I have always wanted to go to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar the first time I heard about it. Located in Bagac, Bataan, it is a re-constructed Spanish colonial village where you can find actual heritage houses that used to be found from all over the Philippines. I applaud the genius who decided to collect these houses to preserve our history and culture this way, Mr. Jose Acuzar. There are accommodations, restaurants and shops in the village, too. Me and my friends decided to stay overnight. We chose the Executive Suite: a three-storey suite with loft, three queen beds and an extremely large bathroom. The restaurants nearby offers a fusion of delicious Filipino and European dishes, and they sometimes have musicians at night, serenading you with enchanting Filipino songs (I miss those times). The village can also be toured for a day and there were several heritage tours offered. For more details, you can check on their website.

It’s been a long time since I was there and I know that there were a lot of changes already. As I browsed the website, there was even a tram now which reflects the time when this was one of the modes of transportation in old Manila.

Some of the most memorable things I had were going inside these houses and discover the history of each one, as well as going around in my own baro’t saya, a traditional Filipino clothes for women during the old times. Also, I love the gardens in front of the houses, especially with the tableau of kids playing. It reminded me of my childhood in the province where I would go out and play with my cousins, playing luksong baka on the wide green plains or climbing the trees to get some siniguelas or mangoes. 🙂

I hope that when the pandemic is over, or when you have the chance, visit historical places such as this one, take a pause from a busy world and reminisce those beautiful memories of our grandparents. It’s worth the journey back in time. 😉