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JJReyes
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After a long absence, I am returning as an active participant with this forum.  One reason is planning for a 4 to 5 months visit to the Philippines which requires info assistance from the group.  First question.  Is there a hotel located next to a large, enclosed shopping mall at BGC?  My wife enjoys walking 5 to 6 miles a day while I normally do 2 to 3 miles.  My initial search was at Makati Business District with Makati Diamond Hotel as a possibility because their units have kitchens for long stay.  The problem is the huge crowds who use the interconnected shopping malls as passageways.  Even with two Covid-19 vaccines and two Booster shots, we still practice social distancing and wearing mask.  We need a less crowded mall for our morning walks.

My price range is $80 to $100 per day, minimum 30 days stay, booked directly with the property to avoid the 30% commission they pay to hotel search engines.

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Old55
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Welcome back.

What is a BGC?

I'll be staying at a hotel next to Greenbelt Mall complex shortly if that's helpful. I'll let you know how crowded those malls are. 

Frankly if you and your wife expect to avoid crowded areas is Philippines is a good choice? 

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Viking
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15 minutes ago, Old55 said:

Welcome back.

What is a BGC?

I'll be staying at a hotel next to Greenbelt Mall complex shortly if that's helpful. I'll let you know how crowded those malls are. 

Frankly if you and your wife expect to avoid crowded areas is Philippines is a good choice? 

BGC- Bonifacio global city.

I was thinking just like you, must be better places than malls in the Philippines, if wanting to avoid crowds!!!

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OnMyWay
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I think he means for walking indoors.  SM Aura is probably the only big indoor mall.  Venice, Uptown and High St. are mostly outdoors.

I think you would do better in an AirBnb.

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JJReyes
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On 6/26/2022 at 7:29 AM, Old55 said:

I'll be staying at a hotel next to Greenbelt Mall complex shortly if that's helpful. I'll let you know how crowded those malls are. 

Frankly if you and your wife expect to avoid crowded areas is Philippines is a good choice? 

Thanks.  Please keep me informed about Greenbelt crowds.   

 

 

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JJReyes
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On 6/26/2022 at 7:47 AM, Viking said:

I was thinking just like you, must be better places than malls in the Philippines, if wanting to avoid crowds!!!

Need to visit family after an absence of many years.  Looking forward to spending time in Boracay.  During our last visit around 40 years ago, the only tourists were European hippies living off stipends sent by their families.  Clothing was optional.  The highlight of the day was seating in a semi-circle at the beach for the sunset.  After the sun disappeared, everyone clapped and shouted, "Encore! Encore!"  

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JJReyes
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On 6/26/2022 at 9:31 AM, OnMyWay said:

I think he means for walking indoors.  SM Aura is probably the only big indoor mall.  Venice, Uptown and High St. are mostly outdoors.

I think you would do better in an AirBnb.

Yes.  I am seeking for an airconditioned, indoor walking area.  We stopped using the AirBnB website after encountering problems.  The descriptions by property owner are sometimes inaccurate.  Our preference now includes hotels and long stay facilities similar to Extended Stay America and Staybridge.  They have a living room with full size kitchen and separate bedroom, American breakfast, laundry, and daily housekeeping services.  More expensive but less headache.

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Dave Hounddriver
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1 hour ago, JJReyes said:

We stopped using the AirBnB website after encountering problems.  The descriptions by property owner are sometimes inaccurate.  Our preference now includes hotels and long stay facilities similar to Extended Stay America and Staybridge.  They have a living room with full size kitchen and separate bedroom, American breakfast, laundry, and daily housekeeping services.  More expensive but less headache.

I totally understand.  I had that problem in Cebu, but since the Typhoon of 2021, and with 2 years of Covid, there were not a lot of top class places available.  Hope you have better luck.

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Snowy79
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2 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Need to visit family after an absence of many years.  Looking forward to spending time in Boracay.  During our last visit around 40 years ago, the only tourists were European hippies living off stipends sent by their families.  Clothing was optional.  The highlight of the day was seating in a semi-circle at the beach for the sunset.  After the sun disappeared, everyone clapped and shouted, "Encore! Encore!"  

Some great walking on Boracay but all outdoors. The main beach although 4km long only has about 2km shaded by palm trees then there's Mount Luho which has some sheltered spots plus a nice breeze usually. I run a circuit around it sometimes which takes in the hill plus just over 1km of the main beach, total distance just under 7km.  Finally there's the walk to the Keyhole at Newcoast, about 5km from the gate to the keyhole and back. The return is pretty much uphill all the way but very open to the sun.

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Viking
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9 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Need to visit family after an absence of many years.  Looking forward to spending time in Boracay.  During our last visit around 40 years ago, the only tourists were European hippies living off stipends sent by their families.  Clothing was optional.  The highlight of the day was seating in a semi-circle at the beach for the sunset.  After the sun disappeared, everyone clapped and shouted, "Encore! Encore!"  

I understand you want to see the family if you have been away for a long time, but is it not better to have your walks outside instead, if you are conserned of covid?

I can only imagine what Boracay looked like 40 years ago. My first visit was 1992 and I thought it was amazing. I must say that I am disappointed in the way it has "developed", but maybe you like it. Just be prepared to see something completely different!

Have a great trip.

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