Melo Villareal
Sometimes I just want to get away from all the touristic activities and get some time to really enjoy the Philippines. It’s not hard to do if you know where to look. One place Ive been wanting to visit is Buenavista in Guimaras. It’s a small town located on Guimaras Island located between Panay Island and Negros Island.
Roca Encantada Heritage House
Two weeks ago, I finally got the chance to visit Guimaras during my short stay in Iloilo. Its actually easy to reach the place, just pay for the boat fare, sit down and in just about 30 minutes Voila! you are already in Guimaras – the producer of the Worlds Sweetest Mangoes.
Lopez House in Buenavista Guimaras
One of the great things about this place is that it hasn’t really been ‘discovered’ yet and so the many sights and activities here are rarely filled with sweaty foreigners on package tours.
Beach in Buenavista
Buenavista was the second town I visited and one of the most interesting attraction of that town is the Roca Encantada. There is just something calm and serene about the place. It was originally built as the vacation house of the Lopez Family and is built on a big rocky hill. Roca Encantada means ‘Enchanted Rock’.
Lopez House in Guimaras
It was built in 1910 and while it doesn’t look like it is something old from the outside, it has been named a Heritage House by the National Heritage Institue. It has amazing views of the Iloilo Strait and offers you the chance to really see the reason why the Philippines is considered to be an island paradise by so many.
Roca Encantada House
The thing that I like about this house is that it is built so solidly and beautifully. Since it has a solid foundation of unmovable stone, the chance that it will disappear is virtually zero. In five hundred years, people will still be visiting it. I’m sure of it.
Overlooking the beach of Buenavista Guimaras
To get to Roca Encantada you need to take a short trip to Iloilo City then you can catch a ferry that will bring you to McArthur’s Wharf in Buenavista Guimaras.
The transportation is pretty cheap and you won’t have a problem arranging it and should be able to get there in an hour or less. From McArthurs Wharf, it will take you about 45 minutes to reach Roca Encantada.
