Aerial View of Malate

Hailed as the center of night life in the Philippines, Malate is one of the old districts in Manila that has been known for its wild night life and party scene. The place has a lot of recreational facilities and amenities that will satisfy the needs of nearby residents as well as tourists and guests.

Malate is continuously transforming itself as the center of recreation and entertainment of Manila with more restaurants, boutiques, bars, discos and novelty stores opening for business. The block bounded by the streets; Maria Orosa, Julio Nakpil, Adriatico and Remedios have become synonymous to "street parties," al fresco dining, street dancing and concerts.

 

Etymology

The word Malate is believed to have stemmed from the corruption of the Tagalog word "maalat," meaning "salty." Local legends tell that tidewaters from Manila Bay flowed far inland and the seawater polluted the fresh water collected from wells, thus making the drinking water in the area as salty as seawater.

 

History

During the Spanish colonial period, Malate was an open space with a small fishing village. When the Americans came to the country by the turn of the 19th century, American urban planners envisioned the development of Malate as the newest and trendiest exclusive residential area for American families. American expatriates and some of the old Spanish mestizo families populated the district in modern high rise apartments and bungalows.

The once exclusive residential areas on the western portion of Malate began to transform in the 1970s into a commercial area with some large homes and residential apartments being converted into small hotels, specialty restaurants and cafes.

Despite the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, visual and performing artists found a haven in Malate during the 1980s and it became a bohemian enclave and safe haven. The western side of Malate across Taft Avenue remains a quiet middle-class area with several apartment rows converted into dormitories for students enrolled at nearby schools.

 

Tourism

The district is home to the Philippine's first sports stadium, the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and the country's premiere zoological park, the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden. Promenades and parks by the Manila Bay have been made more convenient and safe with the opening of the Manila Baywalk area.

 

Well-known Establishments in Malate

• Facilities

In the 1990s, Malate and the nearby district of Ermita had been "cleaned-up" and big businesses and resort hotels have sprouted in the district. Harrison Plaza, Manila's first enclosed shopping center, is located in the Malate district. There is one hospital, the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center, located at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and Quirino Avenue.

• Government offices

The country's forefront financial agencies like the Department of Finance, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas or BSP (Philippines Central Bank) and lending institution LandBank of the Philippines established their headquarters in the district, while the National Naval Command Headquarters of the Philippine Navy, a unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, is at the boundary limits of Manila and the city of Pasay along Roxas Boulevard.

• Schools

Malate is home to several educational institutions such as St. Scholastica's College, De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde, De La Salle University, the Philippine Christian University, the Philippine Women's University, St. Paul's College, and for secondary-level education is the Philippine Women's University-Jose Abad Santos Memorial School, Jesus Reigns Christian Academy and Malate Catholic School. The only public school managed and operated by the city government of Manila in the district is the Doña Aurora Quezon Elementary School.

 

Malate is also home to numerous elegant hotels and accommodations. If you happen to visit the place and wish to stay for a while, here are some of the hotels that you may check into.

• Somerset Millennium Makati - No 104 Aguirre Street, Legaspi Village, Makati, Manila, Philippines 1229
• New World Hotel Makati City - Esperanza Street corner Makati Avenue, Makati, Manila, Philippines 1228
• Best Western Hotel La Corona - 1166 MH Del Pilar Cor. Arquiza St. , Ermita, Manila, Philippines
• Mandarin Oriental Manila Hotel - Makati Avenue, Metro Manila, Makati, Manila, Philippines 1226
• Hotel H2O - Luneta (Behind Quirino Grand Stand), Manila Bay, Manila, Philippines
• Hyatt Hotel & Casino - 1588 Pedro Gil cor M.H. Del Pilar, Malate, Manila, Philippines 1004
• The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences - 119 LP Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati, Manila, Philippines 1227
• Makati Shangri-La Hotel - Ayala Avenue Corner Makati Avenue, Makati, Manila, Philippines 1200
• Fraser Place Manila - Valero St, Forbes Tower, Salcedo Village, Makati, Manila, Philippines 1200
• BEST WESTERN PLUS Antel Hotel - 7829 Makati Avenue, Antel Lifestyle City, Makati, Manila, Philippines 1200

 

How to get there

The district can be directly accessed by the main roads like Roxas Boulevard, Quirino Avenue and Taft Avenue. The Light Rail Transit (LRT-1) follows Taft Avenue and stops at three stations located in Malate: Vito Cruz Station, Quirino Station, and Pedro Gil Station.