Davao is emerging as the leading tourism hub for the southern Philippines and there are many Davao hotels to cater for the thousands of people that visit each year. A short distance outside the city the region is home to the Philippines' highest peak, Mount Apo and there are many other attractions worth visiting. The city also excels at providing great places to shop and as the second largest city in the Philippines, with a population close to 1.5 million people, there are shops for almost every taste. Here are the top eight places to eight of the best.
Gaisano Mall
Davao's most famous shopping centre. Luxurious in design with a contemporary look, the mall has shops and entertainment spread over six floors so it's easy to spend an entire day here. The eating options are good too and shops wise there's virtually every type of product within the hundreds of retailers.
Aldevinco
The place to spend your money if you need authentic locally made handicrafts. Aldevinco is positively packed full of creative designs and unusual gifts as the locals sell everything from genuine and reproduced antiques to sarongs, batik and brassware. Pearls are also popular as is anything handmade which makes for some unique items. The stalls number in the hundreds and are packed in side by side and shoppers should be prepared to haggle on price which only adds to the shopping experience.
NCCC Supermarket
Not just a supermarket, the centre contains different retail outlets and the prices are generally very affordable. It's Davao's largest shopping mall so offers a good selection of goods and is also the place to pick up deliciously fresh fruit. The durian is some of the best anywhere and for anyone that hasn't tried the strong smelling fruit this is a good place to start. Other fruits to try are the fresh mangosteen and the pomelo which similar to grapefruit.
Victoria Plaza
This may be one of the older malls in Davao but that's certainly not reflected in the shops as retailers sell the latest fashions and the trendiest accessories. Built at the start of the 1990s inside are food stores, restaurants, boutique shops selling home décor items, a supermarket, department store, cinema and jewellery shops selling gold and precious stones.
DAMOSA Market Basket
The latest destination for shopping and eating out in Davao. This miniature mall has been deliberately built small to give it a cosier feel without being too sterile like some of the larger centres. Fashion boutiques along with restaurants and bars can easily be found and the eateries are excellent for a light lunch. Fashion wise the emphasis is on the affordable rather than the excessively expensive as found in the designer stores. If you want to look good without the price tag the Market Basket is where to shop.
Chimes Mall
Again built on the smaller side, what it doesn't have in size it makes up for in originality. The shops sell speciality items that aren't found in the more typical high street stores and for dining there are some well known restaurants that are building up a good reputation for quality food.
SM City Davao
SM City is a chain that has shopping malls across the Philippines and because of this it attracts the big recognisable brand names and shoppers are spoilt for choice going round the hundreds of retail outlets inside.
Abreeza
A newly opened shopping centre which doesn't disappoint as it has over 300 shops and places to eat. A big department store is found with all the usual stores and there are a good selection of coffee shops to get a boost of caffeine to make it round the 660,000 sq ft of shopping space.
Lek Boonlert is an editor and content reviewer at DirectRooms and is responsible for all Davao Hotels content.
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