Few districts of Asian capital cities offer such thrilling contradictions as Makati in Manila. Occasionally frenetic but also surprisingly relaxing, historic yet relentlessly modern, it’s a gleaming financial and cultural powerhouse where spectacular glass skyscrapers soar above peaceful tropical gardens.
Maybe it’s the combination of inimitable Filipino hospitality and contemporary creativity, but once people warm to Makati – and they always do – it quickly becomes the place they love to call home, either as residents or visitors. Today’s Makati was once a pre-Hispanic settlement bordering Manila’s Pasig River, before becoming, in the 17th century under the Jesuits, a vast agricultural estate called Hacienda de San Pedro de Macati.
By the late 1930s, it had become home to Neilson Field, Manila’s first airport. Today the striking Art Deco control tower survives as Blackbird, one of the city’s most atmospheric restaurants. Some of Makati’s wide boulevards still trace the former runways, while back in 1946 it was also the setting for an aviation landmark as Philippine Airlines became the first Asian airline to cross the Pacific Ocean, flying from Makati to Oakland, California.
Today Blackbird sits on Ayala Avenue, Makati’s most prestigious thoroughfare, named for the Zóbel de Ayala family, one of the Philippines’ oldest, wealthiest and most influential business dynasties. They realised Makati’s huge potential and after World War II developed it into the Philippines’ foremost commercial district. From the outset, thoughtful planning incorporated interconnected walkways and generous public spaces, none of which is more enticing than Ayala Triangle Gardens.
