Yap San Diego House

The Yap San Diego house was built sometime before 1700 by Don Juan Yap, a Chinese merchant from Fujian province. It is believed to be one of the oldest Chinese style houses outside of China as well as possibly the oldest residential building in the Philippines.

There's a certain organic quality to the house, with sometimes roughly carved coral stone walls, wooden tree trunks for columns and a random collection of rooms on different levels with uneven floors. It's all filled with bric-a-brac, figurines and mementos that give it the feel of a VIctorian drawing room. It's a stark contrast to the studied elegance of the Casa Gordoro house, which is right around the corner.

The museum is open 9am to 5pm Monday through Saturday. There is an entrance fee, currently 100 Pesos.