Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar

I have always wished to go to Las Casas.  One weekend, my wish came true. We went on a road trip!
Taking the NLEX and SCTEX definitely made the drive shorter, around 3 hours.  Yes, it’s a little expensive with the toll fees but if it’s gonna give you more time, why not?  Relax and enjoy the view!

We stopped over at Burger King in NLEX to have some breakfast.  Then at Balanga to have some lunch.  A trip is not a trip without food!  Read about our lunch at Stregato Gelateria here.

After lunch, we proceeded to our destination.  Off the highway and on the main road to Las Casas, the drive’s smooth and easy.

Don’t forget to load Waze as it is super helpful.

Just as we entered, a magnificent sculpture welcomed us.

What a treat!  There’s Casa New Manila where all guests need to register.  Since Las Casas is huge, you’ll be given a map and they will explain where the facilities are.  

When all that is set, you can drop your things at your hotel and go back to the Parking Area to park your car.  They don’t allow guests to use their cars.  They have their own modes of transportation.  

They have the Tram, it’s wooden by the way.  They also have the Jeepney.  Mind you, these 2 are free!  You can also choose to ride a Calesa, for a minimal fee.  You can even rent a bike and roam around.
 

Just before we get too excited to go down the beach, let me tell you about our hotel first.
The facade is so beautiful.  

Since everything’s old school, there’s no elevator.  We got a family room and it’s on the top floor so we need to exercise to go up and down.  Anyway, we were given a massive room!  If not for the wonderful scenery outside, I would have spent our stay inside our room.

The room has 2 Double Beds.  Got a TV and DVD player.  There’s a personal ref with 4 bottles of water.  A table for sipping coffee.  They also gave us 4 pairs of slippers. 

The bathroom is huge also.  It has a bath tub, a separate shower area.  They have complete toiletries.  The most important part – ang lakas ng tubig! (water supply’s strong) 

The only downside of the huge room is that the aircon is only 1 so it can’t make the whole room super cool.

So, bags are put down, we went to check the tour as we don’t have time to join the next day.

These houses were transferred piece by piece, block by block from its original location to Las Casas.  The developer bought these houses so they can be preserved and taken care of.

Some of these houses can be rented as a whole for as low as Php 20,000.00 or as much as Php150,000.00.  Check out this website for the prices.

This is what Escolta looked like before.  They also made it a hotel and it houses some stores like the Fotografia dela Escolta where you could schedule a photoshoot wearing Baro’t Saya.

The kids were getting bored so we went back to the hotel.  They got ready and changed into their swimsuits.  We are just in time for the carabao race and parade, and for the palosebo (racing up a kawayan stick to get a flag).

The sun is setting down and I can’t help but be amazed.  Sometimes, you just have to stop and gaze at your surroundings to realize that the world we live in is really a wonderful place.

Kids enjoyed playing in the fine sand and basking in the cold and clear water.

If not for the lifeguard who told us that swimming is until 6pm only, the kids would have stayed until they couldn’t see the beach anymore.

That whole beach time made our tummy go growling, so we went to dinner.  It was like being transported into a different place.  With all the lights up, the buildings and the houses looked different.

Even the doors and pathways looked great.

With the kids so tired from all their activities during the day, me and hubby had a little us time.  We strolled and took pictures of the night scene at Las Casas.

These pictures don’t really do justice to the breathtaking view of Las Casas.  You really have to be there to appreciate the beauty more.

That night, the weather’s cooperating.  The wind is windy, no more blazing sun, super nice to walk around.

Morning came and the kids were up and about.  We had breakfast, we strolled.  It was a bright and sunny day.

Kids can’t wait any longer they wanted to go to the pool area.  They made it “Batis-Like.”  With various sizes of rocks surrounding the area and separating the adult and kid area.

Like the beach, the water is so cold.  But they didn’t mind.

I didn’t mind lounging by the pool as well.

While we were at the pool area, we saw some characters of Noli Me Tangere.  You could have your picture taken just like that lady in shorts.

There are so many other activities in Las Casas.  You just have to let them know what you are interested in.

Some Sabong maybe? 

Thinking about all the things we could have done, or we could have not done (for the lazy ones), we should have stayed another night.  I would have lounged at the beach longer.  Stayed for Bonfire at night while drinking a can of beer.  Could have rented a bike and roamed the whole place.  Or just sat and chill by the tree beside the lake.

So realizing all these, I would definitely be back.  Maybe sometime on the 2nd half of the year.  

Relax and unwind.  Yeah, definitely.  Take that tram now and be lost in time.

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