Take a peek into a bygone era -- 18th century Philippines, reconstructed on a 400-hectare property development in Bagac, Bataan. Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a "heritage resort by the sea", a living museum with over twenty colonial houses and buildings from different parts of the country that were transported and rebuilt to recreate old towns back in the day. When I learned about Las Casas a few years ago, I was already intrigued and wanted to bring the family there. We finally got to stay for two nights last weekend and the sights left me in awe.
A lot has been said and written about the resort so I won't elaborate anymore. Their website is very detailed and you can directly book online, as I did. I got their weekday discounted rate since we stayed for 2 nights, Thursday and Friday, then left on a Saturday. Big groups arrived starting Friday afternoon kaya maingay na sa beach front coz there were company team building activities and program, tapos ang lakas pa ng music nila.
You can also read a brief description here in Wikipedia so you'll have an idea about the history and the different backgrounds of the heritage houses. I'll share our photos (lots of it), experience, and what you can expect if you decide to stay for a night or two. They also have a separate arrangement for Day Tour so check their website.
Travel time from Manila to Bagac is about 3 hours.
We took longer since we had a few stopovers and lunch. WAZE was reliable and we found our way to the resort without a hitch. We got a view of Mt. Samat and the Death March markers en route to Las Casas.
At the final turn, you will pass through a check-point with a number of guardia civil who will point you to where the registration house is.
Check-in time is 3pm.
We arrived shortly before 3:30 pm. Registration and reception is at Casa New Manila.
They provided 3 key cards, a map of the property, breakfast stubs for 2 days as well as stubs for the cold towels and bottled water which we can claim from the tour guide.
Parking area is a bit far from the main resort so J dropped us off at our assigned building to unload. Park attendants were waiting and assisted us to our room. He went to the parking lot and rode a jeepney back to our place. There are roving jeepneys where guests can hop on and hop off around the resort. The staff wore true-to-theme uniforms complete with accessories (except they have walkie-talkies, hahaha) for a more authentic look.
La Puesta De Sol and Estero de Binondo
This was our lane. Can you spot the kids by the window?
Our room was facing the beach. Tatawid lang kami, nasa beach na. I love it!
In our building, there's a mezzanine and on the third level are 4 guest rooms with a common area. Everything was intended to look and feel "old". The kids were not amused by the "creepy" (their exact word) old world charm of our room inspite of the usual modern conveniences, hahahaha! If you are particular about wifi, their connection was inconsistent. But hey, you don't travel here to use gadgets, right? =)
Large Superior Deluxe
42 sqm. with 2 queen beds good for 4 pax. Very spacious room and bath with a separate tub and shower, toilet bowl and urinal, and double sink vanity.
All the toiletries, bottled water, and towels were good for 4. Rubber slippers (small size) were also provided and can be brought home. They replenished all consumables and changed towels on the second day.
My main complaint was that the room and bathroom were not as thoroughly clean as expected. Some dry sand from the beach were still left on the edge of the shower floor. The bedsheet on one bed had patches, a hole, and a stain. I showed the staff that I could easily rip the whole sheet from the hole with one finger. I wondered why they still used a badly damaged item. Housekeeping was quick to change it and was very accommodating to all our requests.
The aircon was not cooling properly when we got to our room. Maintenance staff was able to fix the problem and an alternative room was offered to us in case we were not comfortable. We decided to tay put coz cooling got better.
Behind our building is Plaza Maria, surrounded by the river, with three beautiful casas and it's own private pool and gazebo. It was cordoned off during our stay as they were doing some improvements in this area.
Let me give you a quick tour of the resort starting from the main road -- La Puesta del Sol where you will pass by impressive houses and structures that are all "Instagrammable". =)
Casa Ladrillo
Casa Hagonoy
Authentic colonial design and architecture of the different casas... look at the details on the facade and interiors. Unfortunately, hindi kami naka-tour inside any of the casas.
I wish there were more trees or shades coz it was really burning hot during the day. Bring sunglasses, sunblock, hats, umbrella, fans (pamaypay), and wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Some casas don't allow shoes worn inside during the tour.
The punishing heat discouraged my boys to join the workshop and walking Heritage Tour -- free for stay-in guests. You can choose from morning or afternoon time slots. Cold towel and bottled water can be claimed from the tour guides.
Balsa Tour (river boat) is available for a pricey Php500/pax.
View of Sanctuario de San Jose from the (bridge) Tulay ni Lola Basyang.
Church interiors are still unfinished but special mass and weddings can be held here.
Here's a panoramic view of Plaza Marcelino and Hotel de Oriente from the church.
Casa Maranao, located beside the church across the river.
This was how a Datu's house looked like centuries ago.
The majestic Hotel de Oriente is the park's convention center.
Originally built in Binondo where Jose Rizal stayed upon his return from Hong Kong.
Plaza Mayor de Tobias
A glimpse of the resort and park at night.
Wine and dine at La Bella Teodora for delicious Italian cuisine, Filipino comfort food at Cusina ni Nanay Maria (above), and tapas at Cafe del Rio.
Cafe Marivent, located in Hotel de Oriente, served our breakfast, while we enjoyed meriyenda at La Parilla near the Batis (pool side).
Prices on the high side but quality and taste were satisfying. You can't bring outside food, only chips, snacks and your own water bottle are allowed.
Casa Mexico is the reception house where you can book your tours and activities.
You can play sunka at the sala while you wait or rest.
You can rent a golf cart, ride a bike or calesa, or book your walking tour.
Hop-on-hop-off -- try to catch a jeepney or Tramvia ride when it gets too hot or tiring to walk.
Paseo de la Escolta, with it's row of pretty pink and blue doors, houses several service establishments like La Panaderia snack store.
Fun fact: During our calesa ride, our kuchero acted as our tour guide and mentioned that Casa Unisan, below, was part of the movie Heneral Luna. This was where Luna was killed in the movie.
La Playa -- enjoy the long stretch of beach where you can also rent jet skis or a boat for island-hopping.
The clean blue waters of West Philippine Sea was so inviting. Lucky for us, we had the whole beach to ourselves that Friday morning. Pero sobrang init!!! Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. Apply generously.
If you look closely at our backdrop, you can spot the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant beside the tower. We're in Bagac. That other side of the sea is Morong.
This was our favorite hangout kasi malilim, may mga puno. I asked the kids if they want to try climbing the tree. M went for it and she kept climbing both trees.
We went back at the same spot the next day just so she can climb before we checked out. M said it's one of the highlights of her trip coz she was able experience climbing a tree. =)
We have snacks al fresco here at La Parilla. You can find the pool (Batis) to the right.
The Batis (swimming pool)
This was one of the most unique local travel destination we've had the pleasure of visiting. It's like traveling back in time for a weekend at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar heritage resort in Bataan. It's amazing what they did here and the public can expect more improvements as construction of additional casas and structures is still ongoing. I hope they maintain the resort well coz it's really a gem.
Brgy. Ibaba, Bagac, Bataan
2107, Philippines
Landline: (+632) 332-5286 (+632) 877-4501 (+632) 332-5338 (+632) 355-3032
Mobile: 0917-872-9361
Front Desk Mobile: 0917-537-8418 (Sundays & Holidays only)
E-mail addresses: reserve@lascasasfilipinas.com
I'd love to know your thoughts on this post. If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it!
Get instant updates:
My Mom-Friday on Facebook
Follow @mymomfriday on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat
Also on Google Friend Connect, or Subscribe Via Email.
I try my best to reply and answer any questions you may have on each entry so check back if you've left one. Thank you and do visit again!
(Comments with links will automatically be flagged by Disqus.)
