Palacio de Memoria: Flying into a Reimagined Past

- Nov. 5, 2021, Friday.

- Even after living my whole life in Metro Manila, it never fails to surprise and amaze me (....in both good and bad ways). Let's talk about the surprise that was "Palacio de Memoria." I accidentally knew about Palacio de Memoria when a friend posted about it in their social media months ago, and because of my busy life, I was only able to take time off to visit this place a week ago. It was a place unlike any other in Metro Manila.

You'll see this outside.

- Palacio de Memoria is located in Parañaque City, not too far south from SM Mall of Asia and Ayala Malls Manila Bay. It was a mansion built in the 1920s by unknown owners, and eventually was owned by a doctor named Francisco Villaroman who turned the the then-two-story house into a seven-story mansion. The mansion was later abandoned until the property was acquired by the Lhuillier family in the 2000s. They restored the house and eventually was opened to the public in 2019. It now serves as a museum, auction house, events/function place. It also has a restaurant called the Loggia, by celebrity Filipino chef, Margarita Forés.

- I took a Grab from my house to Palacio de Memoria since it was the most convenient way to reach the place. (It is also the safest I think, given the pandemic situation.) Walk-in visitors are allowed if only going for a self-guided tour. Reservations are needed if you prefer a guide to walk you through the property, or if you wish to dine in the Loggia as it can get packed at times. Details regarding entrance fees and reservations can be found in their website (click here). However, since the Palacio de Memoria is also an events place, it wouldn't hurt to ring them up beforehand to check if there are events happening. Some parts might be closed off if there are events and I'm sure anyone would like to maximize their stay in Palacio the Memoria. 

- Once I arrived, I was led to the chapel-museum where visitors needed to pay the entrance fee. A separate fee is necessary if you wish to visit the Mosphil Lounge (will discuss the Mosphil Lounge towards the end of this blog.) The chapel-museum is a two-story structure a few steps away from the main mansion. It houses religious artworks and artifacts from early-modern Europe. 

Inside the museum.

Surrounded by Spanish and Portuguese art. (Note: I went on a weekday and so there was almost no one in the premises. Usually, I find myself alone in whichever room I'm in. Also, I only take off my mask briefly for photos when I'm totally alone for safety reasons.)

At the supposed "altar" place.

I found this adorable.

A miniature replica of Michelangelo's Pietà in the Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican City (click here).

From Italy I think.

A depiction of child Jesus, made in India and Portugal.

View from the second level.

I need so much divine intervention in my life right now haha. (Kidding aside, I found it interesting that all of these portray the crucifixion of Jesus, yet they all look distinct.) 

- I visited the mansion later on, which is called "Casa de Memoria." Only the first two stories of the mansion were open when I visited, not sure if it was because of renovations or if there was an even going on. From what I saw in other blogs and vlogs, some of the other stories were supposedly accessible too. I still think I saw a lot so I didn't feel bad about not seeing the other floors (but still wish I was able to.) By the way, the mansion today functions as the main auction house.

Welcome to my crib. HAHAHAHA. (Just kidding.)

Inside the Los Tamaraos Ballroom (the main hall of the mansion.)

Home decors like these really remind me of the 1920s. 

- The various rooms in the house are all new, but made to look like the time period it was built in. It had influences from Spanish Revival styles, and Art Deco. The rooms can be rented, and the furniture can be used, though I still refrained from sitting in the chairs just because I wanted to be extra cautious. Each of the rooms have a certain look or theme.

The Red Room.

I like how my shirt matches the furniture though with contrasting colors.

The Grey Room.

The Ambassador's Dining Hall.

Not sure if I'm the host or the butler.

Basic selfie. HAHA.

- The stairs leading to the second floor was a prime example of Art Deco, and the great architect Juan Nakpil was involved in the design of the stairs. I feel like they're also doing some changes to the second floor since one of the halls there was empty (or maybe because it was a function room after all.)

Reminds me of either Beauty and the Beast, or the Von Trapp staircase in the Sound of Music (especially when they sang "So Long, Farewell.")

Going down like I mean business. Yes, notice the random taxidermied tiger.

Rawrrrr.

More artworks by the ceiling.

The second floor.

- My final agenda in Palacio de Memoria was the Mosphil Lounge, which as I mentioned earlier, needed a separate fee to be paid at the ticket counter inside the chapel-museum. The Mosphil Lounge is one of three decommissioned planes hanging out and being cool at the front yard.  Currently it is the only accessible plane. The Mosphil Lounge takes it name from the short-lived local airlines, Mosphil Aero. I couldn't find much information about this airline apart from the fact that it ran from 2006-2009 and wanted to focus on the Southeast-Asian region. 

- The decommissioned Mosphil airplane was converted into a 60s-inspired lounge that can also be rented for a whopping PhP25,000 for 6 hours. (The entrance fee to visit the airplane, however, doesn't cost much, don't worry.) What I like most about the Mosphil Lounge is that they have some costumes available if you wish to dress up like a pilot or old-school flight crew. If you know me too well, you know I didn't let this opportunity pass. 

Groovy.

To the cockpit.

Ready to fly!!

Oh no! I just remembered that I didn't know how to fly a plane!!

I'm not much of a mechanics person but I liked seeing the endless controls in the cockpit. Made me appreciate properly-trained pilots even more.

I actually never thought of being a pilot but I sure would love to fly off somewhere now, if it wasn't for this stupid pandemic.

Thank you for flying.

I feel like I'm in some sort of action film. (But my face is too happy for an action film.)

Behind the other decommissioned plane and the mansion.

Mansion behind the trees.

- I was so happy to finally be able to immerse myself in something cultural after so so long. I learned a lot without overwhelming myself. It was a different kind of "relaxation" compared to my marine adventure at the Manila Ocean Park weeks prior (click here). I still feel guilty whenever I take time off work to air myself, and perhaps this is brought about by the worries of the on-going pandemic. Despite this, I think that all of us should be able to find (safe!) ways to destress and be inspired!