La Casita Mercedes, a restored colonial house in Makati that’s now a cool new B&B


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You gotta love Poblacion, Makati, aka Backwell aka Williamsburgos area. There’s the tequila bar, street-side tacos, Century City Mall, and everything else.

And just when you think you cannot love it enough, the neighborhood gives you another reason to: La Casita Mercedes, a pre-war house that’s been lovingly restored and turned into a quaint bed and breakfast.

Chiqui Mabanta, owner of vegetarian restaurant Corner Tree Café and one of Manila’s super chic but super low-key personalities, posted photos of the property on Facebook and we’re sharing them below.

The brain child of Juan Ramos, the soon-to-open B&B stands on the corner of Fermin and Enriquez Streets, with eight rooms with tiny ensuite facilities, from PHP1,500 to PHP2,400 a night. Ramos also owns the nearby Clipper Hotel, a stunner in its own right with its Streamline Moderne curves.

When he first saw the house that is now La Casita Mercedes, it was barely inhabitable. Five families were sharing the house and some of the rooms were crumbling. To rescue and restore the building, Ramos went as far as buying an old house in Caloocan so he could use its material, and went through 50 workers until he found the right ones.

The project took over two years to get done, and millions of pesos. It was a labor of love.

“I’m trying to make people remember what Manila was like,” says the middle-aged owner. “So people will see what’s possible. People always want to maximize square footage when it doesn’t necessarily maximize impact or profit.”

There are conflicting stories on when the house was built. Some say it was in 1939, another group says 1933. But looking at the American clapboard style of the walls and the sliding capiz windows, you can tell it’s a mix of both colonial periods, and therefore uniquely Filipino. “It’s vernacular with influences of American and Spanish design,” says Ramos. 

The layout was reconfigured because the original didn’t make sense, and a three-storey annex was built in the rear. It has a rooftop area that will be turned into a garden, There’s also an indoor patio that serves as a light well that is only partially covered because the owner wants to keep the air circulating. 

La Casita Mercedes soft-opens on Jul 22, and eventually the entire house will be available for rent, together with the kitchen. Ramos emphasizes that he has consciously sourced all-local material and that extends to the kitchen where he will be serving local (possibly organic) harvests. 

Wanna stay at La Casita Mercedes? Reserve via The Clipper Hotel Manila, +63 2 8908577.

Photos: Chiqui Mabanta/Facebook

Beautiful details in the living room

Check out the wooden carvings that adorn the staircase

One of the eight ensuite rooms

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Beautiful indoor patio

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The patio viewed from one of the rooms 

 


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