Hofileña Ancestral House

One of my favorite! Arriving in the museum, we were immediately welcomed by this bubbly and amazing curator. I must say that even with his old age his charisma captured everyone's attention in the room. I was indeed impressed! He guide us around the house of which he spend his early years. It houses interesting collections and one of which is the smallest doll recoded in the history. Isn't that amazing? It is very small that you need a magnifying glass to see it! Numerous paintings of famous artists in the country can also be found. P.S. I only realized that the charismatic person who welcomed and guide us around is Mr. Ramon Hofilena. There's no doubt that he was a model in the 80's. I am indeed honored to have met him.

I just had the best history tour of my life. Definitely must see place in Silay. The house is full of collections from great national artists, old antiques, and the homeowner who does the tour will surely pique your interest and will leave no dull moment making the experience superb awesome. Hoping to see the book the owner will write.

Tried to visit ancestral houses in Silay, unfortunately, I visited on a wrong day. Monday. Museums are closed. Same with all the ancestral houses in Talisay. But the architecture is magnificent. You can really tell that it has a lot of history by just looking at it.

Not sure why would anyone rate this lower than 5 stars. Anyways we went there march 12,2020 with no idea about the house (it was recommended on some itinerary online) already lunch time as well but they still generously gave us our little tour. Looking from the outside, the place seems like any ordinary house that you'll come across in this city, probably from sometime of the year 1940ish(guesstimate) but you'll be surprise at how full the house is with different antiques, personal collections, paintings and such. If I can describe the experience, it's like using a time machine and going back during those time where Espanyol are still prevalent. The real treat was the old man Ramon Hofileña, our personal tour guide that day and the wait for it owner of the house, who at his age(will not disclose) is still full of life in him, sad that he may not be able to write all those knowledge he had on a book so the next generation would know that a great man once live on silay. Got sidetracked again, as for the review, do visit the place, I highly recommend at least go there when you are in bacolod or silay city. Even if your not a history buff, there is a lot to appreciate in this house, the owner and all his stories. You'll appreciate things you never thought you'd appreciate like arts and history. Believe me, I did, not a fan of history back when I was at high school but really enjoyed the short time we had on this house. Really worth visit, I can express it on words you just have to go their to experience first hand.

Out of the Silay City Heritage Tour, the tour guide of Hofileña Ancestral House is simply the best. We had a great time with the tour guide. The smallest of the three museum but with a great story teller is the main difference in enjoying the tour. We will definitely be back for another tour next time!