Casa Feliz of Juban: Revisiting ancestral houses in Sorsogon

Old houses in Juban. Where do I find them? This was my question for sometime now since I have been planning to explore Sorsogon. For real. Our first official destination to explore in the province of Sorsogon is Juban because it is just 30-45 minutes away from my hometown. Juban is home to beautiful old houses. I remember back in 2016, I went to Juban to visit Casa Feliz. This is the most beautiful old house in Juban. That time I was not able to go inside Casa Feliz in Juban so my goal this time is to be able to see the inside of Juban's most famous old house.

Just after lunchtime during Sunday, me, my dog, my sister in law, her youngest kid and my sister took a jeep to go to Juban. I love riding in a jeep specially when I sit in the passenger side of the driver. I get to have the best view facing the road than inside the jeep where passengers sit facing each other. In less than an hour, the jeep pulled over in front of Casa Feliz. Casa Feliz is very known that most of the jeepney drivers around Sorsogon is familiar about this century old house. I am sure that it's hard to miss Casa Feliz in Juban because it is just located along Maharlika Highway.

It has been 5 years but it seems Casa Feliz doesn't change. It is very well-taken care of. If Casa Feliz is a human, it's like he/she doesn't age at all! The big wide windows were open giving us a hint that it is open to visitors. However, the main entrance is closed. We knocked and shouted if there's anyone inside but it is empty. We looked around and asked a neighbor and we were told that in order to get inside, we must first go to Cafe Jeronimo which is owned by the same people who own Casa Feliz. It's just located 2 minutes away in the other side of the road so we went there.

We talked to the lady working in Cafe Jeronimo about our intention. She said I talk to an elderly couple who are sitting in the back part of the cafe. I waited for more than 20 minutes because it was unclear if she will tell them we are waiting for them to chat with or we will be personally the one to initiate the talk. After realizing I have to do it myself, the wait is getting longer and we are literally wasting our time, I set aside my shyness and approached the couple. I told them straight that we want to visit Cafe Feliz if possible and asked how much is the entrance fee. The older woman asked me right away if we are booking for an overnight stay. I politely replied that we have to check first then we'll decide if we want because we haven't decided yet. They looked a little bit serious and they asked what's the purpose of my visit. I said I am into culture and heritage. I also shared I have a blog and have featured Casa Feliz before. The older man appears not understanding what I said. He said if my purpose is advertisement, they do not support this kind of idea. I told them I am here to promote this old house and through my blog eventually invite more people to visit that will support the tourism of Sorsogon.

The next thing I knew, the lady in the cafe is already inside Casa Feliz so we went there. I respectfully thanked these elder couple for their time of chatting then walked briskly to reach Casa Feliz. We love the insides of Casa Feliz because it is wide. I admire every single thing inside this old house in Juban, Sorsogon. It's like I was transported back in the colonial times. I asked her a few details about the house and history but she knew nothing. Literally she knew nothing about the house. The only question that the lady in the cafe was able to answer is that she told me that actually Mr. and Mrs. Lasala are the owners of Casa Feliz. The elderly couple whom I was able to chat a while ago said they are Mr. and Mrs. Lasala. They told me they are the caretakers of this house and that the real owners are based in USA. I understand though owners sometime hide their own identities for privacy reasons so this is maybe the reason why Mr. and Mrs. Lasala don't want to share at least to me that they are the real owners.

If you are looking for a place to stay in Juban, Casa Feliz has rooms that can be rented for overnight stay. If I am not mistaken, all the rooms have more than 4 beds and some of them are located in the basement. I even saw a sign there that one of the rooms have been rented by a public office. Everything inside gives an ambiance of the yesteryears and if you're a bit scared staying alone, please know that there's no one who sleeps here at night. You have to have that extra courage.

Since I am unable to ask questions to the right persons who know this house, let me share the following information about Casa Feliz that I read from its official Facebook fan page. By the way, I did sent messages to the FB fan page of Casa Feliz but the one replying is only sharing information about the rates and prices of the food. Whenever I ask about the history or if we can talk to anyone who knows this house personally, my message is only seen-zoned.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CASA FELIZ IN JUBAN, SORSOGON

1. Casa Feliz is connected to two other local businesses located in the other side of the road. First is Ann's Garden which is a function hall that can be a venue for any occassions. Second is Cafe Jeronimo that is the only officially recommended place to eat for guests.

2. Casa Feliz has catering services that can be hired within Sorsogon and Albay.

3. Casa Feliz can arrange specific tour packages from nearby tourist attractions within Sorsogon province.

4. Casa Feliz has a total of 8 rooms that can accommodate 100+ persons.

5. Casa Feliz has a spacious lawn that can accommodate 200+ people to hold any events.

6. Casa Feliz has no entrance fee.

Casa Feliz is not the only existing ancestral house in Juban. There are 3 more old houses nearby. These ancestral houses are private and do not accept guests. I wish though to visit them all and feature them here in my blog. I will be very happy if anyone from them would reach out to me how can I visit them and interview them.

My second visit in Casa Feliz is good but not great. I suggest to make every guest's visit worthwhile, get a person who can explain a bit about the house and history. Not someone who will just be there to make sure we don't break anything inside or watch our move as if we are gonna steal something. It wouldn't hurt to charge a small entrance fee per head that includes someone who will assist their questions. Then maybe end the house visit with a cup of hot arroz rice coffee and a slice of cake perhaps or any local delicacy like suman at Casa Jeronimo. Guests like us spent some time, money and efforts to visit Casa Feliz in Juban. We left the comforts of our home to enjoy and learn something. Therefore, it would mean so much if we feel that our presence is appreciated in every place we visit.

To read the history of Casa Feliz in Juban, click my blog post feature I did in 2016 HERE. I remember after I posted this, a fellow Sorsoganon sent me a private Facebook message who will be launching a book regarding the history of Sorsogon that includes mention of Casa Feliz and Juban's culture, I can't remember why I was not able to join that event and I have accidentally deleted his message. Can't remember also his name. Would love to reconnect with him to promote Sorsogon's culture and heritage.