Marelle's Seashell Museum

Marelle's Seashell Museum is a small but well-stocked private museum on the Circumferential Road in San Juan, housing roughly 3,000 seashells and other marine specimens from Philippine waters, with friendly, knowledgeable staff on hand to walk you through the collection.

It's built as a full stop rather than just a museum: there's a restaurant and bar serving generous Filipino dishes (the grilled salmon, bolognese and Greek salad get repeat mentions in reviews), a gift shop with mother-of-pearl and other shell-crafted items, and a veranda opening onto botanical gardens. Entry to the museum is free if you're dining at the restaurant — it's worth checking locally whether a museum-only visit carries a separate charge. It's open daily, roughly 7am to 9pm.

Ratings are consistently strong — around 4.8/5 on TripAdvisor (about 60 reviews) and 4.7/5 on Google (over 250 reviews) — and most visitors find it a worthwhile 1-2 hour stop, especially paired with a meal.