Gingerbread and gin, 3D and lights: A Makati Christmas staycation

The unique feature of the 56-foot Christmas tree at Circuit Makati is that visitors can go inside for a different experience and perspective. Photos: Stanley Baldwin O. See

Mention the word Makati and many Filipinos would associate it with terms like central business district (CBD), tall skyscrapers, or unfortunately, horrendous weekday traffic jams. With so much commerce and money made—and so many man-hours lost—along its main avenues, Pinoys hardly see the fun side of Makati anymore.

However, there’s a fun and exciting persona of the city that is just waiting to be discovered or re-discovered. Honestly, one 24-hour day will not be enough to experience everything on the list below—a Christmas staycation itinerary like no other created by the city of Makati, together with Ayala Land and Mastercard.

Let’s start with trying the ube cheesecake at Flavors restaurant in Holiday Inn & Suites Makati. It was during the pre-lunch buffet introduction that Lady Bess Howe, director of Public Relations, mentioned that we shouldn’t leave Flavors without trying the ube cheesecake. Part of their 2+1 offer on lunch or dinner buffet, my first impression of the whole cake was that it looked too good to eat.

Don’t leave the Flavors Restaurant at the Holiday Inn & Suites Makati without trying the Ube Cheesecake.

The flavor of ube and the consistency of cheesecake can be easily distinguished on their own, but somehow the combination of the two was even better.

The hotel is also offering one complimentary night at the Holiday Inn Bangkok Sukhumvit 22 or Holiday Inn Express Katong (Singapore) for every night's stay on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, on Best Available Rates, at Holiday Inn & Suites Makati. Stay period must be made on or before December 31, 2016, while redemption period is until March 31, 2017.

If the thought of ube cheesecake is not enough to kindle the Christmas spirit in you, you can take home a professionally made gingerbread house, also at Holiday Inn Makati. As part of the media familiarization tour, we were given instructions on how to build our own gingerbread houses. Ours barely made the passing grade compared to how the real pastry chefs do it; mine did not make it in one piece as I took it home that evening!

Although you can’t make your own, take home a gingerbread house made by Holiday Inn & Suites Makati’s pastry chefs.

A quick lesson on zombie survival aka archery at Kodanda Archery in the basement of Makati Cinema Square takes fun side of Makati to another level.

Aside from bow, arrow, and accessory rental, novice participants are also taught the basic rules, proper stance and posture, and accuracy and precision techniques for P580/hour.

Kodanda Archery’s staff will teach you the basics of the sport like keeping your dominant arm straight, pulling the string with your other hand towards your chin, aiming, and releasing.

For the older crowd or young ones who are interested in learning the fine art of drinking, Raffles Hotel’s Long Bar offers lessons on the basics of making gin and tonic and Old Fashioned drinks.

The mixology 101 took less than an hour to finish, but even with me volunteering how to make my own whisky-based Old Fashioned, I must admit that it will take years to master what the bartenders of Long Bar can concoct with blindfolds on.

Raffles Makati’s bartenders will not only make any drink or cocktail you want, you might get a lesson or two on basic mixology.

Should muddling sugar with bitters, and adding whisky and ice not be your thing, just order a drink and enjoy it with a complimentary choice of tapas during Happy Hour. Raffles Hotel also has 30% off its Best Available Rates on weekends and a 3+1 offer on lunch and dinner buffets (except Sunday brunches) at Spectrum, the buffet restaurant Raffles shares with Fairmont Hotel.

Fairmont Makati ups the ante by offering 50% off on bed & breakfast weekends that also includes daily breakfast for two at Spectrum, and 1+1 promos on lunch buffet at Spectrum, except on Sunday brunches.

Two attractions over at Circuit Makati: Miracle Art Happyworld Museum (P200/head) and the 56-foot outdoor Christmas tree caters to the kids and kids at heart. The former is a trick-eye museum perfect for taking weird and wacky “three-dimensional” group photos with friends.

From pre-historic designs to climbing bamboo trees with giant pandas, friends and families will have a grand time snapping photos at the Miracle Art Happyworld Museum.

The latter (top photo) is one of the tallest Christmas trees in Metro Manila and can be enjoyed from the outside as well as inside until January 8, 2017; a passage way at the back allows visitors to enter and experience a Christmas tree like never before.

Last and certainly not the least is the flagship Festival of Lights at the Ayala Triangle Gardens. Ayala Land’s two-month spectacle of lights and music runs daily until January 8, 2017, every 30 minutes from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The highlight of any Makati Christmas staycation is the Festival of Lights at the Ayala Triangle Gardens that runs until January 8, 2017, every thirty minutes from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

This year’s edition features three medleys: Christmas fiesta, scores inspired by magical, heroic, and period films, and a Disney repertoire. — BM, GMA News

For more information about the 2016 Priceless Makati Staycation, visit Make It Makati’s website and Facebook page.