Solaire’s Sky Range: Fire away in style
A five-star shooting range inside a five-star hotel?
Well, there’s only one in the country and the whole of Asia – the Sky Range Shooting Club that sits at the 12 Mezzanine Floor of the Solaire Resort and Casino in Parañaque.
It’s an exclusive and elegant shooting range that’s different from the rest.
“To begin with, it’s the only one in Asia,” said Jerry Ituriaga, the operations chief of the indoor range that opened its doors only last January.
Entering the premises quickly gives guests a clear picture of elegance. It’s far from the ordinary range. In fact, it looks more like a lobby of a chic hotel.
The range offers 15 pistol bays 25 meters long and five rifle bays 50 meters long. There are five certified range officers that man the range daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
It’s air- conditioned, and according to marketing chief Kristel Rodriguez, the range is equipped with an exhaust system that continuously sucks out smoke and breathes in fresh air.
“It’s the safest range health-wise because of the air cycle inside,” she said.
There are three types of memberships – the Sharpshooter, Expert and Corporate. Day passes are also being offered for a price for hotel guests wanting to fire away.
The membership packages do not come cheap, with annual fees ranging from P100,000 to P300,000 and consumable monthly dues of P8,000.
But looking around, one really pays for the elegance and privacy as well.
Last March, the range, being managed by Gerry de Belen, a former mediaman who covered the defense beat, welcomed a very special guest.
Steven Seagal, the Hollywood action hero, dropped by to loosen up, trying out some of the high-powered weapons the range offers to guests.
It’s also been visited once by former President Benigno Aquino III, a shooting aficionado.
From the glass shelves, one can pull out a 5.56 mm Bushmaster M4 or the AR-15 sniper rifle. For the smaller ones, they have the shiny 1911 Colts and Glocks.
The range also lets guests try their hands on the heavy Arsenal AF2011 Prismatic Dueller, a double-barrel, double- hammer caliber .45 pistol that’s worth at least P400,000.
It’s the gun that was featured in the last James Bond flick “Spectre.”
“We only have the good ones here,” said the operations chief.
Sky Range has the fingerprints of Action Target, the high- end manufacturer of shooting ranges, and based in Provo, Utah, all over.
When done firing, guests can unwind at the Sky Range cigar lounge and gourmet café that offers meals like 12-gauge goulash soup, combat arroz caldo, SAS nachos, locked and loaded grilled cheese sandwich, roast beef revolver, double-action chorizo burger, long-trigger adobo sliders and the double tap halo-halo.
There’s a meeting and conference room for corporate shooters, locker rooms with showers and gun display cabinets where guests can safely leave their weapons.
From the luxury of the dining area and cigar lounge, guests can watch the action at the range, behind a level-five bullet proof glass wall.
This Sky Range is like no other.