Friday, March 1 90°F 49% Humidity…read more Let's go souvenir shopping! Gift giving (pasalubong) is an important Filipino tradition, and Kultura offers a wide range of products that showcase the country's culture, cuisine, clothing, and craftsmanship. This retail chain is owned by SM and you'll find them inside most if not all SM shopping malls. I went to the one inside SM Makati. What do they have? Apparel - atleisure, polos, footwear, T-shirts, jackets, traditional outfits like filipiniana or barong, Accessories - jewelry, sunglasses, hats, shawls, tote bags, purses Food - dried mangoes, chocolate bars, jams, polvorón (shortbread), cookies, banana chips For the home - placemats, coasters, picture frames, utensils, ornaments, figurines, other diningware I didn't buy too much because it was still early in my trip; didn't want to overpack my luggage because I had two more flights to Mindanao and Cebu. I mostly browsed around to get an idea of what they had and made plans to stop at another location on my last day. But I did get a small bag of YeloYolo cacao cookies, which are as "healthy" as cacao can be. All real plant-based ingredients and an excellent source of fiber, iron, magnesium, protein, and potassium. Halal certified as well. Overall lots of unique gifts you can bring home and share with family, friends and colleagues! Philippines 2024 collection: https://www.yelp.com/collection/DHwKzvo7o_ll8jmXFFU3KA/PHIL-2024

Bought a pair of 12.5 mm South Sea Pearls earrings and was charged $720 US dollars for an imperfect…read morepearl earring. They took advantage of the fact that I am in US purchasing the item. Even their website shows 15mm priced less for a round white pearl.

Department Store in MOA (MANILA Philippines)…read more The SM Store offer a wide range of merchandise. I remembered this as Shoemart when I lived in the Philippines until I was 11 years old. I bought a pair of Crocs flats to replace my worn out pair back home. I love these... my mom and sister each also purchased a pair. The salesperson was very helpful. She patiently went to get the correct sizes for us. She had to go to another part of the store to grab them. Not sure how far she went to get them but we waited quite awhile. The Crocs were displayed in a small section right at the entrance (which immediately caught my eye). Prices for the Crocs were comparable to U.S. pricing (about $52 for my flats). There was no line at the register and the transaction went fast and smooth. We were able to pay by credit card. Located in the South Parking Building on the first level. The SM Store is the largest department store chain in the Philippines. Review #3301

For those westerners this place is like a mix of Macy's plus Walmart. The worker to customer ratio…read moreis 2:1 and it's awesome, it's like having a personal shopper! They have a wonderful selection of local and traditional items for sale also around the store, but local! I'll be stopping here more in the coming months. So if you don't want to walk all over the Mall of Asia then come on over here and save your feet. And it has AC! Also a plus anywhere in Southeast Asia. Enjoy!

Team Manila is originally a graphic design studio that now has a store to sell their creative…read moreproducts. I highly recommend it for all those looking for funny and cool t-shirts related to the Philippines and its culture. Are you going back to your country and want to give your relatives some gift? So there's a cool alternative to the obvious Kultura Filipino. Their designers are so talented that they can take a trivial Rizal's picture and transform it into a cool t-shirt or a wallet. There's a certain hipster vibe, that's a fact. You can notice it by the shelves dedicated to Lomography - yep, they are official distributors of Lomography products in the Philippines. If you're dreaming with a new Diana or La Sardina, then take a look at this store. They sell not only the cameras, but also some accessories.

Pasalubong is such a well loved Filipino tradition. It's so well known that even when my friends…read moreand relatives from the States come to visit, they bring something for their friends and families back home. One of my favorite places to take them when they're looking for souvenirs is Team Manila in Power Plant. I love how it's uniquely Filipino and yet has managed adapt to the times and branded themselves and the "new" pasalubong. They've got really great and useful things like tumblers, wallets, and lanyards designed with Filipino words and images that make it distinct. Their graphic designers are so talented coming up with the images they put on their items, I really love it on shirts too! If you're looking for pasalubong that's different and not the usual banig inspired souvenir, Team Manila has awesome alternatives! Oh, they also sell lomo cameras and lomo film if you're into that!

I'm glad I came here for souvenirs before heading home. This store in the Mall of Asia (MOA) has…read moreFilipino food, art, clothing, history, and culture. It's thoughtfully designed and clean. I think it's valuable to visit a unique place like this as there's lots of rare finds. It was pretty busy. I had to maneuver around a lot of people while browsing. They had a lot of merch that I wanted but I knew I didn't have a lot of space in my luggage. When you check out, just know green shopping bags are sturdy and good quality. I regret buying the brown shopping bags. I noticed they smelled funny when I unpacked my luggage when I got home. I ended up recycling them. I wish I had more luggage space. I wish I had more time in this store. I guess it gives me a reason to come back here on my next vacation.

Bought a pair of 12.5 mm South Sea Pearls earrings and was charged $720 US dollars for an imperfect…read morepearl earring. They took advantage of the fact that I am in US purchasing the item. Even their website shows 15mm priced less for a round white pearl.

Gift Gate is a store that basically sells a lot of items that are colored in pink. It's main mascot…read moreis a Kitty that I'm sure many of those born in the 90's would recognize but those after the millennium would not. Back in the old days Gift Gate was well, a nice place to get gifts for your loved ones, particularly kids. They sold stationary, toys, pencils, pens, you name it it had it. I gave this one four stars because of the sense of nostalgia. I have a great suspicion that buying something here and giving it to a girl who grew up in the 90's might appreciate the sense of nostalgia that this would bring them. Not only that, but items from Gift Gate aren't that expensive. It's a nice place for people who are working on a tight budget, but want something that has a little bit of thought and sentimentality to their gift of choice.

Just to be clear, I really do not believe in all this feng shui stuff but a lot of people do, and…read morenot just my Chinese friends either. My brother, for one, is a firm believer after a feng shui expert gave him some advice about where to place certain furniture at his place, and also recommended some feng shui items like the kind found in this store. After that, he swears that his health improved substantially. A lot of my friends also believe in feng shui. Mostly, their premise is "it can't hurt." I do find some of the stuff here quite decorative, and they do make good gifts for those who are into this oriental mumbo jumbo. No offense meant for those who believe in this. Anyway, the store is one of the biggest of its kind that I've ever seen and I've seen plenty. I suppose tourists will find this store extremely interesting.

Kultura Filipino is conveniently located in the Mall of Asia. The Mall of Asia gets a lot of…read moretourists each day (especially those who might be flying back home soon), so that was a brilliant idea to put this store inside the mall. Kultura Filipino has a wide variety of pasalubong (souvenirs) to bring back as gifts for loved ones or as keepsakes for yourself. The prices aren't the cheapest, in fact you can for sure find cheaper souvenirs elsewhere throughout the Philippines, however, the items here shouldn't break the bank (especially if you are on a budget). I for one like Kultura Filipino and their items due to the variety and the convenience, since I can make last-minute pasalubong purchases before going home. I look forward to visiting the store again on my next trip back to the Philippines.

For anyone coming to the Philippines and don't have time to go to other places for souvenir things,…read morethis is the store to go to! They have all the native items to buy from clothes including barong, shelled dishes to frames, pasol (lighted stars), jewelry to sweets. Very surprised there was a store like this in the SM Megamall (mega A side). I liked everything but only limited funds to buy a lot at the time for me. The prices of course is a little expensive here but if you have no time and still have to travel to get to the cheaper store, I would just buy from here. It's organized and clean. [121/100]

THE place for beginners and experienced crocheters and knitters alike! They have a wide selection…read moreof yarns to choose from and some that are hard to find even online. When you buy a skein they can spin it into a non-knotting ball (its helpful, trust me). Special orders are easy! Maybe because the crochet/knit crafting scene is small in Manila, there are too few local yarn shops. There are many online stores but, it is still good to have a feel of the yarn before you pruchase it. Also, having a shop that has a steady flow if the one particular yarn you need for projects is important. So, Dreams Yarnshoppe is my go-to yran shop! The shop carries a fine selection of designer yarn and brands not available at big box stores. The store is tiny but stocked and the employees are helpful and knowledgeable knitters. This store carries high-quality yarns made of natural fibers instead of mostly acrylic yarn. Cotton, bamboo, and all the new blends are here to feel. Sock yarn, striped yarn, and all the notions and patterns you could hope for. Even if you like to buy online, there is something about touching your materials that is helpful. Plus, they have lots of sample projects to inspire you!

I recently learned how to crochet, and I've since become obsessed with it. If you're surprised,…read moredon't be - I'm actually a billion years old, with the personality of a five year old. Plus, crocheting is great! I decided that this year, instead of hand-making my Christmas Cards, I'd make everyone scarves instead. Because really, who doesn't like a giant, fluffy scarf? If you said nobody, you'd be spot on. But to the point - after a ton of research, I found out that there were only three physical stores in Manila that sell yarn/crocheting needles: National Bookstore, Carolina's Lace and of course, Dreams Yarnshoppe. After having visited the first two and being thoroughly disappointed, I decided to venture out to Glorietta 5. And although Glorietta is a maze to navigate through, the Dreams Yarnshoppe made it well worth the effort! Although tiny, this store has most things you'd be looking for as an crafts person. If I had a cat (eww, but I've got a point, I swear), it would have had a field day because this store is basically catnip. SO MUCH YARN. SO MANY COLOURS. So many sizes! After being repeatedly met with sad, dull looking 4 ply yarn and tiny cotton crochet hooks, this store made it seem like I'd hit the jackpot. I ended up buying 4 skeins of yarn and 2 sets of Susan Bates crochet hooks (10 hooks in total) for PHP 2960 i.e. $65. Which, if you think about it, isn't cheap. Each skein of Lion Brand Homespun bulky yarn was PHP 495 ($11) which is about $4 more than it retails for in the US. The skeins of Big Wheel by Cascade Yarn were PHP 490 each, but that's approximately how much they retail for. The two sets of crochet hooks were marked up by $1 which, in the grand scheme of things, is negligible. Pros: + Yarns of all different plys (4, bulky, super bulky) + A ton of different yarn fibres (merino, cashmere, acrylic) + A great selection of colours + Crochet hooks that range from 1-11 mm, in a variety of materials (aluminum, wood and plastic) + The women working at the store were extra knowledgeable about the amount of yarn I would need to crochet a scarf and helped me buy yarn accordingly + Friendly service + They also sell DMC embroidery thread (although, if you really need some you should go to the dedicated store - DMC Creative World at SM MegaMall) Cons: - Expensive for Lion Brand yarn - Bright fluorescent lighting in the store. I really dislike fluorescent lights. - CASH ONLY Word to the wise: STAY AWAY FROM THE WOODEN CROCHET HOOKS! I was unsure about which kind of crochet hooks to buy, so the ladies working at the store let me try the different kinds of hooks with the yarn I was already buying. The yarn kept catching on the wood crochet hooks due to tiny splinters. They've also got a local/cheaper alternative to the Susan Bates aluminum crochet hooks; the prices aren't too different, but there's a world of difference in the quality, so I went with the Susan Bates ones. P.S. If you're considering making scarves for everyone this Christmas, you might want to reconsider because of the significant impact it's going to have on your wallet ($20 per scarf).