Nuvali further proves its potential to be the country’s leading eco-community that meshes work, life and play as it recently opened the third wing of Ayala Malls Solenad. The latest addition to Ayala Land’s largest estate development brings with it a bigger retail and dining space and more brands to cater to Nuvali residents and visitors.
“Solenad 3 is the biggest [among the three wings] and is a very big lead for Nuvali,” states Ayala Land, Inc. marketing manager Jennifer Chua.
True enough, Solenad 3 is a spacious complex with five interconnected buildings spanning 40,000 sqm, bringing the total retail and dining space of Ayala Malls Solenad to over 50,000 sqm. The third wing will house around 200 additional shops and restaurants, an activity center and the first cinema in the area.
Taking after the first two wings, Solenad 3 features a non-traditional mall architecture. “It’s very open and has a lot of greeneries because we made sure that we will not remove the whole landscape. We have a lot of trees, plants in place and two to three panels facing the mall which we call the green wall,” shares Ayala Malls Solenad general manager Angelita Eñanosa.
Three of the five buildings utilizes open air—a move that follows the “open and fresh” advocacy Nuvali espouses. Together with the open areas, Eñanosa estimates that the whole Solenad takes about two hectares.
Each building has its own concept and houses both international and local labels as well as other brands native to Sta. Rosa, Laguna, where part of the Nuvali estate is located.
“Building A is where the department store will be,” begins Eñanosa. Standing three-story high, the air-conditioned building will be home to the Landmark Group. The ground floor will be the supermarket and the rest is the department store.
Since Nuvali and the nearby Sta. Rosa area are popular for running and biking, Solenad allotted its Building B as the outdoor sports section. Together in the building are R.O.X., Bikes Per Minute, Gran Trail Cycles and other bike shops. On the second floor is Anytime Fitness Gym, a 24/7 fitness center. And taking half of the wing is Ansons by the Landmark Group.
Sports and lifestyle brands Adidas, Nike and World Balance, among others, are located in Building E or the active lifestyle zone. The main children’s attraction of the complex, Kidzoona, takes up a big chunk of about 400-500 sqm of the building. The second level, on the other hand, will house a couple of gadgets and accessories retailers.
Building D is dubbed as the family zone “because this is where our basic necessities are.” National Bookstore, Toys R Us, and popular dining establishments including Bon Chon, Classic Savory and Kenny Rogers are gathered in the building. Furniture Republic and Red Tag by Rustans, an outlet offering Rustans fashion and home items in discounted prices, are also located here.
The most recently opened Building C houses global brands such as Uniqlo, Cotton On, Vans, Penguin, as well as local brands Bayo and Plains and Prints. The three-level building also features salons, barbershops, nail spas and body spas. On the top floor are the four cinemas—three of which are regular while the other one uses Dolby Atmos.
Being the first mall to open a cinema in the area, Eñanosa proudly reports that in the first two weeks of their opening, they have exceeded ticket sales of other cinemas in Metro Manila.
Injecting local flavors, Solenad 3 also has House of Bawaii, Lucina Home (Sta. Rosa’s furniture and homeware shop), Rowena’s and Cafe Arabelle, among others. Other restaurants which were not available in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, such as Banapple, Mama Lou’s and Noona’s found their home at Solenad 3.
According to Chua, as of now, only 69 percent of the total outlets are in full operation, but they are expecting all retailers and dining establishments to be opened in the 2nd quarter next year.
Holiday at Nuvali
With many attractions, Nuvali is a promising staycation destination this holiday season. And since it’s only a few minutes away (sans heavy traffic) from Metro Manila, it’s a perfect alternative for tired urban dwellers longing for fresh air.
Don’t forget your running shoes or bicycle as Nuvali has a wide space for runners and bikers. But if you prefer to go wet but not so wild, try the water taxi ride cruising around the eco-community’s iconic 4-hectare lake. For the more adventurous, head over to Republ1c Wakepark. Or enjoy quality time with Mother Nature at Nuvali’s Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary.
Christmas markets are held every weekend in Solenad. For those who are not yet done shopping, or prefer purchasing gifts and noche buena fares in bulk, there’s S&R Membership Shopping which opened in November.
Young fans of Peppa Pig and her pals will be treated to a Peppa’s Christmas Surprise from December 18 to 20. For an educational day, discover the country’s diverse marine life through the traveling exhibit of Mind Museum at the Evoliving Center.
After all the activities, recharge at the 150-room Seda Nuvali located in the business district, a few steps away from office spaces and other attractions in the area. For the holidays, Seda offers a special promo dubbed “12 Days of Christmas” which combines a regular set menu and buffet.
Chua says Nuvali receives an average of 55,000 visitors every weekend. And with the opening of Solenad 3, the cinemas and S&R, “we expect a spike of visitor volume as compared to the previous months.”
But Ayala Land says they’re on top of this inevitable situation. “We have addressed it (visitor volume) by expanding our parking areas. We also provide bikes for rent and transportation options for residents, employees and visitors,” says Chua. Seda Hotel expansion, according to her, is also in the pipeline.
For transients planning to visit Nuvali, Chua suggests to take the Silangan Exit which provides a more pleasant driving experience than going through Sta. Rosa Exit, which gets clogged by those going to Tagaytay.
Complete living
Aside from business and recreation developments, Nuvali is also home to 4,000 residents in four Ayala Land residential brands (Ayala Land Premier, Alveo, Avida and Amaia). For parents looking for accessible schools, there are Xavier School and Miriam College.
By the second quarter of 2016, Nuvali will see the opening of Qualimed Hospital. Moreover, in the coming years, more mid-density developments are expected to rise.
“With all of these in place, we can say Nuvali was once a place with promise and it’s now the place to be in the south,” enthuses Chua.