This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2011 issue of World Gaming magazine.
The Philippines has a hot party scene and at the top stands the ultra-exclusive club Republiq at Resorts World Manila. Manila might be better known for its go-go bars and karaoke but make no mistake Republiq is a bar that wouldn’t be out of place in New York, Paris, Sydney or Hong Kong. The Stallion galloped into town recently to check out what all the fuss was about.
Ultra exclusive club Republiq
This club is white hot. The first thing you notice is the throng of people clambering to join one of the many lines to get into the nightclub. This is the bar everyone wants to party at in Manila so the trick is to find someone important to help you get through the front door. The second thing that hits you in the face is that all the beautiful people surround you. The girls are tall, sleek and perfectly attired and the men look as if they drive their hummers to polo games during the days and leave their Ferraris with the valet at night.
This Stallion has plenty of pull himself but when I discovered my good friend The Dragon would also be in town there was never going to be a problem jumping the queue and finding a good table. We were ushered past the mayhem outside the venue and it wasn’t long before we had an icy bottle of top shelf vodka and mixers in front of us. I can’t remember the exact price it set us back but it was about 4,000 or 5,000 pesos which everything considered is pretty good value. These days bottle service is the go. It might cost a little more but you get your own space and can actually kick back and enjoy yourself.
This is a bar that at 3,000 square feet is large enough to create a wild party atmosphere with as many as 1,000 people, but there is still an intimate touch that makes one feel important and exclusive. The surroundings are superb, and the sound system and visual technology is everything you would expect of a club of this calibre.
The DJs work the crowd into a frenzy and the atmosphere seems electric all night long. By the time we staggered out at about 5:30am, the club was only just beginning to wind down.
Republiq: One of Asia’s hottest night spots
Republiq could easily open to a full house most nights of the week like some of the great Las Vegas venues such as Tao at the Venetian but I think management have been smart by only opening three evenings a week. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights are Republiq nights and this will help the bar keeps its image of being one of Asia’s hottest nightspots for some time to come. This is the sort of place Fashion TV comes to party it up with the rich, famous and sexy.
The service here is nothing short of amazing. You don’t have the problem of over-pampered staff prancing around like poodles in their designer clothes displaying their latest tattoos and piercings. If you want a drink you can expect to get it quickly and with a smile, which makes a nice change from the clichéd standard set by similar places in other major cities. Republiq is the place that Manila’s movers and shakers come to relax. Senior politicians, celebrities and those with more money than they know what to do with frequent the club. No doubt there is state of the art security and secret back entrances to spirit the A-listers in and out.
Republiq is not everyone’s cup of tea, in fact you won’t find a cup of tea anywhere in this pumping 21st century uber-hip joint. If you’re looking for a quite beer after work forget it. If you want to be left alone in peace to enjoy a romantic night then this place is not for you. If you don’t want to get dressed up, mingle with the ‘cool set’ and spend a few dollars while you are at it then you have come to the wrong venue. If, however, you want to party hard at one of Asia’s hottest nightspots and chat to supermodel gorgeous girls and make up stories about your trust fund, latest skiing holiday in Europe and your garage full of sports cars then you have just found the perfect place!
