Manila Nightlife

The scene at Studio A in Makati City

I have to admit that the nightlife in Manila has always been world class; from intimate jazz bars to mega discos. My first encounter with Manila nightlife was the night my mom and tita (aunt) Baby Valencia took my cousin Rhett Eala and I hotel hopping along Roxas boulevard. Starting out at the Jungle Bar at the historic Manila Hotel then to the Lost Horizon disco at the Philippine Plaza Hotel and finally to the disco at the Century Park Sheraton. There was also Stargazer atop the Silahis Hotel, and of course, the mother of all Manila disco's, Where Else?, at the Intercontinental Hotel.

These days, the energy is still the same except there are several hundred more places to go to. On this last trip, Rhett took me to Studio A along Makati avenue to a party hosted by Marlboro. Since cigarette companies cannot advertise through the traditional forms of advertising, companies use venues like Studio A to indirectly promote their product. It's an all out event complete with global celebrity deejays, an array of light displays and pyrotechnics. Models offer drinks and hors d'oeuvres to a diverse crowd of professionals and foreign nationals. My sister, Haj Wilcox, and cousins, Gigi and Dennis Eala came along for the ride.

Just like the old days, we finished the evening at the Manila Peninsula Hotel for some Halo-Halo (traditional dessert of fruit, beans, ice cream, shaved ice and milk) and late night conversations.