Casa Byzantina

Hi friends, today I am back in Bagac, Bataan, checked in close to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. We’re back for some R&R, and as we drove all the way to Bataan from Metro Manila, my mind brought me back to our recent stay in Las Casas, particularly to this grand vintage house that deserves a separate blog just to talk about it: Casa Byzantina.

This beautifully reconstructed house is at the enter of the heritage resort. Our tour guide saved it for last to cap our walking tour with a bang. It used to stand in San Nicolas, Manila, designed by Don Lorenzo in 1890. In the late 1900s the architecture of the houses in Manila were influenced by revivalist styles from Baroque, Renaissance, Byzantine, Romanesque, and Neo-Mudejar (part Gothic and part Islamic styles).

In 1914, this house was leased to the Instituto de Manila and was used as a school until 1919, when Instituto de Manila built its own building in Sampaloc, now known as the University of Manila.

After WWII, this house was leased for commercial use until it was inhabited by informal settlers. In 2009, the house was in a decaying state and was bought by Azucar and reconstructed in Bagac.

As we entered the house, we were welcomed by a mural, and a grand staircase. Our tour guide pointed to the ceiling and said that the gold intricate designs were real – the informal settlers didn’t realize they were hanging clothes on real gold.

This house is for rent, and can accommodate 18 people. The rent per night was around $3000. I think it’s a good deal for bigger groups, as the rooms in the house are beautiful. There’s also so much to do and explore in Las Casas so a big group’s stay here will be worth it. As for D and I, since we’re only by our twosome, we’re happy to stay in our mini house in Casa Tuguegarao.

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