Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Being born and raised in the metropolis, sneaking away to the less urban landscape is always a refreshing experience. Having a change of scenery where it feels like you're trapped in a different time? Even better.

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a heritage resort created by the people behind local construction giant New San Jose Builders. Located in Bagac, Bataan, it is a roughly three-hour drive from Manila. Getting there may seem like a long stretch, but it is definitely worth it. 

Most of the structures in Las Casas are plucked from different parts of the country, and are altogether designed to resemble the setting of a Filipino village from the Spanish colonial era. It has become the perfect setting for several period films and shows (Heneral Luna and the local rendition of Zorro, anyone?), a more secluded alternative to the heritage cities of Vigan and Silay. Each house carries its own story, some of which you get to hear during the heritage tour.

Guests can opt for a day tour, or if they wish to make the most out of their trip and stay the night, there is also accommodation available in some of the designated houses. Besides admiring the architecture and taking a peek at some of the open houses,  there are also other things you can do like swimming in their pool area and signing up for watersports by the beachfront.

Parts of the resort are still under development, however. Perhaps in a few more years, it will be a full-blown village bustling with activities that will definitely make an overnight worth your while. As I think about Las Casas though, I cannot help but remember what the caretakers at the Bernardino Jalandoni Museum said; the minds behind the resort may be doing heritage more harm than good. By taking ancestral houses and adding them to the resort layout, they are exposing them to the harsh, salty breeze from the sea. These houses were not made to be situated by the sea, after all. However, given advancements in the vast fields of knowledge, we can only hope that developers have found a way to preserve these heritage houses and allow them to withstand extreme conditions.

UNIQLO AND LEMAIRE maxi dress from Uniqlo, 'Dovie' sunglasses from Sunnies Studio, sandals from Payless ShoeSource, 'Reign' metallic liquid lipstick from Kylie Cosmetics

If you've notice, I couldn't help but take tons of photos! Every angle of every area is just picturesque. It actually felt like I was having my pre-debut shoot in the area hahaha! Come to think, a Filipiniana-themed 18th birthday celebration would not have been so bad, yeah?