotional person but I felt honored to be there.  

[OnMyWay]

16 minutes ago, Arizona Kid said:

Years ago I went to Angeles City with my GF. to visit the RAO run by Jim Boyd to establish my FPO address. On the ex airbase there we stopped at a cemetary for Americans that wished to be buried there. It was well kept and nobody else was there but us. I'm not usually an emotional person but I felt honored to be there.  

I have not been in that cemetery but I drive by it quite often.  It has been undergoing rehabilitation for the past year or two, and I think it is nicer now.

[northtoalaska]

Thanks, Arizona. I am aware of that Cemetery. I think I’ll add it to the list as well. 

A few years ago I was at the Normandy cemetery and got the bug. Turned into a super bug because when I visited Normandy it was winter and I was literally the first one in the gate. As I wandered about the fellows came out to raise the two flags that fly there. I got setup to shoot some pics when one of the guys, with an American accent asked me where I was from. Upon hearing the USA he then asked me if I would like to raise the flag. Holy s$&@. Would I like to raise the flag?!? He didn’t have to ask twice. It chokes me up every time I think about, including right now.

So, I’m trying to visit all the overseas US military cemeteries. There’s a good website, whose url eludes me at this time, that shows where they are.