Casa Santa Museum

One of the most famous attractions east of Metro Manila, located in the hills of Antipolo, just 30 minutes away from Ortigas is the CASA SANTA @ Jardin de Miramar.

The Casa Santa houses an internationally recognized collection of Santa Claus items ranging from life size, singing santas to Turkish inspired bronze plaques of Santa Claus. At present, it is probably the most extensive private collection of Santa Claus items in the world with over 3,005 santas. And unlike traditional museums, the Casa Santa is a fun museum in that the visitors are free to inspect the items closely, or in some cases, play with it.

Casa Santa started out as a small personal collection and it grew in size until it needed a house where the Santas could “live.” The Casa Santa was converted from a family resthouse into a museum of Santa Claus collection in 1995. The house was remodeled by folk architect Rosario Encarnacion Tan and the lighting design inside the museum was crafted by international Japanese light designer Shoko Matsumoto.

In December 2004, it was the cover of Starweek’s Christmas and in Christmas 2008 appeared in the front page of the Philippine Inquirer. It has appeared in over 50 T.V. and movie productions -- Rated K, Wish Ko Lang, Unang Hirit, Magandang Umagang Bayan, US Girls, Boy and Kris. On international television, it was covered by two news agencies, Reuters and Associated Press.

The latest addition to the collection is a room full of miniature Christmas villages. A starter collection in the loft was displayed in 2010. After acquiring a significant number of mini- houses this year, it was given a room of its own. The village was designed by Bamboo Tonogbanua of Bacolod, himself a Christmas village collector.

Another curious item in the Jardin de Miramar is the restored Noah's Ark found in the Galera and surrounded by a rustic playground. Noah’s Ark is an authentic 50-year old wooden fishing boat artistically reconstructed into a play area. And like any work of art in Jardin, this old boat not only serves as a charming relic that is lovely to look at. It is a hardworking piece of art where children can play “sailor and pirate, hike and seek, go up and down the lighthouse and pyramid tree, run along the bridges and do the monkey swings. .

Jardin has extended its collection to other works of art such as the sculptures/creation of nationally recognized artists Ed Castrillo, Michael Cacnio, Daniel dela Cruz, Tony Leano, Ral Arrogante, mural works by Alfred Galvez; mosaic works by Hannah Liongoren. The three-hectare Jardin de Miramar is also the most popular party venue in the East and is the only wedding and party place with each of the 9 venues having a thematic look and character. It is also popular as a prenuptial photo shoot venue.