Hi there, this is Andrew, MDC’s tech guy. Starting today I’ll be doing a series of blog posts on the best places to do stuff in Davao City. Be it eating, having fun, taking pictures or hanging out with friends, I’m gonna give you the best that Davao has to offer.
I’m kicking off this series with one of my favorite pastimes — working out. Yeah I work out a lot. I’ve tried several gyms already, but only a few stand out. Here they are:
3. Smashville – You may find Smashville’s location quite odd. When you enter the building, a flurry of Chinese immigrants are busy selling their wares to bargain hunters. The gym is fortunately on the second floor, where it’s more quiet and conducive to exercising. You’ll find out why it’s called Smashville upon seeing the eight badminton courts near the lobby. The courts are usually full on Wednesdays and the weekends. The cardio area is quite spacious, replete of treadmills of different sorts and sizes, even a mini-theater that helps you burn calories without minding the time. The workout machines are on a higher floor. Going up the stairs itself is an exercise. Once you’re up, you can’t help but notice how big the place is. There’s ample space for doing stretches, abdominal exercises and aerobics. It isn’t crammed like other gyms in the city. The instructor named Eric is very helpful and courteous. The downside to Smashville is its location. It’s on Magsaysay Avenue, not the most accessible address there is. Parking is a chore. Sometimes I’d have to do 3-4 rounds before I can park my car. A few occasions I’m forced to go to another gym out of frustration. But if you take public transportation, that wouldn’t be a problem.
Pros: Ridiculously spacious. Free Internet access. Friendly staff. Cheap at about P500/month.
Cons: Little to no parking space. Televisions in cardio area have no earphone jacks and takes a while before you find the one and only remote to switch channels. You can hear what the other 15 people people are watching. Some equipments are noticeably old. Locker rooms are so-so. Monthly fees are cheap but not for credit card holders. I found it annoying to hear about promos but never availed coz they apply only to cash. Isn’t that against the law?
Smashville is located at AGL Building, R. Magsaysay Avenue, Davao City. Call 082-305-5999.
2. MetroLifestyle – I’ve heard of “Metro” from friends who’ve been bugging me to try the gym because, they say, it’s where all the attractive, “sosyal” people work out. Ok. So I tried it last week. I first noticed how big the gym had become after expanding to the new annex building. It’s nice, it even has a second floor lounge area that doubles as a running track. My only complaint is the gym equipment aren’t as nice as that of Holiday’s where I work out. Holiday uses those sexy Lifestyle Fitness machines, Metro uses Cybex Eagle, which I find kind of clunky. Their free weights are kind of rusty too. But I guess that’s alright for Metro’s regular gym goers. And admittedly I haven’t gone to that gym long enough to appreciate it. Monthly fee is relatively high at P1,200, but no membership fee required.
Pros: New expansive cardio and workout areas plus running track. Several nice establishments to hangout after exercising. There’s enough parking for everyone. Has lots of potential for improvement.
Cons: Cardio has only three televisions with no earphone jacks. Free weights are old and rusty. Locker rooms are shared with spa clients.
MetroLifestyle is located at F. Torres Street, Davao City. Call 082-228-6180 to 82.
1. Holiday Spa and Fitness Center – Holiday Spa is tops for me because I don’t have to worry about where to park and don’t have to climb two flights of stairs to do what I want. Holiday upgraded all their machines last year which makes the whole experience a pleasure. They’ve got a nice running track, a pool, a boxing ring and badminton courts. Payments are not as flexible as the other two. It costs P1,500 for a month’s membership, but that goes down if you pay 2, 3 or 6 months in advance. I got a lifetime membership, which is great because I only have to pay P900 a month and don’t have to pay anything else. Not all gym instructors are as helpful as you’d want them to be. You have to call them to give you the attention you need. Nevertheless, Holiday easily stands out as the best place to work out in Davao City.
Pros: Ample parking. New, clean machines that are well-maintained. Running track is a big, big plus. Full day schedule for yoga, aerobics, pilates and dance sessions available for members at no extra cost. No preference for cash or card payments!
Cons: Workout, cardio, boxing areas are crammed in one mid-sized gym. Too many staff that sit around. Little to no space to do ab exercises. No stretching machines.
Holiday Spa and Fitness Center is located at F. Torres Street, Davao City. Call 082-222-3041.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:03 am
you might want to try out this resto i found.
It’s really cheap but the food tastes great.
Something for budget concious people in this times of crisis.
Yurushi restaurant in Davao
October 16th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
I like Smashville but you are right about the parking space. I like Smashville because of its very spacious cardio and weight rooms (not to mention they have very nice and varied weight equipment).
Before, you can view the gulf from the treadmill area. Now, the cardio is dark because of mall expansions that block the once “majestic” view.
My only negatives for Smashville are parking space and locker rooms.
October 18th, 2008 at 3:26 am
can u post the rates now.. thanks
October 18th, 2008 at 6:47 am
although i agree that holiday is still the best place to work out, you are so right about their personnel. the gym staff at holiday are not always very helpful. most are unapproachable. the gym is in the service industry so you’d think they would train their personnel to give quality personal service but most of the staff look pretty intimidating because they loaf around like they own the place. that’s a minus for holiday gym.
October 31st, 2008 at 1:34 am
hmmm… I used to go to Metro Lifestyle and I loved it. The staff are helpful and friendly. The equipments where at its best (before Holiday upgraded their old equips) during those times.
I enrolled as a silver member which is only 2, 200 for 3 months with free use of their spa facilities. 
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Hi Andrew! I might as well try Smashville or Metrolifestyle. Hope to see you soon….
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:49 am
Like Joan, I found the staff at Holiday to be not as friendly as one would expect. I moved to Metro Lifestyle a few months ago and never looked back since. Everyone there is very helpful and accommodating from the receptionists, to the gym instructors, and even the attendants.
January 15th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Hi there, Andrew. I could only hope that I get the drive to go to the gym, but I’m just one of those who are pretty contented with their lives without working out (and yet are frustrated with their bodies!).
Anyway, I wrote to pull you into a blog game called “Six Weird Things About Me”. I hope you can find time to participate. Read about my share here: http://www.davaobase.com/index.php/2009/01/six-weird-things-about-me/
By the way, say hi to Ria for me!
February 20th, 2009 at 11:09 am
HI..have u tried the promo of smashville wherein you can have an early work out(5:30am but only up to 2:00pm)for only 699 a month…i wonder at wat tym or day usually smashville has a lot of gym goer because i want to avoid that.
i want to have a gym mate Buddy??… I’m planning to go to the gym, probably early next month..
……
——– *** ——-
can i suggest a topic..
HOw about try the best SPA here in DAVAO?….
May 4th, 2009 at 6:06 am
Hey there. I’ve been checking out metro ever since the thought of going back to the gym crossed my mind. isn’t 1,200 pesos expensive enough? A friend of mine told me they have student priviliges or if not just something of that sort which goes as low as 800 per month. I don’t really know if this one’s true.
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:53 am
hi. im here in davao for few days.is there any decent that accommodate per-day-basis clients? ty
June 4th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
@jumer: Most gyms have student privileges. You might want to ask each one about their student discounts. At Holiday the rate goes down to P900/month. I’m not sure about the others.
@jc: All gyms accept walk-ins. At Holiday it is P150/day.
June 21st, 2009 at 5:43 am
hi Andrew,
I am more interested in the weight training aspect of fitness..machines as well as free weights. Which gym would be best suited for me in the Davao area?
thanks
June 24th, 2009 at 9:06 am
@Rob: Hi Rob. I recommend Holiday and Metro Lifestyle. Holiday’s machines are newer but the space is a little cramped for me lately. You may want to try Metro too. Their machines might have been upgraded since my last visit.
July 5th, 2009 at 3:38 am
I agree.. it is so hard to park in Smashville. Yes they have a morning rate promo (5:30-2 pm), i think it is now 799. They are also promoting their group rate, group of 3 then you can pay 850 (anytime), so cheap but BEWARE.. when your group wanted to renew the next month, they will require you to GET 2 NEW members, meaning– if your are planning to renew each month for the whole year and avail of the group rate..you will look for 2 new members each month! 12×2=24! Lol! means you have to market for them.. so our group ended up looking for another gym, nearer to our location.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:25 am
is there a gym in nccc mall – matina now?
October 30th, 2009 at 12:53 am
have you heard about planet infinity inn lanang?
November 25th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Holiday Spa and Gym is so crowded, expensive, unfriendly staff and unconventional space. You need to wait the other person to finish its course. It’s good they have a 200m jog area which i could spend most of my time. Its easier to park but you can’t breath inside the gym. The good thing about them is their pool and wall climbing.
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
My husband and I went to Planet Infinity last night just to inquire about their rates. They seem to have pretty expensive rates just like those in Manila but they have new and state of the art equipments. And the best part about it is that they have the InBody Machine(I dunno if I have the term correct)in which you could figure out how much body fats you have and how many kgs you have to lose according to your preference. They have a year package for P16,500 and 5,500 for a 3-month package.
December 30th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I have to agree with the unfriendly staffs of Holiday Gym and Spa. I enrolled there for one month and stopped after a week of working out because the people aren’t helping me how to use the equipments. Another thing is, the gym is so crowded, you don’t want to work out anymore because people usually stares.
I’m planning on working out again. And I’m looking for a gym with only a few people but with good equipments. I’ve seen Smashville last night and i really find it good. But I’m still torn between Holiday and Smashville. Most of my friends are in Holiday.
December 30th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
oh. i just noticed. the entry is quite old. you should update this entry. that is, if you don’t mind
January 6th, 2010 at 9:47 am
@ Kyle: you might want to try planet infinity in lanang. i just enrolled there last month and there’s no any regret. they have the latest and state of the art equipments, most of it, the 1st of its kind in the Philippines. and the staff are very friendly and accomodating as well. its located inside eastwest center (or centrum i think), that’s infront of central warehouse.
January 8th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
hi im richard dutch foreigner im about to move to davao from luzon like the smashville gym is that hardcore bodybuilding or is there a hardcore gym like that in davao?
i am out of the circuit for over a year now but always worked out hardcore like 15 years so actually looking for a gym to get back into it were also is room to load some plates on to the bar later on!!!not that if you load over 200 pounds bench no more plates,thanks for the info anyway …about to move from here next week…
regards to u guys,
richard….
January 8th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
ah forgot it i’m gonna be at puan so any gym around their also????
January 9th, 2010 at 1:44 am
anyone know this 1 Matina South Health Studio in center point mall
February 4th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
@ Richard: yah there’s a gym in south bound area MATINA SOUTH HEALTH STUDIO. sister company of smash ville fitness center.
you can call them up at (082) 2972708.
February 8th, 2010 at 12:39 am
’till now 2010, some gym trainers are irresponsive….some, not all, i think they need to train more proper customer service. or maybe somebody has to watch over them on the floor for a good service. maybe it reflects thier leaders like what they do. what do you think?
February 26th, 2010 at 9:20 am
Hi Andrew,
You have quite a website! My family and I plan to spend 5 months in Davao Jan.-June 2011. I cannot locate any Tae Kwon Do instruction locally. Can you help me?
Dave L.
March 13th, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Hi Andrew and to Everyone,
I’m planning to enroll in yoga class, but I don’t have any idea as to where will I enroll myself.. Do you know any fitness center that conducts yoga classes?
Pls help..
March 13th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
George, you may enroll in South Studio in Damosa. They have yoga classes. Their FB page is at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Davao-Philippines/South-Studio/29507869980