Casa Santa Museum

CASA SANTA MUSEUM

One of the most famous attractions east of Metro Manila, located in the hills of Antipolo, just 30 minutes away from Ortigas is the CASA SANTA @ Jardin de Miramar.

The Casa Santa houses an internationally recognized collection of Santa Claus items ranging from life size, singing santas to Turkish inspired bronze plaques of Santa Claus. At present, it is probably the most extensive private collection of Santa Claus items in the world with over 3,005 santas. And unlike traditional museums, the Casa Santa is a fun museum in that the visitors are free to inspect the items closely, or in some cases, play with it.

Casa Santa started out as a small personal collection and it grew in size until it needed a house where the Santas could “live.” The Casa Santa was converted from a family resthouse into a museum of Santa Claus collection in 1995. The house was remodeled by folk architect Rosario Encarnacion Tan and the lighting design inside the museum was crafted by international Japanese light designer Shoko Matsumoto.

In December 2004, it was the cover of Starweek’s Christmas and in Christmas 2008 appeared in the front page of the Philippine Inquirer. It has appeared in over 50 T.V. and movie productions -- Rated K, Wish Ko Lang, Unang Hirit, Magandang Umagang Bayan, US Girls, Boy and Kris. On international television, it was covered by two news agencies, Reuters and Associated Press.

Addition to the collection is a room full of miniature Christmas villages. A starter collection in the loft was displayed in 2010. After acquiring a significant number of mini- houses this year, it was given a room of its own. The village was designed by Bamboo Tonogbanua of Bacolod, himself a Christmas village collector.

Casa Santa is a Santa Claus Museum in Antipolo. It’s located inside Jardin de Miramar compound (scroll down to see location in google map). The house where the Santa collections are displayed used to be the vacation house of business woman Ms. Edna del Rosario. She opened the house to the public so that she can share all her santa collections to the people.

I discovered this place 2 years ago around Christmas time when I saw it on a morning show. During that time I was dating my high school friend and I was thinking of a cheesy /”John Lloyd” way of giving my christmas gift to her so I rented the place.

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InterContinental Manila

InterContinental Manila

InterContinental Manila (colloquially Intercon/ICM) is a five star InterContinental hotel located on Ayala Avenue in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the longest operating international chain hotel in the Philippines. It was designed by National Artist Leandro Locsin.

The hotel opened on April 11, 1969 as part of the overall redevelopment plan for Makati. Historically, it holds the distinction of being the first 5-star deluxe hotel in Makati and the second InterContinental hotel to open in Asia. All of its 332 guest rooms and suites were updated in 2006 and incorporate traditional and modern Filipino design.

The hotel is a high rise tower block with a huge entrance. The InterContinental is a 5 star, deluxe category hotel. It affords both business and leisure travelers easy access to Makati's major establishments and a refurbished and contemporary ambiance. 

Touted as the country’s longest operating international chain hotel, InterContinental Makati continues to maintain its top position despite the onslaught of new competition. Designed by National Artist, Leandro Locsin, its hub location in the Philippines’ premiere financial and commercial district makes it the venue of choice for important social and business events as well as the place to stay for international travelers and local residents.

Makati is the most important city in the country of Philippines. The city of Makati is located on the Luzon island which is the largest island of the country. The city is situated on the eastern part of the island. The city draws large number of tourists all the year round and there many splendid tourist attractions in the city. There are many wonderful Hotels in Makati in Philippines. Among them the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati is one of the graceful and best hotels of the city.

The Intercontinental Hotel in Makati has a very good range of excellent services for the guests. The hotel has a very fashionable beauty parlor. The fitness center comprises of a well maintained gym and sauna. There are four restaurants in the hotel which are named as Prince Albert Rosseterie, Café Jeepney, Gambrinus and Sol Y Sombra. The restaurants offer a variety of cuisines to the guests. The hotel has also made special arrangements for the entertainment of children. The children can go to the Enchanted Kingdom, Time Zone and Museo Pambata for a bit of fun. The hotel also has a very well designed swimming pool. The guests can go there for a refreshing bath. The business center of the hotel arranges corporate meetings. The car parking facility of the hotel is also very good.

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Ayala Museum

AYALA MUSEUM

The Ayala Museum is run privately by Ayala Foundation, Inc. This six-storey edifice houses ethnographic and archaeological exhibits on Filipino culture, art, and history. Since its establishment in 1967, the museum has been committed to showcasing overseas collections and situating contemporary Philippine art in the global arena in a two-way highway of mutual cooperation and exchange with local and international associates.

Envisioned during the 1950s by Philippine abstract painter Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo, as a museum of Philippine history and iconography, the Ayala Museum was built in 1967 as a project of the Ayala Foundation, Inc. (then known as the Filipinas Foundation, Inc). The museum moved to its new building designed by Leandro V. Locsin and partners, led by Leandro Y. Locsin, Jr. It was formally dedicated as the Ayala Corporation’s gift to the Filipino people on its 170th anniversary on September 28, 2004.

This gleaming museum features four floors of superbly curated exhibits on Filipino culture, art and history. At the heart of the collection is a brilliant exhibit consisting of 60 dioramas that succintly, yet effectively, trace the nation’s history, which kids will also love. The collection of pre-Hispanic gold jewellery and objects is another highlight with some exquisite pieces. The museum’s rotating art exhibits tend to showcase Filipino masters such as Luna and Amorsolo, and occassionally international shows such as Yayoi Kusama.

Guided tours (P100) of the museum are highly recommended; book one week in advance. Audioguides (P75) are also available.

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