Makati is where Manila puts on its best suit. The central business district of Ayala Avenue and its surroundings contains the largest concentration of gleaming office towers and international hotels in the Philippines, along with some of the best restaurants in the country. The Greenbelt mall complex — a series of open-air and covered malls around a park with a chapel — is one of the better shopping environments in Southeast Asia, with good food options alongside the retail.
The Ayala Museum on Makati Avenue covers Philippine history and pre-colonial gold. The Salcedo Village neighbourhood, a few blocks from the CBD, has a Saturday farmers' market that is worth visiting for local produce, street food, and the general atmosphere of the city's prosperous middle class. Makati is cleaner and safer than most of Manila, at the cost of some of the city's rawer energy.