5 Reasons Why McKinley Hill is Every Couple’s Dream

My wife and I have documented a number of our trips from around the Philippines and overseas.  Just last year, one of our unforgettable travels was in HongKong where we had our honeymoon. As much as they were cherished memories, nothing compares to feeling at home whenever we are here in the Philippines, our homeland.

Venice Piazza @ McKinley Hill
Venice Piazza @ McKinley Hill
Venice Luxury Residences
Venice Luxury Residences

From Dream to Reality

 

It is always a young couple’s dream to have their own place, whether it’s a condominium or a house & lot, as long as they can call it their home.

We currently live in an apartment compound in Quezon City owned by my father. As a young couple, we look forward to the day when we have saved enough and eventually move to our own place we can call home.

Nowadays, with concern for our family’s safety and comfort of location for work and leisure, it is practical to consider our surroundings – the community in which we live in.

And just recently, my wife and I were glad to discover that this dream is actually now a reality at McKinley Hill at the Fort in Taguig City.

The McKinley Hill Lifestyle Experience

 

Seats For Two was recently invited to experience the lifestyle of what McKinley Hill has to offer. Among the key locations we visited were Black Canyon Coffee, Enderun Colleges, Deutchess Haven Nail Salon & Spa, and the McKinley Hill Information Center. But the hihglight of the tour was The Venice Luxury Residences.

And in the few hours that we toured the European-inspired community going through different establishments, we discovered its different facets and realized the following reasons why McKinley Hill is not just an ideal place to have a home, but a couple’s dream township as well ,where you can start your own family within an ideal community.

McKinley Hill The Fort
McKinley Hill @ The Fort, Taguig City, Philippines

1. WORK & Dine in Comfort

 

Black Canyon Coffee was our first stop where we had a filling power breakfast to start our day. With Wi-Fi connection at the coffee shop, we were able to do work and share our experiences through our social media networks in real-time.

This is actually not our first time in Black Canyon Coffee. Whenever we are around the area, the coffee shop atmosphere offers the serene ambiance we are looking for to augment our work on weekends or after-office hours.

Black Canyon Coffee
Working @ Black Canyon Coffee, Tuscany Estates
Work & Dine in Black Canyon Coffee
Work & Dine in Black Canyon Coffee

As part of Tuscany Estates‘ row of restaurants along Upper McKinley Road, the location offers a wide array of dining choices where it is very convenient to work in as well; just in case you want a temporary change of environment from working at any of the 15 huge office buildings in the area.

In addition to the 15 major office buildings, there are about 90 restaurants and commercial stores that comprise the McKinley Hill making it a major business and leisure hub in Metro Manila.

Work @ McKinley Hill
McKinley Hill as a Business Hub houses about 15 major buildings supporting various businesses and business process outsourcing (BPO) centers.
Beef Tenderloin Rossini Risotto w/ Foie Gras
Beef Tenderloin Rossini Risotto w/ Foie Gras

2. LEARN from the Best

 

My wife is a skillful cook. She prepares awesome meals at home and is a master in cooking-up any pasta meal you may fancy. There are times I hoped I could cook too and return the favor to her; or at least prepare a decent meal like breakfast in bed to surprise her. 🙂

So it was great to know that there is Enderun Colleges within McKinley Hill which offers basic cooking classes for novice-wannabees like me up to students looking forward  to a career in the restaurant industry and being a chef someday.

That same morning, we joined a cooking class in Enderun Colleges led by Senior Chef Martin Punzalan. The classroom was conducive to learning using top-of-the-line kitchen and cooking equipments with live video-displays. Best of all, we got to immediately practice what we learned through a hands-on cooking class where we got to cook what was taught to us.

For the main dish, we got to cook Beef Tenderloin Rossini in Risotto with Foie Gras. It is good that the cooking activity was done by-pair so obviously and fortunately, I teamed-up with my lovely wife. In fairness, it was her first time to cook both risotto and foie gras, as well.

c
Cooking with Seats For Two @ Enderun Colleges

I must say that it was our team work, my wife’s magic cooking-sense, and Chef Punzalan‘s guidance (plus the handy recipe notes) which led us through the cooking activity and successfully crafting our masterpiece – Beef Tenderloin Rossiniin Risotto with Foie Gras.

McKinley Hill is also home to 4 foreign embassies and 3 international schools which makes it a bustling area of learning. training, and developing expertise in various fields.

Enderun Colleges
LEARN @ Enderun Colleges‘ Cooking Classes in McKinley Hill

3. PLAY & Relax in Leisure

Dutchess Haven
Seats For Two‘ after a facial treatment @ Dutchess Haven

 

A lifestyle experience is not complete without some self-pampering and “me“-time.

Perfect for our afternoon break amidst our tour was the treat we had at Dutchess Haven Nail Salon and Spa at the ground floor of Morgan Suites Residences.

Wifey Marjorie was ecstatic about the surprise as we had our badly needed refreshing facial treatment.

Dutchess Haven also offers manicures, pedicures, massages, and slimming treatments.

We were enamored with the experience such that we immediately came back, a few days later, for a couple’s Swedish Massage.

Inspired from the Mediterranean lifestyle, McKinely Hill plays host to a wide array of relaxing and physical activities in the community. This includes weekend running events and marathons.

Dutchess Haven Nail Salon & Spa
Dutchess Haven Nail Salon & Spa @ McKinley Hill

The Emperador Stadium is also one of the latest addition to this growing list. Football players and groups including the Azkals Philippine football team have frequented the venue to practice and hone their skills.

Emperador Stadium @ McKinley Hill Township
Emperador Stadium @ McKinley Hill Township
Venice Piazza
Venice Piazza

4. SHOP the Venice Way

 

One of the first iconic landmarks of McKinley Hill is the Venice Piazza which houses a number of restaurants. Retails stores also surround the area.

We visited the Venice Piazza mall one night and took some eye-candy photos of the picturesque venue. We had our pre-nuptial shoot in Batangas in 2013 but I guess Venice Piazza would have been a strong contender. The first photo above is also from Venice Pizazza.

It’s an ideal wedding pre-nuptial venue for couple’s who are looking to have it done within Metro Manila, don’t you think so?

Going around the area is also a breeze with a fare-free dedicated bus going around the vicinity and bus stop terminals around the area. We also stopped by Wellcome supermarket to grab a loaf of bread before going home.

Residents and shoppers have something great to look forward to in a year or two as the Grand Canal Mall is currently undergoing construction. The new mall promises a unique and surreal Mediterranean experience complete with man-made Venetian canals and gondola similar to the Venetiam Resort Hotel in Macau.

Interestingly, The Venice got the services of the same architect and designer as that of the Venetian Macau Resort Hotel.

Iconic Venice Piazza @McKinley Hill
Iconic Venice Piazza @ Night in McKinley Hill
McKinley Hill Shopping
Shopping around McKinley Hill

5. LIVE in Venetian Luxury

The Venice Luxury Residences
Venice Luxury Residences

 Did you know that McKinley Hill is home to 34 residential condominiums, 4716 apartments, and 482 residential lots?

Among the finished and upcoming projects in the master-planned township community are the McKinely Hill Village, McKinley Garden Villas, Tuscany Private Estate, Stamford Residences, Morgan Suites, Viceroy, and The Florence.

But among those listed above, the highlight of our tour is one their latest projects – The Venice Luxury Residences.

Inspired from Venetian lifestyle, the Venice Luxury Residences will consist of seven (7) towers each with 22 to 31 storeys high offering studio to 3-bedroom units ranging from 39.4 to 119.5 square meters with individual balconies.

We were able to visit one of the finished studio unit at the 4th floor of Tower 1.

It exudes the romantic charm of Italy having been designed by Italian architect Paolo Marioni. The luxurious feel will be accentuated by loft-type penthouse units and podium-level commercial establishments connected to the aforementioned Grand Canal Mall when turned-over.

Venice Luxury Residences
Design-conscious buyers might be interested to know that its key design feature resembles the shape of a gondola’s uniquely shaped iron head – the ferro.

Some of the amenities you can expect from The Venice Luxury Residences include a swimming pool complex with spa, sauna, & jacuzzi, a fitness center, children’s playground, a tennis court, a badminton court,  and themed landscaped gardens.

Megaworld Showrooms
Afterwards, we went to the McKinley Hill Information Center to see fully-furnished showrooms of the other projects within McKinley Hill.

Know more about Megaworld at the Fort through their social networks on Facebook, Twitter,  Linked-in. You may also contact them at:

Megaworld Corporation
815-1888 or 0917-887-8696
MegaWorldAtTheFort.com

 

McKinley Hill
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City,
Metro Manila, Philipines

 

More photos here :  The Venice Luxury Residences, Black Canyon Coffee, Enderun CollegesDutchess Haven, and Venice Piazza.

McKinley Hill Township Perspective @ the Information Center
McKinley Hill Township Perspective @ the Information Center

Check out this video update by @Megaworld_Fort on McKinley Hill current developments as of August 2014:

I Love McKinley Hill

 

Megaworld is one of the Philippines’ leading  residential condominium developer and McKinley Hill is its largest township project. They have completed about 320 residential buildings, commercial and office towers, and world class hotels since 1989 so you could very well feel secure that your investment in one of McKinley Hill’s 50 hectares of landbank are safe and their promises will be delivered.

A Couple's Dream Township
McKinley Hill: A Couple’s Dream Township

With a strategic location close to Bonifacio Global City and the above-mentioned reasons I indicated, it’s no surprise why McKinley Hill can very easily be every couple’s dream community township  to live in.

 

Indeed, I love McKinley Hill where my family can Live-Work-Learn-Play-Shop. #ILoveMKH. I hope the day will come when our dream of living in the McKinley Hill township will come into fruition. 🙂

Jonel Uy

Jonel Uy is the hubby in the SeatForTwo.com tandem. Hailing from UP Diliman with a degree in Computer Science, he is also the Managing Director of #DigitalCircles.asia engaging and amplifying social media campaigns for brands. On Mondays, he teaches information technology classes at a local college.

6 thoughts on “5 Reasons Why McKinley Hill is Every Couple’s Dream

Leave a Reply to Charles Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *