Destileria Limtuaco Museum

Intramuros has always been a mysterious and fascinating place for me since I went there for a school field trip during my youth. The center of Spanish colonial existence within walls had a lot of history and sadly, wartime horrors. I still mourn for the churches and sites destroyed by war. This February, another location is added to the list of interesting must see destinations in the Walled City. Last week I chanced upon an FB post about Destileria Limtuaco Museum, 40 years in the making before they opened its doors to the public. Originally intended as a private museum of family artifacts, the company known for being the oldest distillery in the country finally gave the go signal to allow tourists and locals a peek into the rich Filipino wine culture spanning 5 generations.

Located just beside Lyceum University, the Destileria Limtuaco Museum is a restored bahay na bato 2 level structure. Entrance is P100 for adults and P50 for students and seniors. Harvey the tour guide provided a narrative of the company’s first popular drink called “sioktong” and as they say the rest is history. An imposing winemaker made of wood is seen at the entrance. Harvey then mentions the various distillation process in making rum from sugarcanes and whiskey from corns. We also had a chance to smell the liquors. For adults, there’s a product tasting for an additional of P100 in the bar located inside the museum. Pretty cool if only I didn’t have a minor beside me.

White Castle Whiskey is the most popular product of the company and there’s a collage of past models in their famous white and red bikinis. Vintage bottles, caps and paper labeling machines are also on display.

The 2^nd level features various liquor products, private memorabilia of the Limtuaco family such as cameras, typewriters and telephones. This was my son’s favorite part of the tour.

The museum is small than I had anticipated but it got me intoxicated and packs quite a punch.

Destileria Limtuaco Museum is located at 481 San Juan de Letran, Intramuros, Manila, Metro Manila (beside Lyceum University) 

Landline: (02) 485 9621

Bakit Aliw ang Liw-Liwa sa San Felipe, Zambales?

I wanted to go to a beach that's just a bus ride away and yet near Manila. That would be a toss between Batangas, Bataan or Zambales. I've never been to the beaches of Zambales, mostly just Clark or Subic for work related team buildings. Once i zeroed in on the province, the next on my to do list was to check where to stay. It had to be affordable, no crowd, not fancy at all. I just wanted some peace and the beach. No other activity. I had to breathe because my last beach trip was a year ago and like a fish or a mermaid, I needed my water.

I searched and searched until I saw the sleepy fishing village and under the radar surf town of Sitio Liw-Liwa in San Felipe. Unlike San Juan La Union, Baler or Siargao, this beach town is still not as tourist plagued as the rest. It's not as crowded as San Antonio with its Nagsasa and Anawangin coves or as well known as San Narciso. In Liw-Liwa, there are no big resorts, only cottages. The resorts are just located alongside each other. The most popular is Circle Hotel, it's more for barkada getaways with cozy hammocks, tent places and livelier atmosphere. There's also Board Culture and Kila Bot Sir Ping accommodations.

Kapitan Liwa main house

Fan Room 

We stayed in Kapitan Liwa's Resort with gracious Tamara as owner. She manages the FB page and she was so accommodating. It was like being a  house guest, no reception area, just gave me a key and we're inside our fan cottage. I called it a tree house since birds perched on the roof and it was on the 2nd level.

Kapitan Liwa's can accommodate groups (15 pax minimum) for P300 per head in this huge hut, there are also rooms for 4 (P1,400) or 8 pax (P2,500) at really modest prices. There is also an area to pitch tents for backpackers. It has billiards, darts, mini bar and hammocks. The beach is just a 5 minute walk or a 2 minute run whichever you prefer.

There are no videoke bars or loud noise to ruin your stay. The place is like a sanctuary, only the birds, crickets and roosters do their thing. Pine trees adorn the way to the beach. There are cute dogs. One is a chihuahua who wanted to swim and and a resident dog who led me to the beach, he actually waited for me. Oh, it's love at first sight.

the welcome dog tour guide

virgin beach

Mommy Phoebe's lutong bahay dishes

Fely's Silog Meals 

Food is cheap and easy. There are two places to choose from: Mommy Phoebe's or Fely's. At Mommy Phoebe's there are home cooked meals and Silog choices ranging from P80 to P100 per meal. They also have local and imported chips, open from 5am to 7pm. But the winner for me is Fely's. Their silog meals are P75 with drinks and extra rice. I had Spam and bangus silog meals. Generous portions. Fruit shakes are at P40, snacks like microwave popcorn (P40) and pancit canton/mami at P15. This is also where most Circle Hotel guests hang out since it's just across the place.

brave surfers 

The beach is perfect. Fishing boats align the coast, the waves were huge. At this time (June), there are no surfing activities due to the strong waves. Surf board rental is P200, surf guide lessons at P400 for 1 hour according to the blogs I've read. It wasn't as fierce as Baler though. At 6 am, the waters are still moderately calm. Gray smooth sand can be seen along its coastline. It's a virgin, unspoiled beach which I hope will still remain for a very long time.

Budget per pax:

Victory Liner bound for Iba (but say it's San Felipe, cheaper fare) - P298
Trike going to Resort - P30
Kapitan Liwa's - P1,400 (good for 4)
Food - P75
Bus to Olongapo - P50
Victory Liner Olongapo to Manila - P198