Bataan

8 Awesome Reasons Why You Should Spend the Night at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan

Posted on December 31, 2015

Since opening to the public in 2004, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan has grown in popularity, attracting tourists who come to admire the nostalgic atmosphere of the 40-hectare heritage resort by the sea. Much like the heritage towns of Vigan, Taal and Carcar, one can easily imagine how life was like during the Spanish and American colonial times. But unlike these towns, this resort park is a modern reconstruction, the brainchild of real estate developer and heritage-lover Gerry AcuzarRead More→

The Plaza Hotel: A Classy and Elegant Boutique Hotel at the Heart of Balanga City, Bataan

Posted on December 30, 2015

An architectural icon of Balanga City in the province of Bataan, The Plaza Hotel features a neoclassical facade overlooking the city plaza and the 18th century cathedral. Exuding an old-world European appeal, the 34-room boutique hotel sits squarely in the city plaza, which was redesigned with the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca, Spain – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – as the inspiration. Besides the hotel and cathedral, the plaza encompasses the city hall, two shopping centers and a pre-war water tank. TheRead More→

Morong, Bataan: Celebrating Sea Turtle Conservation at Pawikan Festival 2015

Posted on December 29, 2015

Held annually at the Pawikan Conservation Center in Barangay Nagbalayong in Morong, Bataan, the Pawikan Festival celebrates the community-based conservation of pawikans or sea turtles established here in 1999. I’ve attended this festival in 2008, and this year’s celebration last November 29 was a much bigger affair in terms of attendees. Besides locals of Morong, busloads of students comprised a majority of the festival goers.  This year’s festival was a one-day event held at a makeshift beachside area, graced byRead More→

Pawikan Festival (Morong, Bataan)

Posted on March 9, 2008

Let’s go to turtle town! Along the western coast of the historic peninsula of Bataan sits the sleepy town of Morong, where every late November local townsfolk celebrate marine turtle conservation with their annual Pawikan Festival. Its sandy shores are vital nesting grounds for the endangered Olive Ridley species, the smallest of the world’s eight sea turtle species. Interestingly, what was once a site of rampant poaching and illegal egg collecting has become a successful community of environmental advocates for theRead More→