Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar — Hotel in Bagac

One of the Worst Hotel Experiences I've Ever Had – Completely Unacceptable for the Price||As an experienced traveller who has stayed in countless hotels across many countries, I can say without hesitation that this was one of the most frustrating, disappointing, and downright upsetting hotel stays I’ve ever endured. Despite booking well in advance, the hotel was shockingly unprepared for our arrival. After checking in and still not receiving our rooms, we had to frantically call the staff ourselves — only to be told our keycards had already been handed to a random woman. This is an outrageous security breach and an appalling demonstration of careless management.||Even worse, our rooms weren’t ready until well after 4:30 PM — despite our punctual arrival. When we were finally granted access, the rooms were a complete letdown, nothing like what we had booked or expected. We had specifically requested extra beds, but none had been arranged. After chasing down staff in frustration, we were given two mattresses stacked on the floor — no bed frame, no proper setup — a clear sign of last-minute scrambling and utter disrespect for guests.||Adding insult to injury, one of our rooms had a TV that didn’t work. We called the front desk to report it, but no one ever came to check or fix the problem. The TV remained broken throughout our entire stay with zero follow-up or resolution. This neglect was incredibly disappointing and showed a complete lack of care.||To make matters worse, the rooms were filled with mosquitoes. We reported this multiple times, but no action was ever taken — neither that night nor before we checked out. It was absolutely infuriating.||The Wi-Fi service was horrendous — barely working at all, which made it nearly impossible to get any useful information or stay connected. On top of that, there was no service phone in the rooms. When we needed assistance, we had to rely on our own phones to call reception—if we even had signal. How do they expect foreign guests, especially those unfamiliar with the area or without roaming plans, to access hotel services without a direct phone line? This careless oversight added to the feeling that guests were treated as an afterthought.||What was especially galling was seeing other rooms in the hotel that were clearly well-prepared, clean, and fully furnished. Meanwhile, ours felt like a slapdash afterthought, thrown together with zero care or consideration.||The price gouging was another slap in the face. We were quoted specific prices for add-ons at booking, only to be hit with sudden increases upon arrival. When we questioned this blatant rip-off, staff blamed a national holiday and claimed our original prices were “wrong.” There was absolutely no added value or entertainment to justify these inflated rates. It was blatant exploitation, and we felt completely taken advantage of.||The dining experience was equally exasperating. For a hotel that forbids outside food, the least they could do is provide decent service. Instead, we waited over an hour and a half just to be seated, followed by another agonizing hour to get our food. This is simply unacceptable, especially when guests have no other dining options nearby.||To top off the whole nightmare, we had booked a heritage tour for 4:30 PM — one of the main reasons we chose this hotel. After waiting over 30 minutes with no update or explanation, we were finally told the tours had ended. No warning, no apology. When we were finally taken out, it was only to the last stop — completely missing the whole experience. This was infuriating and utterly disrespectful to guests who planned their trip around this.||Breakfast was hardly any better. The options were very limited, and the staff did not refill food unless specifically asked. This meant trays often sat empty or nearly empty for long stretches, making the entire meal feel neglected and poorly managed.||From start to finish, this stay was a disaster. The staff were disorganized, uncommunicative, and made zero effort to provide even the basics of good service. There was no hospitality, no accountability, and absolutely no value for the outrageous amount of money we paid. As someone who has travelled extensively, I can say with absolute certainty this was one of the worst-run hotels I’ve ever encountered — a complete failure on every level. Charging such exorbitant prices for this chaotic, careless, and deeply disappointing experience is outrageous and indefensible.||Our family holiday was ruined by this stay, and I am both upset and disheartened by how poorly we were treated. I will never return, nor would I ever recommend this place to anyone. Save yourself the immense disappointment and...

SUMMARY: Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar was a good experience with interesting activities and beuatiful old homes. I would not go again nor bring visitors here again. The best activity was the balsa (river boat) ride. The thing I couldn't get over was the stingy food and refusing to serve children meals on the day tour.

Yesterday, I took a big group of my family and friends to visit Las Casas (21 total including 17 paid adults, 1 child entrance for half off, 3 children free). The reception area was open and airy with large swings to sit on. If you bring a driver, they may stay in this area or the parking lot, but cannot enter with you to eat unless you pay the 2,900 pesos day tour/entrance fee for them also. I gave our driver money to eat whatever food he wanted outside and realized later that he likely had a better and more filling meal than we did.

We ate first and got the worst first impression of Las Casas. One of yhe meals in my photos is the standard set meal served at Hotel de Oriente that comes with the day tour (no choice in food). It includes a cup of corn chowder soup and a tiny brownie. The main meal is two small pieces of chicken, one large cup of rice, and a small amount of stir fried veggies. It was not what I was expecting of a high-end lodging and an almost 3k entrance fee. One of my cousins joked that the venue just ordered some Jollibee and served it to the guests. My relatives happen to like Jollibee, but again not what any of us were expecting at Las Casas. Several of us also did not get enough to eat. When I asked the waiter if they had a vegetarian option, they seemed uncertain and said they'd have to ask, which was odd for a place that tries to portray an upscale vibe online and that gets many types of visitors with different dietary needs. My meal was the very last to arrive and I was astounded that all it was was a double portion of the same stir-fried bamboo shoots, carrots, and mushrooms (see in photo). Not only that, but the kids age 2-4 were being skipped over in getting food. I thought it was an accident and asked for their meals, but was told kids with free entrance didn't get a set meal. Then the parents asked asked if their little kids were getting any food and were told no. Kids 4 and under get free entrance with a minimum of two paying guests, but apparently that means the hotel will refuse to serve those same children a few paltry pieces of chicken. I know the pandemic hit everyone hard, but Las Casas already doubled their entrance fee from 1,500 to 2,900 so what kind of penny pinching policy is that? The parents had to share their already small portions of food with their kids. I was going to treat everyone to dinner at the end of the day at one of the other restaurants onsite, but after such an overpriced, underwhelming, and thoughtless lunch experience, we all decided to eat elsewhere. We had a huge dinner at Vista Mall about 40 min away and everyone was satisfied for a fraction of what it would have cost to eat at Las Casas.

On to the good-- there were many types of activities to do at the resort, from a short horse carriage ride, longer balsa ride, to a historical outdoor play and cultural dance performance. You can also particpate in a guided walking tour of the beautiful old homes or swim on the beach. We did most of those and had a much better time. The only thing we didn't do was see the beautiful staircase and upper floor at Hotel de Oriente because we didn't realize it was there until later in the day when it was already closed. Incidentally, we discovered that unless you paid for the day tour or bought a certain package when booking overnight rooms, you can't even enter that area to view, stingy.

The high prices seemed to keep crowds at bay though so it was never too congested. Those giving the rides, tours, and performing were informative and friendly. The grounds are beautiful and there is a jeepney that you can hop on/off. I would have rated higher if lunch was better and the children in my party were offered any food, or if the prices were...

The resort concept is great. It should really take you back to early time during the Spanish colonial era. The rooms are in great shape despite its age, but there are a lot of concerns I need to highlight in case you plan to visit here.

It's pet friendly. You can bring your pets and all their necessities. Out of respect to the old houses, be mindful of the mess your pets will do. No luggage assistance from the parking lot. You cannot bring your car to the building you'll be staying. You'll require to haul your stuff by yourself to the jeepney ride they will provide. The luggage assistance will start after the jeepney driver drops you off. You should also know the room number you'll be staying. Not kid friendly foods. If your kids are picky eaters and not yet been accustomed to filipino food, they don't allow order outs inside the premises. They will atleast make your kids eat at the reception. If your kids get hungry and prefers the italian restaurant over the Spanish restaurant, be mindful that they are closed from 4pm to 6pm, so you should have your child eat on appropriate times. Spanish restaurant table etiquette. There are plenty of flies there and you'll be squatting the flies as you eat. They can provide candles but they don't automatically place it, upon request. So you have to request drinking water, spoon, and candles as you order. It also take a while to bring you your requests especially if there's a lot of customers dining so request these things early. Heavy walking workout. The place is very spacious and you can really appreciate the scenery, but you need to be fit enough to be able to walk the whole premise. They can provide ride on request. Jeepney will be around on route but it might take them a while to come. There are free train ride but you need to go the office to request for it to run. Calesa or horse riding is available upon request with additional costs. Expect that the service will not equate to the room prices. You're paying for the old houses and the effort the owners had to put together but the quality of service isn't upto standard. The staff are very friendly and kind but in all honesty, the overall service we received is a tad disappointing and not upto our expectations. Not PWD and Senior friendly. They don't honor the discounts. We gave our ID on reception but they only scanned it without applying for the discount. It felt like a huge crime and scam that they might just be getting the discounts all for themselves but I don't know, you need to be mindful that your discounts might not apply here. No water and basic kitchen stuffs. Their restaurant is open only until 10pm. If you're thirsty or if you have restaurant leftovers or takeouts, you have to endure a whole night of thirst, and eat your food cold. There's no oven or any water dispenser. Additional fees for sleeping on the floor. If you have extra guests and don't want to pay additional fees for extra rooms, for half the room price you'll be given unsanitized bed foams and if you're lucky, you might be given blankets. There's additional fees if you request for bath towels and heads up, they will not change your bed sheets and bath towels if you stay for long. They will charge you if you leave your towels very wet. You have to contend your rights to get receipt. If you spent a hefty amount of money, you deserve the right for receipt. The payor (the parents) had to fight with management when they didn't intend to issue receipt and was hesitant to provide this.

I gave 2 stars from the judgment towards their hospitality and accommodating service. Everything is very expensive so the service from reception until checkout should be worth the payment. We only gave generous tips (100-500) to those we appreciated, but the rest needs improvement.

The huge family vacation spent around 400k for 4 nights and it's not stress-free. Not...