Shop for hours and be entertained all day in Alabang, one of the barangays, or villages, of Muntinlupa City in Metro Manila. This district, once a farming region, is now packed with gleaming new buildings, where every attraction seems designed for maximum enjoyment. Watch films, play games and go on shopping sprees in the many malls that cover this part of Manila.

Walk around this compact region of Muntinlupa to discover a number of interesting sites before picking a mall to explore. Gaze up at the skyscrapers of Filinvest Corporate City, a master-planned urban centre that forms one of Manila’s business districts. A walking exploration may also take you through tranquil gardens in the heart of the barangay, along the banks of the Alabang River.

Enter one of the malls in the area. Alabang Town Centre, which features architecture inspired by villages in the Mediterranean, is just outside the barangay limits and offers cinemas, restaurants and a play area for children.

Festival Mall, in the centre of the Filinvest Corporate City, is a slick modern complex spread across four tiers. This isn’t just a shopping centre it’s a multifaceted entertainment destination. Ride a roller coaster around the mall and drive bumper cars round a track with your friends. Kids can expend excess energy in the Pixie Forest, which has a soft play area, a plane ride and even a water flume.

Walk around the mall, stopping to shop in the boutique stores and dine in the Food Junction. Throw a coin into the wishing pond on the ground floor.

Alabang itself is a small barangay and the neighboring district of Ayala Alabang offers more sights, such as the bright white St. James the Great Church and the neighboring Madrigal Centre.

Trains run into PNR Alabang Station from Muntinlupa and Sucat, while buses travel into Filinvest Corporate City. Drive to Alabang and park in the Festival Supermall before exploring the small district on foot.