PUBLISHING DATE: JUNE 2014
(Original Submission)
FLASHPACKING IN THE CITY: LOKAL HOSTEL
“Have you guys gone to [insert new Makati speakeasy here]?” asks a friend on Whatsapp. The group chimes in while I’m left scampering for an interjection from Google searches. I’ve been so
Perhaps you’ve spotted yourself in a comparable situation. You, too, have been slaving away at the office and itching to experience Makati apart from your 32nd floor window. Take this advice I picked up: skip your nth Bora trip this year and flashpack in the city.
Flash-whah?? Flashpack. It’s the term used for upscale backpacking and basically calls for choosing a travel itinerary, including accommodations, on a reasonably higher budget. Zeroing in on accommodations, there are tons in Makati that are wallet-friendly without the homeless shelter relegation, and it’s Lokal Hostel that takes the cake. It’s the latest addition to the bustling Poblacion locale where you’d want to start your (mis)adventures. Yeah you can just drive around the block, but hostels like Lokal are gateways to alternative finds and unexpected friends – precisely the concoction required to acquaint yourself with Poblacion’s quiddity.
Poblacion’s seedy reputation colors the other side of Makati’s central business district. Crossing the fine line between removes you from the city’s exclusive homogeneity to a respiring microculture of neon lights, pedicabs, bars, gentlemen’s clubs, traffic, restaurants, travelers, hookers, artists, and foodies. Much like Shibuya, Arab Street, or Williamsburg, Makati’s first settlement seamlessly intertwines this embraced identity with being a mecca for wayfarers. It’s a neophyte’s crash course to Manila’s mores encapsulated in Makati Ave., P. Burgos St., Kalayaan Ave., Polaris St., Reposo, and Rockwell Drive.
And Lokal Hostel is in the center, and a reflection, of this exuberance. It may be a quarter of a star from your usual travelling comforts, but it’s worth your every thrifty centavo. Lokal isn't imitating another Sogo and competing on chichi amenities nor is it the you-get-what-you-pay-for shanties other accommodations are labeled as. Lokal's value is in the encounter of that distinct community flavor. Apart from the interior design, blogs, and tourist news on cultural tidbits, Lokal walks the extra mile in defining Filipino hospitality and camaraderie. Their regular events such as the recent I’m Never Growing Old Party (complete with bouncy castle, colored cornstarch, and a ton of booze) and the Wolf of Wall Street Drinking Party, both held in Lokal’s noteworthy roof deck, are instances of wheedling guests to feel at home. It’s an invitation into a free spirit’s eclectically nationalistic welcoming abode with the travelling basics uncompromised.
Unlike the graffiti artists’ designed interiors screaming Pinoy pride and marking Lokal as an art piece in itself, the rooms' white walls and big comfy beds are geared for relaxation. Private Rooms (P1,400), Dorms (P600-P700), and Fan Rooms (P500) come with optional air-conditioning, locker, free breakfast, free towels, free linen, communal warm showers, and Wi-Fi. They provide an in-house handyman and housekeeping that observe the owners’ emphasis on cleanliness. The hostel prioritizes safety through their 24-hour security, CCTV, and fire prevention system. And then there’re the spaces where the young foreign and local guests connect -- the lounge, mini library, entertainment area, and roof deck tambayan with a view of Makati and Bonifacio that'll soon be a rooftop bar (the first affordable one in Manila). This is how couch surfers find each other.
You may not want to step out of Lokal once you check-in, but their Travel Desk is always on the pry for fascinating recommendations in the area. Heck, owners Drew and Don may even be the ones to shove your lazy ass out. You did decide to stay in Lokal to flashpack, right? So sample world flavors at Ziggurat, Al Batra, Min Sook Korean Restaurant, Filling Station, and Pink Panda or go straight to reveling at El Chupacabra, Le Café Curieux, Heckle and Jeckle, and A’Toda Madre. Feel inspired at East Asian Art Gallery and Tin-aw Art Gallery and get your own skin art at Vice Coffee and Ink. However you plan your day, it’s Lokal Hostel’s job to hold your hair back while you puke on punch-drunk nights, furnish you a snug clean bed and a hot meal, and coax you back to do it all over again. Just like your zany best friend, that’s what a good hostel should be.
