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Casa Luminaria
Just one-and-a-half hour’s drive from
Manila, in Brgy Talisay, Lipa is a
three-hectare property fringed by
chico
,
lanzones
,
coconut and coffee trees.
Owned by Sonny and Lita Sambrano,
and managed by their daughters Lia,
Piepet and Weennee, Casa Luminaria
was envisioned as a weekend holiday
home. “My family loves animated
conversations, cooking and ambience,”
Weennee Sambrano-Lagdameo says.
“
We built the casa so that we could
have a place to enjoy all three.”
Casa Luminaria’s design is inspired
by vintage Philippine architecture,
with furnishings taken from actual
old homes. Lita and her daughters
collected windows, doors, posts and
sinks from antique shops and junkyards
around the country. The high-ceilinged
main house has a huge living room,
kitchen and dining area, with an
abundance of hammocks, beanbags,
lounge chairs and sofas. There are also
four cozy cottages, a swimming pool, a
grill area and a shower house.
But with the high price of
maintaining Casa Luminaria, the house
became a money pit. That was when
the Sambranos decided to open up
their weekend home to guests.
Trisha Donato booked the entire
property for her mother’s birthday.
“
We’re a small family, but we wanted
to celebrate in a spacious, private,
beautiful and lush setting.” It was a
weekend of simple joys.
Weennee, a passionate cook, whips
up Filipino meals for the guests. She
picks vegetables from the organic
garden in the back. “We’re proud of our
inihaw na baboy, laing, nilagang baka,
sinigang na baboy, ginataang manok
and
kare-kare
.”
Breakfast is served
with their signature hot chocolate (with
cacao proudly made in Lipa), Batangas
coffee and Batangas
suman
.
But guests can bring in their own
food, as was the case with Ton and
Chatty Francisco. The couple booked
the property to celebrate Ton’s auntie’s
80
th birthday. The next day, while the
ladies enjoyed flower arrangement
lessons after breakfast, the kids swam
in the non-chlorinated pool.
For the kids in the Donato clan,
From left: The
vegetables used
for this dish were
picked from the
casa’s backyard
garden; the dining
area inside the main
house
exploring the grounds for bugs, frogs,
snails and lizards, as well as sleeping
under a
mosquitero
(
mosquito net)
made the stay memorable. “Growing
up in the city limits their experience of
nature,” Trisha says. “Being in Casa
Luminaria really opened up a new
world for them.”
How much
Non-peak rate is
PHP25,000 per night for the whole
property, accommodating 16 people.
How to go
From Manila, take Lipa
City exit from the STAR toll way. Casa
Luminaria is beside Malarayat Country
Club and St. Therese Church.
casaluminaria.com
PHOTOS
PACO GUERRERO
All decked
out for
Christmas!
