Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Introduction

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a popular tourist attraction located at the municipality of Bagac in the Bataan province. It boasts and exhibits 63 heritage houses coming from the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines and 41 of them is original and the remaining 22 houses is a combination of replica and archival. Also it provide tourist with a spectacular view of the Umagol River, Mt. Mariveles, Mt. Natib and West Philippine Sea.

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar came from the Spanish word which means “Acuzar’s Philippine Houses”. It is where Jose Acuzar’s compilation of attractively and deliberately re-establish Spanish-Filipino house can be found and it showcases the best of Filipino hospitality and artisanship. Each casa house comes from superior and distinguished accessory attachments which include restored original replicas that has its own story to tell. Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar has a size of 400 hectares or 4 square kilometers. It is hidden away from the city noise, pollution and the sound of different insects and birds are the only things that you can hear during nightime.

According to its past history, architect Jose Acuzar, the owner and founder of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar commenced to restore, recollect and revamp the historic Spanish colonial-era mansions in the municipality of Bagac in the year 2000. He has a remarkable vision to contribute to the amazing Filipino heritage and culture of the Philippines. According to him, the significant historical events in the history of the Philippines must stimulate future generations, especially the youth to recreate and revitalize the Pearl of the Orient. So in the year 2010, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar was opened to the public under the governance of Genesis Hotels and Resorts Corporation.

As the years goes by, it boast the tourism industry in the province of Bataan as it attract many foreign tourist to come to this magical place. It became one of the most desirable travel destination in the Philippines. Fast forward to year 2020, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar was temporarily closed to the public because of the worldwide pandemic. Even so in the year 2021, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar was awarded as the best historic hotel in Asia and the Pacific region by the Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence which acknowledge and honor the splendid historic hotels from all over the world every year. For this reason, it placed Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar among the three hundred hotels and resorts worldwide that are perceived for conserving and restoring properties with historic uprightness, and perfect ambiance. As of today, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is open to the public and it’s visited by thousands of tourists every month. So if you want to travel back to the eighteenth century then Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is the perfect getaway place for your family and friends.

Name: Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
Location: Bagac, Bataan, Philippines
Features: eighteenth century heritage house

My trip to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

I was supposed to have a tour this upcoming Sunday at Northern Blossom Flower Farm but the tour coordinator told me this past Thursday that the event was canceled because there were not enough joiners. So, I felt very sad because I want to go to someplace that I’ve never been before.

On Saturday afternoon while I was scrolling on my Facebook newsfeed, I saw someone posted a Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar day tour event this upcoming Sunday. So I immediately messaged the person who posted the event and I asked for the itinerary and other details for that event. Then she immediately replied through a personal message and I saw that the itinerary and budget for that tour were perfect for my money and time. For this reason, I joined the day tour event and she added me to the group chat.

It was Sunday at around 3:47 am when I arrived at our pick-up destination in front of Hotel Sogo – EDSA Guadalupe. After that our van started heading towards our main destination in the province of Bataan. Around 5:33 am we have a quick stopover at the Mini Mart & Pharmacy in Balanga to pee and buy some snacks.

Later we have another stopover at McDonald’s Balanga Highway around 6 am to have a heavy breakfast. While having breakfast, one group member asked me why are you alone? no one will take pictures of you. For a moment, I think she is right, being a solo joiner is so hard. All of my pictures will be selfies, haha. Just kidding, I will find out when the tour is over. In addition, one girl told me that I don’t have a date at Las Casas, then the driver of the van told her that he will look for a date there, inside my mind I am laughing so hard.

Anyway, we continued heading towards Las Casas around 6:33 am after our breakfast. It was 7:10 am when we arrived at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar registration point where visitors can ask questions about the overnight rate and day tour rate. Then we explore the place and I feel stunned by what I saw. I feel like I was riding a time machine and was transported back to the Spanish colonial era. In addition, all angles and every corners are so Instagrammable and so beautiful. For this reason I take many selfies and we have our group picture taken at one of the houses with a view of the century heritage house and the picturesque Umagol River.

At 7:53 am we ride a jeep and we have a great view of the surroundings including the beachfront and the Lola Basyang bridge. The driver of the jeep dropped our group near the church and heritage house. After that we explore the place and we take pictures in front of the church and the riverside even though at that time it was raining. Then we have a walking tour guide of some of the historical houses in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar aroud 8:20 am.

Diana has been introduced to us and she is our walking tour guide. She immediate told our group about the brief history, and origin of the word Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. After that she told us that we need to left our slippers and shoes before climbing the stairs of Casa Biñan Laguna which is originally constructed in the year 1700 and it’s owned by Don Gregorio Alonzo. A few moments later, she told our group that the Casa Biñan house was one of the shooting places in the popular drama television series “Ang Probinsyano”. According to her Alonzo house contain about ten percent of its original structure that been left including a mirror, stairs, ceiling and small wooden bed.

Later we explored the other heritage house in Las Casas, and I noticed that the house is so wide and so historical. She even told our group that this house contains CCTV. We couldn’t believe it and she pointed us to the cctv camera that was used during the Spanish colonial period and it’s called cctv-silip, haha now I know. After that we go outside and I saw the old tramvia and I was amazed. I feel like I’m in a different setting.

Then we go inside the Casa Binondo or Casa Byzantina which was built during 1890. It is where Vice Ganda showcases the wonderful three storey structure of the house in her Youtube vlog. According to Diana, the rental overnight rate in this house is 169000 pesos a night. We were very surprised by the price. So we have a group picture taken at the heritage house.

After that we go outside again, at this time while I was walking one member of the group told me where is your bag? and I realized that I didn’t have a bag with me so I felt nervous and I go back to one of the houses that we passed by and fortunately I’m still young and I easily remember the exact place where I left my bag during the picture taking. Later Diana explained to us the life of aliping sagigilid at aliping namamahay before the arrival of Spanish in the Philippines. From my perspective Las Casas is a larger version of Intramuros and it takes me back to the old glory days of Manila.

She takes us to one of the old houses and we see a variety of old artifacts that were used during that time such as the charcoal iron, plantsa de paa or foot press. It’s a nice feeling reminiscing those old houses while walking, the way they were built and the old furnitures and materials intricately crafted it was so reviving and informative. Without a doubt, we enjoyed visiting the old houses in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar that re-sited and restored for tourism, educational and historical purpose such as Casa Biñan Laguna, Casa New Manila, Casa San Juan (Batangas), Casa Quiapo Manila, Casa Binondo, Casa Unisan and Casa Cagayan.

Later she explained to us the natural river that is situated in the middle of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar which connects to West Philippine Sea. According to her, the water from the Umagol River is natural because it came from the towering Mt. Natib and other mountains in Bataan. The walking guided tour last for around one hour and twenty minutes.

After that we have a tramvia ride that takes us to the mesmerizing walkway and beachfront and I enjoyed every minute that passes by. We even take few souvenir videos of this amazingly huge tourist attraction. Afterwards, we have a horse-drawn carriage tour. According to our witty guide, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar have a total land area of 400 hectares which contain 63 heritage houses. Also he informed us that Las Casas was once a rice paddy in the past decades before it was developed. Then he pointed to us the Saint Joseph Cathedral which is the replica church in Balanga, Bataan. Also he told our group that Lola Basyang is not a female gender.

Later we waited for the balsa to come to our place. While waiting we took solo pictures of the beautiful river and surrounding of Las Casas. While some of the group members attend church in Saint Joseph Cathedral.

We ride a balsa around 11 am and John Robert our balsa operator was introduced to us. According to him, the depth of the water in the river can go as high as eight feet if its high tide. However, since it’s low tide today the depth of the river is only five feet so we don’t worry about getting drowned when something misfortunate happens. When he told us about this kind of thing, the other members who are below five feet is laughing so hard. Then I noticed that there’s also an available umbrella to use while having a balsa tour, even though no one use it, maybe because it will only distract the enchanting view and capture beautiful moments.

While having a balsa tour, I feel like I’m in a different country because it is so nostalgic. From my perpsective the balsa tour in Las Casas is much better and first-class compared to the gondola ride in Venice Grand Canal Mall in Taguig City because of the dazzling 360 degree view of the surroundings. For this reason, I told myself that I just wanna live in this moment forever. Then our group drops off at one of the heritage house and we can see the gigantic Tarak Ridge to our right side and Mt. Natib to the other side. In addition we can also see the soaring cross of Mt. Samat in the second floor of the house. For this reason, we take fierce solo and group pictures with the background of the natural river, old houses and mountains.

We have three stopovers while having a balsa ride and many of the places that we saw is super incredible. To be honest, I never thought that this kind of place exists in the Philippines because of its heritage and culture, it’s past history and fantastic ambiance. I love all the structures that I saw. Anyway, our balsa last for forty-five minutes and it ended around 11:47 am. We thank John Robert for this very significant balsa ride tour.

After our balsa tour we watch a reenactment show featuring the very notable history that happens during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines such as KKK (Katipunan) and its revolutionary operations. At this time, I saw a handful of Belgian and American tourist watching the re-enactment of Katipunan and I told myself that Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is so very popular with international tourist. Then we have our set lunch at Hotel de Oriente past 12 pm. Their food is good and we have a short conversation while having lunch.

After our lunch we explored the museum at Hotel de Oriente and I found out that the hotel is strikingly admirable and so gorgeous. Later we headed toward the beachfront to capture some remarkable pictures of the vast West Philippine Sea and to see a different angle at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. Also we take individual photos at the tulay ni Lola Basyang. The weather is so good and we have definitely a quality time to relax and enjoy the great view.

Then we rode a jeep and while riding I noticed that the lighting and famous walkway at night is still not complete and its still under construction. For this reason, I told myself that I will go back to this place to have an overnight stay to see the sunset and sunrise. We leave Las Casas at 2 pm and we have happy hearts and memories that will last a lifetime. Indeed, I’m so joyful and grateful to be part of this unforgettable trip. From the beautiful houses, bridges, architectural structures, and beautiful heritage, all I can say is wow. I’m so speechless. Thanks be to God for another safe and enjoyable trip to Bataan province.

Overall my trip to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar sums up by this exceptional quote: “Traveling isn’t all about the fancy activities where you have to splurge money. It’s about immersing yourself in different cultures and unique experiences that will forever change your perspective in life.”

Sample day tour itinerary to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

3AM – Assembly and pickup time
3:30AM – Departure going to Las Casas
6:30AM – Arrival at Bagac, Bataan, breakfast
7:30AM – Registration, check-in
8AM – Start of walking heritage tour
9:30AM – Experience Tramvia ride
10:15AM – Calesa tour ride
10:45AM – Balsa ride
11:40AM – Watch re-enactment play
12PM – Lunch at Hotel de Oriente
12:45PM – Viewing and exploring Hotel de Oriente
1:45PM – Free time, explore beachfront, picture taking or swimming
4:30PM – Check out, going back to Manila
8PM – Arrive at Manila

Note: the sample above itinerary is not absolute or will not be 100% perfect due to many factors such as traffic, group pacing, weather condition, delay, and etcetera.

Things to bring on your visit to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar:

Pocket money
Backpack
Outfit of the day
Two bottled water
Snacks
Umbrella
Cap
Camera
Mobilephone
Powerbank
Alcohol
Extra clothes
Toiletries
Charger if doing overnight
Swimwear and Sunblock (optional)
Shades (optional)

How to Go to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

By commute

1. From Bataan Transit bus terminal in Cubao, Quezon City, ride a bus bound to Balanga, Bataan and drop off at the bus terminal. The bus fare is around 250 pesos.
2. At Balanga, Bataan, ride a mini bus or jeep going to Bagac, Bataan. Tell the driver to alight you at the tricycle terminal at the town proper of Bagac. 
3. Then ride a tricycle going to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. The tricycle fare is 100 pesos.

By private car

1. Pin Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar on your Google Maps or Waze app in your cellphone.
2. From Metro Manila, take the North Luzon Expressway and exit at San Fernando in Pampanga. Then drive your way going to Bagac, Bataan. The approximate travel time is around three hours.
   
   
   
   

Reminders and Tips:

• The entrance fee in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is 2900 pesos during weekends which include beach access, tour guide, hotel museum self tour, balsa boat ride, calesa horse ride, and set lunch. To the contrary, the entrance fee during weekdays is 2500 pesos only.

• Walk-in tourist and visitors is allowed at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.

• If time permits after touring the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, you can have a side trip to Mt. Samat. It’s only a forty minute drive from Las Casas.

• I highly advocate you join an organized package tour going to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in order for your group to not worry about commuting and other fees. The organized package day tour going to Las Casas is 4000 pesos and above. Included in the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar day tour trip is a private service van transfer from Manila to Bataan and vice versa, entrance fee, walking heritage tour, tramvia ride, balsa ride, kalesa ride, access to beach and set lunch at Hotel de Oriente. On the flip side, excluded from the package tour is other meals not mentioned from above.

• I highy recommend you to wear slippers or easy to remove footwear because you’ll be ask by the walking tour guide to remove your slippers, socks and shoes whenever you enter the second floor of the heritage house. You will walk barefooted for a short period of time.

• The Balsa ride at the Umagol River is from 8:30 am up to 6:30 pm only and it costs 600 pesos per head for a forty minute ride. Please take note that the capacity of Balsa is good for 12 to 20 persons only. Note: All rates mentioned here are subject to change without prior notice.

• The Hotel de Oriente viewing is from 8 am in the morning up to 5 pm in the afternoon. The price rate is 200 pesos per head for one hour of viewing.

• The Tramvia ride from the heritage going to the beach and vice versa is a free ride from 9 am up to 5 pm only. Just present your billing invoice to the rider.

• The horseback riding in Las Casas is 500 pesos per hour while the Kalesa ride is 75 pesos per head for a 12 to 15 minutes ride with a capacity of 4 to 6 persons only. On the other hand, the bicycle rental is 200 pesos per hour.

• The Balsa Pinoy breakfast is 3500 pesos minimum of 5 person with an additional 1000 pesos for each individual.

• Kayaking in Las Casas cost 500 pesos for one hour and 300 pesos for thirty minutes. On the other hand, the fun banana boat is 3000 pesos and its good for fifteen minutes only.

• The use of Jet Ski is 5000 pesos per hour and the Yacht Cruise (island hopping tour) is 10,000 pesos per hour and it’s good for 8 persons only using a 26-footer “Angela Clare” where you can enjoy the beauty of our island and tropical shoreline in a private tour.

• The beach in Las Casas is open from 8 am up to 6 pm only and it’s closed when there is a red flag. Meanwhile, use of the swimming pool is from 6 am up to 8 pm in the evening.

• You can bring your own water bottle, food and snacks inside Las Casas to lessen your expense. To give you an idea how expensive the place is, the bottled water there is 60 pesos, the Gatorade is 95 pesos and the softdrinks such as coke zero, royal and sprite cost 125 pesos each.

• For reservations or inquiries at Las Casas, contact their Viber hotline +639178729371 or you can visit their official Facebook page and website.

• Last but not least, if you’re looking for a package tour in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, kindly contact this person for inquiries. Name – Ate Arlene, Mobile number – 09269864116, Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/bluesunsetangel/
  
  
  

There you have it, adorable people. We are not here to live just to pay bills. Go out door, enjoy life and be extraordinary. On the whole, I hope this Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar blog guide has been kind to you and inspired you to visit this superb destination in Bataan province. Moreover, don’t forget to share this with your loved ones, family, and friends if you ever plan on doing Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar  day tour. God bless you in all your future travels and thank you for reading my blog.