Most Filipinos are looking forward to the Holy Week because not only is it a week of holidays and spending time with the family, it’s also a time where they can express their faith by going on a Visita Iglesia or visiting churches, and various other practices. Although neck deep in religious activities, we still want to squeeze in a little vacation in the equation. For those who have a different plan for the Holy Week to come, here is a list of places open in the metro on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
1. Bars
In case you’re in the mood for some drinks with buddies on the weekend, after all, the metro would be partially empty, here are the places you can grab a glass of whatever you want.
- Cable Car, Tomas Morato, Makati, BGC, and Ortigas
- City Garden Grand Hotel Rooftop Bar, Makati
- Filling Station Bar, Makati
- Buddha Bar Manila, Makati (Closed on Friday)
- Draft Restaurant and Brewery, Alabang
- Black Olive, Pasig
- The Pigpen, Nuvali
2. Restaurants
For families or groups of friends who aren’t migrating to different provinces or going on a Visita Iglesia, eating out might be the next best thing. These are just some of the restaurants open on Thursday and Friday.
Makati
- 8 Cuts, Greenbelt 2 and Infinity Tower Suites
- Ooma, Edades Tower and Garden Villas, Rockwell
- Refinery, Joya Lofts and Towers, Rockwell
- Wildflour, Salcedo Village and Legazpi Village
- Gringo, Salcedo Village
Taguig
- Buffalo Wild Wings, Uptown Place Mall
- Watami, Uptown Place Mall
- Denny’s, Uptown Parade and Venice Grand Cana;
- Manam, Net Park
- The Bowery, Burgos Circle
- Ooma, High Street Central
- TGI Fridays, High Street
- Gringo, The 30th
Quezon City
- Friuli Trattoria, Maginhawa St.
- Italianni’s, Eastwood Mall
- TGI Fridays, Hotel Rembrandt and Eastwood Citywalk
- Chili’s, Tomas Morato
- Samgyupsalamat, Banawe
Manila/Paranaque/Alabang/Las Pinas
- 8 Cuts, Alabang Town Center
- Chili’s, Alabang Town Center and Mall of Asia
- Bulgogi Brothers, Evia Lifestyle Center
- Manam, Mall of Asia
- Fish & Co, Mall of Asia
- Café Society, City of Dreams
- Finestra Italian Steakhouse, Solaire Resort & Casino
- Samgyupsalamat, Leon Guinto and Earnshaw
Find out more on this list.
3. Gym
For the gym-freak, or health conscious as they call it, there’s nothing that could stop them from going to the gym and working out. Although majority of gyms and studios are closed for the weekend, there are some you could hunt down.
- Anytime Fitness
- 360 Fitness Club (All branches open on Thursday only)
4. Study Areas and Co-working Spaces
March is that stressful time where all school requirements seem to have the same deadlines. For those cramming their projects, or worse, their thesis, some study areas and co-working spaces are open in the metro. If you’re workaholic, you could also drop by for a visit.
- Diligence Café, Quezon City
- A-Space, Makati
- Coreon Gate Internet Café, Adriatico Manila (also has branches in Vito Cruz, Makati, and Pasig)
- Commune, Makati
- UniLounge, Manila
- SocialSpace Co-Working, Alabang (Friday for members only)
5. Amusement Park
Holidays are known to be precious time spent with family and friends, these people are normally the ones you don’t have time for when you’re too spent on working or studying. Maybe this holiday you could bring them to the nearest amusement park and spend a day of fun with them!
- Manila Ocean Park, Manila
- DreamPlay, City of Dreams, Paranaque
- Sky Ranch, Tagaytay
- Splash Island, Laguna
- Aqua Planet, Pampanga
6. Malls
Some people might panic when they realize that for almost 2 days most of malls around the metro are closed. If you didn’t get the memo and plan on watching a movie on Friday, check out the list of malls operating on normal hours on Thursday and Friday.
SM Malls: All closed except for SM Baguio and SM Puerto Princesa which have regular hours.
Robinsons Malls: All closed except for Robinsons Malls in Antipolo, Luisita, and Tagaytay which have regular hours.
Malls in Dasmarinas, General Trias, Malolos, Palawan, Pangasinan, Starmills, and Santiago are closed on Friday only.
Ayala Malls: Closed except for Harbor Point, Ayala Malls Solenad and Ayala Malls Serin which have regular hours.
Bonifacio High Street has select establishments open on Thursday and Friday.
UP Town Center closed on Friday.
Fisher Mall: Regular hours on Thursday and Friday.
All mall operations will resume on Black Saturday and Easter Sunday. Click on CNN’s mall guide for updates.
7. Spa
When employees rarely get a break, they grab the opportunity to relax any moment they can. Treat yourself and your friends to a relaxing day at the spa either in an almost empty city or away from the city.
- Luljetta’s Hanging Gardens Spa, Antipolo, Rizal
- Ace Water Spa, Quezon City
- I’M Onsen Spa, Makati City
- Wensha Spa, Pasay City
- Devarana Spa at Dusit Thani, Makati
8. Recreation
Check out these activities if you’re looking for new thrills. These might just bring out the giddy kid in you while your fire arrows, paint, or jump to your heart’s content.
- Jump Yard, Pasig
- Sip & Gogh, Kapitolyo (Closed on Friday)
- Flying Trapeze Philippines, Taguig (Closed on Friday)
- DMZ Archery Range, Quezon City (Closed on Friday)
What are your plans for this week? Share it with us below!
