Go back in time and have a great vacation with your family at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
LAS CASAS FILIP-INAS de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan, is a unique resort. It?s a replica of an old Filipino town with ancestral homes and buildings dating from the 18th to the early 20th century. There are no power lines and driving lanes, only lampposts and cobblestone roads.

Upon entry to the resort, one is instantly transported at least a hundred years back. Casa Mexico serves as the reception lobby while the grand Casa Byzantina is reminiscent of bits and pieces of the country?s European influences. The most notable detail, however, is the stillness of this little historical hodgepodge of a town.

Past life

Hotel manager TK Solvas said, ?We want to introduce what we Filipinos had before, not what?s modern.? The tranquil environment, a forgotten luxury, is just one of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar?s offerings. José Acuzar, the resort?s owner, stumbled on the business because of his constant search for peaceful and quiet getaways with his own family, but local resorts always seemed full. He first built a rest house designed like an ancestral home and, soon after, was offered to buy and refurbish old Filipino houses. More than 10 years later, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar has been opened for day trips and overnight guests in its 22 houses, a number that continues to grow.

?Our objective is to preserve and showcase our past,? Solvas said. The ancestral houses have remained 85-90 percent of itself while the rest are replicated according to research, using narra and molave, Philippine hardwood. Houses originate from the northern part of the Philippines and Luzon such as Pampanga, Bulacan and Ilocos.

?No one takes care of these houses anymore and not a lot know how to sustain it,? Solvas said. Acuzar?s experience in construction as board chair of San José Builders Inc. has given him the knowledge on how to preserve them.

?We want to preserve and showcase our past,? Solvas said. Some of the houses were previously left to deteriorate before it was acquired by Acuzar. The other structures have been a shelter for informal settlers. ?Some of those who?ve seen the houses in their original locations have said that now, the houses are able to breathe again,? she said.

The skillfully crafted architecture and interiors of the past are now showcased in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. ?Yung luma, ?pag binihisan mo, lalong gumaganda,? Solvas said. Some of the interiors that dulled or were destroyed through time have been enhanced, but always in the same tradition as it was originally created.

The resort was designed to ?showcase every corner of the house and its different periods,? Solvas said. Each house in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar boasts of a rich history and the hotel and resort management?s research team is devoted to learning and uncovering its different stories. Professor Eric Cerrudo is one of the resort?s historical advisers.

?Each house has a story,? Solvas said. Casa Lubao, for example, one of the most feminine houses in the resort bursting with floral furniture and wall and ceiling décor, produced generations of powerful women. Casa Hidalgo, the most beautiful mansion in its time and the first school of UP Fine Arts, was once the studio of Amorsolo. Casa Jaen, on the other hand, still bears bullet holes from attempted assaults at the governor general who lived in it.

Casa Jaen, from Quezon, was recently visited by a descendant of the Esquivel family who previously owned it. As a young woman, she promised herself to buy the house because of her childhood memories. But it was sold before she could acquire it. An article published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer led her to its new home, and Solvas recalled she was teary-eyed upon seeing the house in all its former glory. ?She was happy that it was well-preserved,? she said.

More than history

As a fully functioning resort, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar offers not just education but also rest and recreation. Water sports can be availed, as the resort is situated right next to the shore, and a batis-designed pool is available for guests to wade in. Casa Cagayan, the house on stilts, will soon be offering traditional massages or hilot for guests.

Traditional games such as sungka, patintero, and kwento ni Lola Basyang will also be offered to teach and remind guests that a simple and quiet lifestyle can still be enjoyed despite our fast-paced life and highly technological ways. But not everything is slow and old in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.

A quick boat ride of less than 10 minutes to Yasa, a different area of the same shoreline the resort is located in, will satisfy guests who love the outdoors. It offers a cool swimming spot and 15-foot jump-off point into the clear blue waters. Guests can also have lunch at the picnic area at Yasa?s higher grounds with a view of the mountains, sky and South China Sea.

Soon Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar will open its doors for functions and corporate events. ?We want to offer an opportunity to do away with modern structures,? Solvas said.

Art history

A large part of the resort?s charm and authenticity lies in its artwork. Ping Cerriola is the resort?s overseeing artist and heads a team of 15 artists. He directs and designs the furniture, paintings and interiors, and has been residing in the compound for the last two years.

Replicated furniture is also made of Philippine hardwood, copying the antique designs during the Spanish era. No new wood is used as most are taken from old houses. ?Pinepyesahan namin yung mga lumang bahay at hindi kami gumagamit ng mga nail para sa furniture, kahoy lang,? Cerriola said.

Though Cerriola is known to be a modernist painter, he does oil paintings for Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar to stay true to tradition. To prepare, Cerriola also had to research on art history and the previous styles. Interior paintings have been fashioned also according to the design aesthetic of each house?s era. ?Gusto namin mabalik yung tinitirahan ng mga illustrado,? Cerriola said.

Casa Hidalgo is the artists? studio, from which Cerriola benefits from the house?s rich history. ?Ang sarap ng feeling na sila Amorsolo, dito nagpinta. Kahit gabi, ini-imagine ko na katabi ko lang sila,? he said.

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar will soon be following the period theme of each house with restaurants serving the delicacies of their origin and attendants dressed in period uniforms. Each house will also have an assigned manang to attend to housekeeping needs, such as shoe shine and ironing with charcoal and banana leaves.

?Here we want to encourage family bonding, because these days it?s the norm that both parents are working because of cost and quality of life thus sacrificing time with their family. We want to give them an opportunity to bond and for the parents to talk to the children and tell them of what they used to have,? Solvas said, emphasizing the beauty of a simple, content life.