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Our First Wedding Anniversary at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

My husband and I decided not to go too far and searched vacation options in our home province because my civil service examination fell at the same day as our anniversary. Also, we wanted a place that can be easily accessed by land for reasons that our daughter was still 9 months old at that time. My husband, being an aircraft mechanic himself, was so scared to let our daughter experience all the plane travel horrors like ear pain during descending, so Boracay and other destinations that require plane travel were marked out of the list.

Luckily, our friends from Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar went to my office and discussed their offers. I immediately decided to book a Studio Deluxe Room upon knowing that the room rate was only Php3825.00 (85USD) per night inclusive of entrance fees and breakfast for two. You will simply have to email their reservations department (reserve@lascasasfilipinas.com). If the room you are reserving is available at your desired date, an agent will call you for confirmation. You can either pay via credit card or bank deposit.

Came April 6, our Anniversary! After my civil service examinations, we picked up our daughter at home and immediately drove off to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. It is an hour and a half drive from the province’s capital Balanga City to Bagac, where the resort is located. If you intend to go there via public transport from Manila, you can ride Genesis or Bataan Transit Buses in Cubao or Avenida terminals. Hop in a bus to Balanga for around Php200 (4USD). There are no buses that directly travel from Manila to Bagac, so from Balanga City Terminal, you have to ride a jeepney or bus to Bagac. Just tell the driver that you’re going to Las Casas. The driver will then drop you to a road where you’ll have to ride a tricycle to Las Casas.

When we arrived at Las Casas, we were welcomed by the friendly staffs and were assisted to our room. We also had free drink stubs that my husband later claimed at the resort’s bar. The feel of the whole resort was like traveling through time. It was like you’re in a totally different era. Old houses from different parts of the Philippines were rebuilt here and was restored.

When we entered our room, we were very pleased! It exceeded all our expectations considering the price we paid for it. The room was huge and we loved the Filipino-inspired theme. It even has a small balcony where we can see the view of the old houses. Our room was located at the Paseo de Escolta, a replica of a hotel in Escolta, Manila way back the 1900’s.

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We loved the curtains surrounding our bed.

We took a nap for a while, for we’re tired from travelling, so we can prepare for the cultural show. Cultural shows are scheduled at 5pm every weekend. Local youth from Bagac showcase their talents, performing traditional Filipino dances. There’s also a duo called Kundiman si Lolo, si Lola that will serenade you with old, and also new songs.

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I can’t remember what dance was this by the way, but it was definitely not Filipino! Hehe. It is Spanish, considered that we were once under the Spanish regime. Behind was Paseo de Escolta, where our hotel room was located.

After the show, we had our dinner at Café Marivent, wherein they serve Filipino and Spanish dishes. The food was quite pricey but worth it. An order can feed 2-3 persons. We ordered their best-seller, the Pinakbet with Bagnet for Php600 (14USD). At the restaurant, the duo Kundiman Si Lolo, si Lola serenades the diners. You can request a song for them to sing. Since it was our anniversary, we requested a love song. They sang “Bato sa Buhangin”, an old Tagalog song. We really enjoyed them serenading us while we’re dining that my daughter I think was very pleased, she cried! Haha I mean touched.

After dinner, we went back to our hotel room. We were very pleased with our room that we wanted to make the most out of it. We then rested to prepare for the walking tour the next day.


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Our view from the hotel room’s balcony

We woke up the next day and before having our breakfast, we did our little own walking tour. We went to the pool, the beach, the bridge, and everything that will look great in pictures. Let me share some of our pictures.

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The beach-front old houses. These are also accommodations, recommended for big groups.

After having our breakfast, we went back to our room to freshen up for the walking tour. And oh, did I mention that the room also has a huge bathroom! The bathroom was bigger than my room at home!

Our walking tour schedule was at 10am. Guests will gather at the Casa Mexico, the resort’s main receiving area. Casa Mexico was salvaged from a junk shop and was reconstructed using an old photograph. We then met our tour guide, Dexter, which I highly recommend. He is the best tour guide I’ve ever met my entire life. He’s knowledgeable without being boring. He also complements the historical theme of the place because he looks mestizo. I really enjoyed the tour because of him. He’s very entertaining. So if ever you’ll come pay Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar a visit, look for him! He even appeared in television when Las Casas was featured in different shows.

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This is Dexter, our tour guide.

I highly recommend that you visit Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar and you will be amazed not just of its beauty but the passion of the owner to contribute to the preservation of these wonderful Filipino structures for the future to see. I also recommend that you go there for an overnight stay instead of a day tour, unless you have a friend who has membership at the Las Casas so you can enter for free, because the entrance fee was quite expensive, unlike when you book a room, the entrance fees will be waived regardless if you’re a non-member.

/// Written by Lui Espino, The Philippines