You don’t expect stillness in Quezon City — not at the tail end of Edsa, not in a city known more for grit than grace. But at Solaire Resort North, that’s exactly what we found: a quiet kind of luxury, just minutes from home.
From the outside, Solaire is sleek and commanding. Glass towers stretch skyward, polished but withholding. Then the doors open — and the surprise begins.
Inside the lobby, everything softens. The light. The sound. The pace. Above it all floats a monumental glass sculpture by artist Nikolas Weinstein — a wave of suspended light and motion that doesn’t just decorate, it defines. Airy and luminous, it pulls your gaze upward and inward. You’re not just checking in. You’re crossing over.
Then comes the scent — subtle, floral, clean. It tucks itself into your memory and greets you again each time you return.
Just meters away from the traffic jam outside, the hotel feels miles away once your enter. Inside, you could be anywhere — Penang, Dubai, Jakarta. That quiet. That care. But the real magic? You didn’t have to go far for this escape.
At the table, the feeling deepens.
We began at Manyaman, Solaire’s Kapampangan restaurant, with their Merienda Cena buffet: sisig still sizzling, morconmeltingly tender, tibok-tibok trembling just enough, made with carabao’s milk.
“This food doesn’t need fixing,” Chef Tatung said. “You just have to care enough to do it right.”
You move differently here.
At the Health Club, there’s space, light, and quiet. No thumping beats. No wall-to-wall mirrors. Just room to breathe. Outside, the Fitness Deck offers a half-court and sky. You don’t come here to change your body. You come to reconnect with it.
At the pool, the city fades.
At the Pool Café, drinks arrive slowly. Light shifts. Time stretches. The noise of the city fades.
Later, in Café Mangrove, another Weinstein sculpture floats midair, scattering shadows across pale walls. We came for coffee. We stayed for the stillness.
Dinner, pared down to meaning.
At Yakumi, Solaire’s Japanese restaurant, there’s no performance — just purity. Seafood from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market, served with restraint. Wasabi with heat. Miso with depth. Even the rice felt intentional.
“It reminded me of Tokyo,” Chef Tatung said. “No small talk. Just food that says what it means.”
A Taste of Tradition and Theater
At Red Lantern, the mood shifts. This is Cantonese comfort food, familiar to Filipino palates, refined in presentation. Char siu, dim sum, vegetables done right.
And then, the tea.
A performer in a painted mask and traditional Chinese robe wields a long-spouted brass teapot. He pours tea from impossible heights — fluid, precise, like a dance. It’s theater and ritual. And it brings joy.
Up at Skybar, the city blurs.
Quezon City softens from above. The skyline glows. Noise fades. We didn’t speak. The view did the talking.
And then, a room that listens.
The Premiere Suite was beautiful, as expected. But what lingered was the care. A handwritten note. Fresh flowers. Drinks and sweets already waiting.
The toiletries? Not standard-issue. A curated set, boxed like a luxury gift. The art? Personal. Chosen. Not just curated — bespoke.
“This room doesn’t try to impress,” Chef Tatung said. “It just knows how to hold you.”
That quiet generosity carries through every room. Nothing loud. Everything in tune.
One last taste.
At the Fresh International Buffet, oysters gleamed. Dumplings folded like gifts. Carved roasts. More than we needed — but taken with gratitude. When we fell quiet, it wasn’t from fullness. It was from awe.
A quiet kind of luxury.
Solaire Resort North doesn’t rewrite Quezon City. It reveals it.
It invites stillness. It pays attention. It reminds you what care feels like — in a scent, a spoonful, a moment.
Maybe you’ve passed by without noticing. But wonder doesn’t always live far away. Sometimes, it’s right here — waiting quietly to be seen.
Now, a year into its journey, it still glows — not with fanfare, but with feeling. A year of stillness, detail, and quiet radiance.
Solaire Resort North, Vertis North, Quezon City rises not just as a destination, but as a quiet promise: that world-class indulgence can feel right at home. www.solaireresort.com
