Casa Manila (Intramuros, Manila)

Posted on 21 May, 2008 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Casa Manila

From San Agustin Church, we again boarded our calesa and made a stopover at the 3-storey, colonial lifestyle Casa Manila. This museum, built in 1981, is a faithful, beautifully-done reproduction of a typical mid-19th century Spanish bahay na bato residence of Binondo merchant Don Severino Mendoza that once stood along Calle de Jaboneros in San Nicolas, Binondo.

The courtyard

It has a façade of balconies and a overhanging wooden gallery, a beautiful inner courtyard and antique Philippine, Oriental and European furniture and furnishings. Designed by Arch. Jose Ramon Faustmann with interiors by Martin I. Tinio, Jr., it is a window to the opulent 19th century lifestyle of the gentry.

The courtyard fountain

Though the house is just a reproduction, its exhibits aren’t. No photography was allowed inside. On display are antique 17th to the early 20th century jewelry, finely-crafted local, Chinese and European furniture and other items from the Intramuros Administration’s collection.

L-R, Miguel, Mark, Matthew, Vicky and Francis

Casa Manila: Plaza San Luis Complex, Gen. Luna cor. Real St., Intramuros, Manila. Tel: (632) 527-4084. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM to 6 PM. Admission: Php50 for children, students with valid ID and faculty members; and PhP75 for adults.

This travel blog, a diary of the author’s local and international travels, aims to provide the reader with news and information on people, places and events that would interest the avid traveler and tourist. But, it also aims to be much more, providing insights on the wonders of this beautiful country, as well as the world, beyond the strict confines of the city. Have a BLAST seeing old churches, exotic temples, educational museums as well as palm-fringed islands; white sand beaches; thundering waterfalls; placid lakes; fiery sunsets; turquoise seas; cathedral-like caves; swirling rivers; majestic mountains; stupendous, amphitheater-like rice terraces; awesome volcanoes and the like. Get to know the movers and shakers in the tourism industry; find out where to titillate the palate; rejuvenate your body; feed your adrenalin, unwind and relax; satisfy your craving for history and culture; and find out what's being celebrated and where.

BENJAMIN “BENJIE” LAYUG, an architect by profession (he finished his B. S. Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1982), is also a copy editor for two publishing houses; travel writer; blogger; architectural historian; author; concert. movie and musical reviewer (for www.pep.ph); and a motivational speaker.

As a free-lance travel writer, he has, in the past, contributed articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day and Bluprint. He currently writes for Artplus Magazine and the Business Mirror.

He is also the author of the following travel books:

A Philippine Odyssey (New Day Publishers, 2005)
Pathfinder’s Travel Guide: Boracay (Great Books Trading, 2006)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches (New Day Publishers, 2007)
A Tourist to Notable Philippine Historical Landmarks, Monuments and Shrines (New Day Publishers, 2010)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Museums (New Day Publishers, 2012)

Some of his books now appear in the local library shelves of the National Library of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. Tomas, U.P. Diliman, Centro Escolar University, San Sebastian College, Miriam College, Silliman University, to name a few, as well as internationally at the National Library of Australia and the University of California Berkeley Library.

Now a senior citizen, he is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active travel blogger in the country today. He also has a lifestyle blog called F.Y.I.:Firing Your Imagination (www.firingyourimagination.blogspot.com). Benjie has traveled to two-thirds (53) of the country’s 81 provinces and over 20 countries in 4 continents.