The PhilSports Complex, or "Ultra" caters mainly to the needs of national athletes, but is open to…read morethe public, for a small fee: P35 for the track oval; approximately P60 for the pool. Its sporting facilities have improved; they only recently reopened the track oval for use after being closed for over a year. The track and field area is still well-lit, cushioned for comfortable running, and the grass rehabilitated. I've come here to run during both the mornings and the evenings -- while it is cooler in the evening, there tends to be more people and less parking. And parking can be a problem. There are a few slots, which are not actually open for parking and I am not sure why. Going in the morning means less competition for parking, and less people. Besides the track oval, both whole teams and individuals come to Ultra to make use of the Olympic-size pool, and the field for frisbee, rugby, futbol, and martial arts. However, the toilets are disgusting. If you can, hold it in. You do not want to go into those (dis)comfort rooms. Opens at 5 AM; closes at 9 PM. They will be closed or at least be unavailable on some days without obvious notice. The guards at the main gate will not even know. They need to be more transparent about their special activities, or when they will not be open to the public.

The place is huge and spacious, with lots of bowling lanes and billiards tables to spend countless…read moreof fun hours in. Prices are fair. Not sure how thoroughly they clean the bowling shoes (though they weren't smelly or anything like that). On-site food offerings are limited, though it's located in a mall so lots of places around to dine in after (no outside food and drinks allowed). Overall, a really fun spot for you to spend half a day in with friends and family.

Took the family out for some weekend bowling at this spot and we had an absolute blast! The place…read moreis massive with tons of lanes that never felt crowded, even on a Saturday afternoon--plenty of space to spread out and cheer each other on. We did a couple hours of unlimited bowling, shoes were comfy and didn't stink at all, and the lanes rolled pretty smooth once we got going. The big screens overhead kept score perfectly, music was pumping just enough to keep the energy up without being overwhelming, and the AC was a lifesaver. Grabbed some snacks from the counter (their fries hit the spot) and loved that it's right in the mall for easy food options afterward. Kids were laughing the whole time, we all got way too competitive, and it turned into one of those perfect family afternoons. Super fun vibe, great value, and we'll definitely be back next time we're in the area. 5 stars!

This golf course lies in the middle of Quezon City. You'll never know they have one until you drive…read moreto the clubhouse. The course is flat but it has several water hazards on the fairways and bunker around the greens If you're a long hitter, you can reach some of the par 4s in one. They have some holes where you have to lay up to reach the greens. Unfortunately, we played when the greens were just aerated. So it's hard to putt to the holes. In general, this course is good for both beginners and novice golfers. The greens are challenging to putt as they require you to read the breaks to the hole. After a round, of course, you can enjoy a nice meal at their clubhouse. If you live in the city and don't want to travel far, Veterans GC is a nice public GC and the rates are reasonable.

I've been to many badminton courts in the Metro, but The Zone remains to be my favorite. For one,…read moreit is conveniently located if one lives and works within Makati CBD. After work, I just walk to the court. I don't need to bring my car, even if there are ample street parking slots in front of the building. The Zone has a total of fifteen standard badminton courts. Six of which have wood flooring, while nine are equipped with Taraflex material. There's also a basketball court complete with digital scoring system. The shower and comfort rooms are air-conditioned and personal lockers are also available. A food stall in the receiving area makes sure that players don't have to worry about drinks and food. If you forget to bring accessories, there's even a small store that offers sports socks, apparel, and other badminton stuff. Recently, The Zone improved its security by placing surveillance cameras in strategic places inside and outside the building. With this, fees and court rentals have slightly increased. At present, the entrance fee is PHP 75.00 per person. During peak hours, weekends, and holidays, you can rent a Taraflex court for PHP 300.00 per hour, while a wood court can be used for PHP 250.00 an hour. A play-all-you-can promo is available during weekdays from 6:00am to 5:00pm for just PHP 150.00 per person. The basketball court rate is PHP 1,500.00 per hour during off-peak time and PHP 2,000.00 for peak hours.

The Zone Badminton Court has one of the best locker rooms among all the badminton courts that I've…read morebeen to within its price range. Nicely laid badminton court mat. However, some courts are damaged and they just patched the damages instead of replacing them. White stuff coming from the ceiling also fall down which I assume are bird feathers. They did not even bother to fix the damaged lights. Most of the staff are either lazy or rude. I have only come across two staff members who are nice so far (mostly women). Half of the time that we go there, they do not automatically turn on the exhaust on each court. We either have to turn it on ourselves or go back to the counter to ask them to turn it on, which, of course, consumes the time that we paid. Rudest of all is the guy receptionist who I think is on his late 20s or 30s. He once switched the light off of our court when we just started playing. When approached, not even one apology was heard from that guy or from any of the staff present. This guy also tends to answer sarcastically. They also have a very inconsistent rescheduling policy. Or so said this guy. We have asked to reschedule more than once before this incident because of an unexpected conflict on our schedule. We thought that that would be better instead of cancelling. All of the receptionists that we talked to have always been happy to accommodate this. However, on one eventful day, same receptionist guy said that they don't allow rescheduling even if it is on the same time period that we have scheduled and that it should be done at least 2 days before our supposed schedule. That is the first time that we have heard of that policy although guy insists that that is always how things go. Weird how that is not how it always was for us and only happened when he was the one we're talking to. When asked about this rescheduling fiasco and the unwarranted-turning-off-of-the-court-lights-incident, this receptionist guy even taunted that we should go there so we can discuss it in person. AGAIN, NO APOLOGY WAS HEARD. They suck at complaint resolution. Lastly, expect that when your schedule is near their closing time, they will turn off your court light without any warning 1-2 minutes before the supposed end of your playing time.

This is the 2nd time that we had an event held at Valle Verde Country Club. This past Sunday,…read moreafter 2 years of planning, our family reunion was realized. I'd like to do this review and share our experiences from planning and the actual event. First of all, I give Anne, the Sales Reservation Officer 5 stars for her assistance through the process. I am based abroad and I did everything remotely and it was not easy. She was very attentive and truly cares in giving us a great experience at this club. We encountered some mishap on the function room set up and she facilitated the set up changes we requested and still able to meet our timeframe. The event was a family reunion which entails a lot of bonding and therefore this Agono & Barras rooms should not be recommended to cater for this purpose because the divider cannot be opened fully to have 1 big function room . The food was delicious from the main to the desserts but the best part are the service staff. They were attentive and catered to everything we needed. Lastly, this club has a very old and dull looking facade. The club sign is an eye sore and truly needs some serious refurbishing. It matters because that's the first thing you see and the club sign would be nice to be featured on the video of the event. That takes out 1 star for this my review. Thank you Anne and to your wonderful service staff.

Note: This is a 4.5 Stars Review!…read more My parents have been going here even before I was born. This Country Club was one of the first clubs in Manila. Though the facilities are not as new or "flashy" as the other clubs in the Makati area, Valle Verde Country Club or VVCC feels like a second home for me and my family. I spent my summers here with my friends and cousins. This is where we would have Sunday lunches with family and friends. My dad and brother still go here on weekdays to play tennis. I go here to eat! :) Like any club, you need to be a member to get into VVCC. I only get to eat here because of my dad's membership and he's been a member since the 70's. Some of the waiters here have been working for VVCC since the 80's and know the members like they were family. They know my dad so well that, once they see him, they will have his regular order prepared! The food here is top-notch and they also make a point to add new dishes every month. My favorite dishes are the Pork Chops (two thick pork chops + rice and unli-gravy), Corned Beef, Lengua con Champignon (ox tongue with mushroom butter sauce), and Roast Beef. All their dishes are delicious. I haven't ordered anything I did not like. On Sundays, they have their lunch buffet which includes made-to-order Mongolian rice and barbecue/grilled meats. The lunch sets are "super sulit" and the desserts/pastries are very good too! Did I mention that their dishes each cost about Php250-350 only? Nice! :D Lastly, they also have a "Party Pack" or "Christmas Specials" menu! Available for Take-out and Pick-up, their big orders are perfect for special occasions or get-togethers with family and friends. My dad ALWAYS orders their Paella and Chicken Galantina! I also recommend their Roast Beef. Super delicious dishes! Saves you time and energy come Noche Buena! :D

My kids loved this place. My brother and cousin took my kids here so I could go shopping at the…read moremall. Thank you!

Kids can never have enough fun. Play places know this--that's why they charge by the hour. When…read moreevery second counts, there's one place (well actually, at least a couple--more on that later) where you and your kids are sure to get more bang for your buck: Kidzoona! Kidzoona offers a different approach and feel to every other major kiddie play place due to one major factor--the all-out love for their Japanese roots. Both Kidzoona outlets my daughter and I have been to (Robinson's Galleria and Waltermart Makati--please let me know if there are others out there!) exude Japanese-ness, from the arcade games kids try to play for free while mom pays for everything to the cute little warning and information signs scattered within. But don't worry--these aren't second-hand, surplus play sets. Every play surface in both branches has up to this point been kept immaculately clean and impeccably Japanese. This tiny stab of culture shock mixed with the vivid colors and the wide variety of play experiences make for unforgettable - and often bitin! - parent / kid bonding time. Check out the Galleria branch if you need a much bigger space to play in!

Me and my friends were looking for something to do that is a little unusual and Google introduced…read moreme to Power Smash's Facebook page. The gym itself was a little hard to find but once we were there, we had an amazing time. We actually showed up with no reservation so we were lucky it was a Monday because that's the day of the week you can just join other people and play a doubles game. Unfortunately, we lost the game but at least we had the excuse of not having played in years! The staff was very nice and they sell some drinks and crisps as well as a little treat after the game! Looking forward to going again! Anyone?

Huge 12 badminton court complex. Floor renovated mid 2016. Not a perfect reno but it will do. When…read moreit rains hard for 30 mins, there are drips from the ceiling. Locker rooms are small and smells. You'll have a slim chance of playing between 6pm to 8pm. It's full and difficult to get reservation. Good luck on that. But the good news is, no one is playing anytime of the day except the above mentioned time. Now get your ass up and play!

This review was for a wedding reception that I attended…read more The wedding was initially supposed to be a garden wedding but Mother Nature had a different plan. They packed in about 200 people in a room, which was spacious and well decorated. For a wedding that is to begin at 4pm and being Filipino Time, I would have to say that they were a bit "early" since it commenced at 4:15pm. The cocktail hour was in a room behind the ceremony again very spacious but not as well lit. The servers were hustling in the most professional manner serving wine, iced tea and hors d'oeuvres. We situated ourselves near the entrance of the door to see what appetizers would be coming up next. The serves made sure that our glasses were always filled to our drink of choice. For dinner we went to another room. It was exquisitely embellished with flowers and drapery as we entered the ballroom. The Manila Philharmonic Orchestra played throughout dinner. When it was time to serve the first course they had the "Waiters March". Music was played while the servers all marched in a line and strategically placed themselves near their respective tables to serve each table at the same time. It was a scene out of a cruise line. The food was well presented as well as mouth watering goodness. One of the main courses was plated in a paper box with the initials of the bride and groom. The courses were all very delicious and by the time it was dinner, I could not even eat the cake. The reception ended about 10am, we stayed till the end so we can take the obligatory pictures with the bride and groom. The wait staff never rushed the stragglers that were mingling yet they were cleaning the tables and chairs. We left out personal belongs on our table for quite sometime without a worry that it might get stolen. When we came back our table, it was clean and our belongings were stacked neatly in one area.

It was another visit to the Manila Polo club after a long absence on my part. This is a manila…read moredestination that garners high prestige and prominence in the social circles of the Philippines. I was lucky to have a friend who is a member and he invited us and some others for dinner. The beauty of coming here is that the standard of excellence never fades. In fact, if anything, the star shines brighter every time I have visited this high class place. We went there for dinner and ordered a few appetizers. There was a spinach dip. There was hummus with pita bread and some veggies, and then prawn crackers and french fries. The crackers came with a very nice spicy sauce. For dinner we started with a Caesar salad. I have to say this is definitely amongst the best if not the best Caesar salad. The highlights for main courses were pan fried Bungus (milk fish) and and chicken inasal. Both dishes were excellent. Chicken had intense flavor and the boneless bungus was very meaty. It was a large portion and was very tasty. For dessert, we went for the flourless chocolate cake, and a pastry, the name of which I have forgotten. But not forgotten the taste bud experience. What a wonderful and memorable evening, sitting on the terrace enjoying the beautiful breeze, the magnetic skyline of Manila, good friends and excellent food.