Solaire Resort Entertainment City

Rooms and decor

Picture two glass towers standing side by side on Manila Bay, facing west into the wind — that is Solaire Resort Entertainment City, the flagship casino resort of Bloomberry Resorts on 8.3 hectares. It opened in 2013, then added the Skytower in 2014, for around 793 rooms and suites. The original Bay Tower runs warm cream-and-gold tones with rooms from about 36 sqm in several layouts, some facing the pool, some the bay. The Skytower is the real headliner: rooms start near 52 sqm, noticeably bigger than the city standard. You walk in through a long entry hall before it splits left to a pale marble bathroom that keeps the soaking tub separate from a clear rain shower, with a large safe and Hermès toiletries, then opens into a wide sleeping area. The king bed is soft enough that reviewers keep saying they slept unusually well, and the double curtains include a blackout option. Slide them back and the balcony gives you the full sweep of Manila Bay. The thing that really sells the room is the west corner of the Skytower, where the sun drops straight into the window — the most photographed moment in the reviews. If you like a classic American-Filipino kind of luxury, with dark wood and earth-toned weaves, the Skytower will land best.

Food and amenities

The heart of this place is that it all happens under one roof. Start with the 18,500 sqm casino, one of the largest in Southeast Asia, with blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and thousands of slot machines, open around the clock. On the food side there are 12 restaurants. The one reviewers rate highest is Finestra Italian Steakhouse on the top floor of the Skytower, serving Wagyu steak and fresh pasta against the evening bay. Yakumi is the Japanese room invited into the Philippines Michelin Guide, Red Lantern does Cantonese dim sum in the morning, and Fresh is the international buffet whose breakfast gets called the best in the city — imported ham and cheese, fresh dim sum, green papaya salad, croissants, the lot. For entertainment, The Theatre at Solaire seats 1,740 and rotates West End productions like Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera through the year. Outside sits the bay-front infinity pool with a pool bar and cabanas, lit into the evening, plus the roughly 3,800 sqm Yi Spa with couple treatment rooms, a steam room, and an Asian-style hammam — reviewers rate the Thai massage and deep-oil treatments. It finishes with a long bay-side promenade where you can sit and watch the sunset for free.

Location and getting there

Solaire sits in the Entertainment City zone of Parañaque (Bay City), on Manila Bay, an area the government built up as a hub of major casino resorts. The trump card is how close it is to Ninoy Aquino airport (NAIA) — only about 3 km, a 5-10 minute drive to every terminal, with a free shuttle. That is ideal for late arrivals and departures or a Manila connection. From the hotel it is roughly a 15-minute walk along the bay (or a 5-minute drive) to SM Mall of Asia, one of the largest malls in the world, with an IMAX cinema, an ice rink, and hundreds of restaurants. City of Dreams and Okada Manila are a few minutes away too if you want to make a round of the casinos. The trade-off is distance from the older business district of Makati and the newer BGC — about 30-40 minutes in normal traffic, up to an hour at rush hour, and the same caveat applies to Intramuros or Binondo Chinatown. But if the plan is bay-front downtime, eating and playing inside the resort, and easy NAIA access, this is about the best location in Manila.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. First, this is a full casino resort: the ground floor stays loud, lit, and busy with slot-machine noise 24 hours a day. Anyone after boutique quiet or a nature resort may find it too much — the upper room floors are separated and quiet enough, but every trip through the lobby means crossing the casino. Second, some Bay Tower deals hand you a room facing the car park or a pool angle that misses the water, so check at booking and specify a Bay View, or pay up to move to the Skytower. Third, the location is far from the old tourist quarters and the business districts, so if you plan nightly outings to Poblacion (Makati) or BGC the Grab fares add up. Fourth, the breakfast buffet at Fresh gets packed at peak with a wait for tables — go before 8am or after 10am. Finally, cabana rates and the various extras come with tax and service charge of roughly 22-25%, so the final bill can surprise you a little; budget for it and there are no shocks.

Our take

After reading through hundreds of real reviews, Solaire Resort Entertainment City is a casino resort that delivers across the board — Forbes Five-Star Skytower rooms, sunset views over Manila Bay, 12 restaurants spanning every kitchen, a West End theatre, and a big spa — in a package that still runs well below comparable resorts in Singapore or Macau. The clincher is the location, just 5-10 minutes from NAIA and a 15-minute walk to SM Mall of Asia, easy both for flights and shopping. The trip it suits best is a couple or a group of friends who want to stay somewhere plush, eat well, catch a show, and maybe spend a night in the casino without ever leaving the property. If you are set on touring old Intramuros or working in Makati or BGC every day, it may not be your first pick. But if this trip is bay-front downtime before the next flight, we give it 8.9/10 — and book a west-facing Skytower Deluxe Bay View first, for the full sunset, the best value of the night.