The Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House with Pool in Silay

The best way to experience the Silay lifestyle is to stay at the Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House with Pool. It’s a Silay Airbnb that’s close to the center of the city, accessible by public transport, but is still able to provide you with a serene stay and a close connection to nature.

• Related: Tips for Traveling With Young Children

Visit Silay City

Silay City is known as the Paris of Negros Occidental in Southern Philippines. It is dotted with well-preserved ancestral houses that may be easily visited through clean, paved streets lined by perennial trees.

While Silay is the third city from Bacolod, the capital of Negros Occidental, it is the first point you will reach when you fly in from your destination. That is because the Bacolod-Silay Airport is located there.

It is only about 30 minutes away from Bacolod but the lifestyle, cultural, and art scenes here are just so different. Visiting Silay totally feels like stepping back in time when people wore long dresses and rode in horse-drawn carriages.

Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House with Pool

The city’s landscape is definitely changing, albeit slowly. But despite modernization, the government and the people are striving to maintain Silay’s cultural identity. The ancestral homes are being preserved and converted into heritage houses recognized by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

Built sometime in the early 1900s, this grand and beautiful century-old home was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Delfin Ledesma. The couple raised their family there. It still features the basic architecture and interiors of the old house that simply draws you into its Old World charm.

The descendants have now decided to open the Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House as Airbnb accommodations to select guests in order for it to be maintained well. As you may know, old wooden buildings tend to deteriorate more rapidly if left untended.

Features and Amenities

The Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House is a two-story house with two of the rooms now offered for rent on Airbnb. Checked in guests have access to the following:

• Air conditioned guest rooms with private toilet and bath and hot water
• Welcome gifts
• Toiletries and bath towels
• Lap pool (cleaned daily)
• Bathhouse
• Gazebo
• A beautiful and spacious garden with giant trees
• High-speed wifi connection
• Veranda
• Dining area with long table
• Parking area

The lap pool is open for reservations for small private functions and individuals who would just like to go swimming. However, they also try to limit the pool’s daytime access in deference to the Airbnb guests.

Our Family’s Experience

The four of us took a short road trip from Bacolod City for a staycation at the Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House with pool. We checked in their guest room for two after a leisurely lunch at Sharyn’s Cansi House Silay.

Meanwhile, the kids slept on the extra mattress on the floor. The room is quite spacious, with a coffee area overlooking the pool.

Since this is a road trip for us, we brought our car. We are confident in the thought that throughout the night, our car was parked securely in the compound’s garage.

If you are going out for the night, they can open the gate for your car up to 9:30pm with prior arrangements. But if you are going to come back very late, you will have to enter through the side access gate.

Guest Room

Our room had two single beds joined together. It can comfortably fit two grown ups and a child.

They provided us with an extra mattress for Shawna. The mattress was placed on the floor beside an antique chest. See the details below.

We let the kids sleep on the extra mattress but Shane eventually climbed up our bed early in the morning–just like what she does at home. haha

The room had its own clean and spacious private toilet and bath. Toiletries and towels (even for swimming) are provided.

Activities

We spent the afternoon swimming and playing in the garden. Since they just live nearby, Sharyn’s daughter Chloe came with us. Our girls were ecstatic to have a friend over.

Moreover, the kids appreciated the fact that we spent uninterrupted time with them without getting digitally distracted. Yes, in our day and age, it’s not only the kids who are into gadgets. Parents can also be hooked, too.

If you like, you may opt to go for a stroll in the verdant Silay public plaza, which is a blocks away from the house. In the evening, you can have dinner at Cafe 1925 for really good food, big servings, and affordable prices.

You can just walk going to all these stops and then walk back to the
Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House after dinner. But if you’re tired, you can always hop on the tricycle.

Late at night, we stayed for a while in the garden for a little bit of stargazing. These homeschooled kids are crazy about constellations, so they had a field time identifying the star formations.

Breakfast in the Garden

Our staycation at the Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House happened just when summer has started knocking on our days here in the Philippines. The sun is bright and the air is warm but because of the trees all around, it was breezy and cool in the garden.

The following morning, our host Micmic Abello and her trusty assistant Nang Belen set up a delightful breakfast spread in the garden. During our booking, Micmic had me choose between an American or Filipino breakfast. I chose one of each so we can try their offerings.

The four of us couldn’t help us let out ooohhss at the sight of the food. It was not a mere plated meal but a table full of food! And it was just supposed to be for two people!

We enjoyed our early morning family meal time in the garden while the slowly rising sun dried up the dew from the greens around us. We haven’t done this breakfast in the garden at home thing because our yard is really small. Maybe I need to re-arrange our garden so that it can accommodate a small table and we can also do this from time to time.

There was so much that was left of our food that the staff reserved them for our after-swim snacks. They are just all so hospitable and helpful.

Other Things To Do in Silay

Since you are here, take the Silay Heritage Tour, like our homeschooled kids did. You can take the tours offered at the ancestral houses located along the historical Cinco de Noviembre Street, which is just behind the
Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House.

The nearest of which is the Balay Negrense across the street. Several meters away would be the Hofileña Ancestral House and the Locsin Pharmacy where the Cinco de Noviembre marker is installed.

But since we already did this for our Araw ng Lahi celebration last year, we skipped this. Instead, we had breakfast in the garden the next day and went to swim until it was time to check out.

Before going back to Bacolod, we had a quick lunch at Sir and Maam Restaurant along the highway. Also, don’t miss snacks or buy some pasalubong from El Ideal Bakery. These are the iconic restaurants of Silay City.

5-Star Airbnb Accommodations

If I may do so, I would rate the Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House with Pool as a 5-star Airbnb property. The location, comfort, amenities, and service are all excellent.

And it’s yours for a night at only PhP2,500! It’s totally worth it to stay here for a staycation or as a destination retreat resort for those who just want to unwind in a place that’s not too far from civilization.

You may also book the pool area and garden for small gatherings like birthday parties or company outings.

Contact Them

Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House with Pool

28 Generoso Gamboa Street, Silay City 6116, Negros Occidental, Philippines
Mobile: 0998-1732788 | FB Page: Delfin Ledesma Ancestral House
Airbnb link: http://bit.ly/LedesmaAirbnb

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