The Escaños, a Cebuano family, have renovated their ancestral home into a bed-and-breakfast facility called Casa Escaño, which officially opens today.
After assessing the then-dilapidated condition of their home, the present generation of Escaños mutually decided to convert the 1,882 square meter property into a bed-and-breakfast accommodation facility with 11 modern rooms that would cater to foreign travelers, businessmen and long-staying guests, as well as a fine dining Spanish-food restaurant, Don Merto’s. The Don Merto’s at Casa Escaño is the restaurant’s second branch.
“The bed-and-breakfast type of accommodation originated in Europe, when people would open their homes to guests,” shares Tessa E. Fernan, grandchild of the late Gloria Escaño.
This type offers a more homey, quaint atmosphere different from that of hotels and pension houses, which makes the place especially attractive to foreigners, who are familiar with the accommodation, and long-staying guests. The present generation Escaños also emphasized the history behind the house, since it has been a familiar address to Cebuanos since the 1950s. —Ardelle Merton