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studio with racks
of beautiful turn-of-the-
century clothing (he owns Camp Suki,
the country’s biggest hoard of vintage
costumes). Perez gamely styled
our ensembles while we giggled in
excitement. After our photo session in
the studio, we were ushered into the
formal dining room for lunch. We kept
our costumes on to stay in character.
For Charley, a foodie, the highlight
was the meal. “I loved being able to eat
the Spanish and Filipino dishes dressed
like a Spanish señorita.” Our feast
began with a clear soup of
malunggay
with pork strips-bones, followed by
serving platters of
adobo sa dilaw
,
sinaing na tulingan
,
cerdo de piña
,
ensalada
Taal and
tapang
Taal. For the
sweet finish, we had suman with a cup
of rich
tsokolate Eh
.
The Colonial Tour culminated in
R E U N I O N S E A S O N
Clockwise from
top left: Travel
back to the
Spanish colonial
era at Villa
Tortuga; the
dining area; the
writer (far right)
and friends
ham it up for
the camera in
their Filipiniana
costumes; Villa
Tortuga owner
Lito Perez
a trip to the market
to buy souvenirs: native
cacao balls, suman, fresh mangoes
and
talangka
(
crab fat) in jars. As the
sun set, we drove back to the city
with our hearts and bellies full of new
memories.
How much
Package price is PHP1,500
per head inclusive of walking tour
with guide, Colonial Experience lunch,
costume rental and sepia 5” x 7” photo
print. You can swap lunch for a Colonial
Experience dinner for PHP2,000 per
head. For an additional PHP850 per
person per night, you can sleep in Villa
Tortuga (inclusive of breakfast).
Where to go
M Agoncillo St cor Noble
St, Taal, Batangas, Philippines; tel:
+63 (927) 975 1683/725 0819; lito_
PHOTOS
PACO GUERRERO; MAYA CALICA (GROUP PHOTO)
Villa Tortuga
Fancy a reunion that transports you
back to a time of old churches, stately
heritage homes and costumes from the
turn of the century? Think
Downton
Abbey
,
Spanish colonial-style. That’s
what my high-school friends Charley
Antonio, Hazel Villonco, Ginette Reyes
and I signed up for during my recent
visit to Manila.
After a two-hour, chatter-filled drive
to Taal, we met fashion designer Lito
Perez on the steps of the Basilica of St.
Martin de Tours, the largest Catholic
church in Asia. He came up with this
novel tour that includes a historical
walkabout around the Taal township,
visits to Our Lady of Caysasay Shrine,
the homes of Philippine flag maker
Marcela Agoncillo and revolutionary
Leon Apacible, and Galleria de Taal
Camera Museum to name a few.
But the highlight of the day awaited
us at Villa Tortuga, a 19th-century
bahay-na-bato
(
traditional stone house)
built on the banks of the Pansipit River.
Lito transformed the old house into
a bed and breakfast with a twist: he
turned one of the rooms into a photo
Fashion designer
Lito Perez
organizes the
tours
