David had to go to Manila for work, so I (Sam) decided to join him for a few days. Although David has been to Manila before, this was my first visit there. We arrived in Manila on New Year's Eve and were given a warm welcome by the hotel manager and staff. For New Year's Eve we had planned to have a quiet dinner at the hotel and see the new year in together, but instead we were invited to a charity dinner and concert at the hotel. This charity event was in aid of the victims of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda and the special guest performer was American pop, jazz and R&B singer Patti Austin.
One Heart, One Voice Benefit Concert with Patti Austin
Being familiar with Patti Austin's music, it was such a special treat to see her perform and sing many of her famous songs. She still has an amazing voice and her performance was effortless. After the concert we headed to the roof-top pool at The Raffles hotel, where there was a band playing and where we rang in the new year. Because we were outside on the roof, we could see the spectacular display of fire works all across the city (we have never seen so much fireworks go off at the same time). It was a great evening and a great way to ring in the new year.
Fairmont and Raffles Makati
The Fairmont and Raffles Hotels are situated in an area called Makati, the main business district in Manila. Both hotels opened in December 2012 and although they are physically joined, they are run as two separate brands. We stayed at the Fairmont Makati and it was a great experience; a really nice hotel with excellent staff.
While David worked that week, I spent some time walking around Makati and familiarised myself with the area. Not only is Makati the main business district in Manila, but it is also where most of the top hotels and exclusive shopping malls are located.
The Filipino people are very religious and within the small area I explored, I came across two churches in places I didn't expect. One church was outdoors in a park surrounded by malls and the other was on the top floor of a big department store.
