Experience history and gentility this summer
MANILA, Philippines - Renowned fashion specialist and costume designer Lito Perez offers living history tours as a vacation option this summer break.
Having launched Project Hearth a few years back, which enabled him to restore a number of ancestral homes from the Spanish colonial period in Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Taal, Batangas, Perez now accepts reservations for his bed-and-breakfast initiatives and also throws in full-fledged city tours at both sites upon request.
For those contemplating a northern sojourn, Perez offers a stay at the Arce Mansion, located at the corner of Quirino Boulevard and Abaya Street in Vigan’s towncenter, for tourists who want to experience the grandeur of living in the 1890s, while sleeping in 21st century comfort (i.e. airconditioning and cable TV). It has two large bedrooms upstairs accommodating six people each, and a ground floor dorm for budget travelers – all with rows of antique four-poster beds. Traditional Ilokano dishes such as longganisa, bagnet, pinakbet, pipian, and bibingka are served by his staff. Perez’ collection of period costumes also enables visitors to dress up for souvenir photos printed in sepia.
Those who are southbound to Batangas may choose to stop and stay at Perez’ Villa Tortuga, located along Agoncillo cor Ilustre Streets in the heart of Taal. Smaller and more intimate than the Arce Mansion, Villa Tortuga has two guestrooms and carries the same air of gentility of the Spanish colonial experience, allowing tourists to savor the life of the ilustrado of yore. Visits to the nearby shrine of the Virgin of Caysasay and Manny Inumerable’s newly opened photo gallery at the old Ylagan house offer added treats, capped by a stopover at the palengke to purchase embroidered items, tapang Batangas and their own version of vegetarian empanada. Villa Tortuga also has a newly opened curio shop with an array of quaint souvenirs.
For inquiries and booking reservations, contact Lito Perez at Camp Suki, telephone number 725.0819 or via mobile at 0917.824.6900, and throuogh email at lito_pperez@yahoo.com
