This is one-of-a-kind experience down here at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, a 50-hectare McKinley Hill project by Megaworld exuding beauty, flair & elegance inspired by the cities in Italy & Spain. True to its name, it’s Megaworld’s largest township development in Metro Manila bringing the sophisticated culture of southern Europe to the Philippines. The combination of upscale, exclusive residences, premium-grade offices, topnotch dining & leisure areas offer uniquely vibrant & complete lifestyle experiences making it among the country’s most prominent central business districts.

Venice Grand Canal is a lifestyle mall development in McKinley Hill townships known for its design & architecture that’s undoubtedly the "most romantic mall" in the country. Living up to its namesake, the mall sports an Italian-inspired architectural design inspired by the Grand Canal in the classical Venice known as “City of Canals”. In designing the mall, Megaworld even consulted the Rome-based architectural firm Paolo Marioni Architetto to ensure that the Venice Grand Canal Mall stays true to its Venetian inspiration. And it did not disappoint.

Highlighting the mall is the man-made Grand Canal. The canal, the most enduring symbol of Venice, offers mall guests especially families & couples an Italian experience with gondola ride tours by singing gondoliers. The canal is 200 meters long, 15 meters wide & the waters 3 feet deep. The gondolas are stationed underneath the Rialto Bridge replica. The mall also has replicas of St. Mark's Campanile in Piazza San Marco, the Rialto Bridge, which is inspired by the famous bridge in Venice & the Ponte de Amore Bridge, where mallgoers can participate at the mall's love locks installation.

Venice Piazza is an open space in Venice Grand Canal inspired by Piazza San Marco in the Queen of Adriatic. Towering over the open plaza is a replica of St. Mark’s Tower, also in Piazza San Marco. Aside from Italian-inspired attractions, Venice Piazza is another dining destination with its roster of international & local dining brands offering al-fresco & nightlife dining. The Piazza also offers Pigeon Feeding activities every late afternoon. The country’s 1st Fundador Café, can also be found at the mall. There's also a chapel, of St. Raphael the Archangel, in the 3rd Floor of the classy mall.

We have been to Macau twice & twice failed to experience this sensational gondola ride at one of the most luxurious hotels - the Venetian in Macau, the gambling capital in Asia. This is probably the most authentic of the Venetian experience outside Venice. Here you can cruise the canals of The Shoppes at Venetian as well as the outdoor lagoon to feel the extraordinary vibes of the Cotai Strip in the City of Water. And it looks like some of the singing gondoliers here are Filipinos who have a penchant for singing & are most talented.

So here we are finally experiencing it in our home country in perhaps the most sensational ride (if you’re fancying real Venice as one of your bucketlists). Is it worth the price (at PhP400 per person) with kids under 3 feet as free for a 15 minute, 1 song gondola experience in an artificial canal looking out to centuries-old Venetian-inspired architectural buildings? Of course, travels are priceless (also way cheaper than going to Italy LOL but again this is not Italy). But with the ongoing pandemic with some restrictions still in place in international travels not to mention budget LMAO, this is just like a dream came true.

McKinley Hill is located beside BGC in Taguig City & is directly connected to C-5 Road. The Venice Grand Canal Mall is at the Upper McKinley Road. It’s open daily from 11am to 10pm from Mon-Thu. & from 10am to 11 pm from Fri-Sun.

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