The Bellezza Apartments at Permata Hijau is an upscale apartment complex featuring 3 towers connected by a shopping center. There are 1,222 units in total, including 71 that are part of the Bellezza Suites Hotel.

Built in 2002, it was developed on 3.2 hectares of land by the group Gapura Prima, which is also the owner of Bellagio Mansion, Bellagio Residence and GP Plaza.

I stayed there for a few days and this is my honest review of it. If you know about this property, please add your own comment and rating at the end of the article.

Location:

Neighborhood

In which neighborhood of Jakarta is the complex located?
The Bellezza is located in Kebayoran Lama, a residential area with middle and upmarket housing. It is not as exclusive as Kebayoran Baru, but it is becoming more popular as it is near from Senayan and SCBD (business district).

By car, with normal traffic conditions, how far is the complex from:
– Jakarta Airport: 50 minutes
– Grand Indonesia Mall: 40 minutes
– Kota Tua: 65 minutes
– Kemang: 45 minutes

How does it look like around the apartments?
In front of The Bellezza, there is a large road, Jalan Arteri Permata Hijau, which has heavy traffic as it connects South and West Jakarta. It is not very pleasant because of the noise and the pollution, and you won’t find many interesting shops or restaurants on it.

Behind the residence, there are some upmarket villas.

What are the important landmarks nearby?

Nearby, there are a few landmarks you can go to:

Malls:
Similar to the Bellagio Mall, the Bellezza Shopping Arcade is just below the towers. It has a mix of random shops and offices, in a nicely designed setting. Not large enough for real shopping, but you can find some cheap restaurants, a karaoke, a fitness center, and a supermarket.

Across the street from Bellezza, ITC Permata Hijau is a middle-class mall with many unbranded stores selling all kind of products, from fashion accessories to mobile phones.

For more options, you can also go by car to Senayan City or Senayan Plaza, about 10-15 minutes away.

Supermarkets:
FoodHall in Bellezza Shopping Arcade is popular with expatriates. It has a decent selection of imported products but it is expensive.
A cheaper and larger option is the Carrefour in ITC Permata Hijau.

Restaurants:
The Bellezza Suites has an on-site restaurant that I didn’t try. It doesn’t have glowing reviews, though. In the mall, you have about 10 options (Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese food) but none are very famous.

ITC Permata Hijau has a food court and some fast food options.

Bars and Nightlife:
The closest bars and clubs will be located in Plaza Senayan (X2), Senayan City (Domain), or along Jalan Senopati.

Universities:
Binus University is the nearest one, about 7 kilometers away.

Schools:
Hope International School

Preschools:
ismile Bellezza

Hospitals:
Rumah Sakit Medika Permata Hijau

Parks:
None. The closest open space is probably the Bung Karno Stadium, where you will find enough space to run or walk.

Offices:
The location of Bellezza is convenient if your office is located in Senayan, in SCBD or in the South of Sudirman street.

Transportation

What are the main roads or highways nearby?
The Bellezza is next to Jalan Arteri Permata Hijau, which is an important, yet not crucial road in Jakarta. You will need about 20 minutes to reach the Jakarta Inner Ring Road, the main highway in the city.

What is the traffic situation near the apartment?
There are traffic jams almost continuously from 8am to 8pm.

Is it easy for taxis/Uber/Grab to find the location?
Yes.

Is there a Transjakarta bus stop nearby?
A convenient Transjakarta stop is just across the street. From there, you can take the line 8 going either to Harmoni (via Grogol) or to Lebak Bulus. You can also catch non-AC buses to Blok M.

Is there a train station nearby?
No.

How about the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) or LRT (Light Rapid Transit)?
There are no lines planned at the moment.

Are there sidewalks? Is it possible to walk around?
Yes, along Jalan Arteri Permata Hijau. The quality is reasonable.

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

What is the reputation of the developer?
The developer, Gapura Prima, has a history of making visually impressive buildings, but it can be disappointing when it comes to management. I stayed in several of their properties and always had issues with the maintenance in particular.

The group also had several issues with its Bellezza tenants. For instance, it was attacked in court (and lost) after some residents realized that the size of their units was smaller than what they had been sold. They later complained because the company failed to pay the compensation on time (see this article).

In another article, tenants complained about the doubling of monthly parking fees, from Rp150,000 to Rp300,000.

Who is the architect?
I don’t have this information.

Who is the contractor?
I don’t know.

What is the situation with the land certificate?
The developer has a Hak Guna Bangunan Murni, which means the property was built on its own land. As an apartment owner, you get a Strata Title di atas HGB Murni.

Are there issues with the electricity supply?
None that I am aware of.

Are their issues with parking?
There are enough parking space for all tenants.

How many lifts are there in each tower?
There are 4 residents’ lifts per tower. Some units have private lifts.

Design and Appearance

How does the building look like?

From outside:
The towers are rather massive and elegant, with a Roman-style inspiration (columns at the entrance, carvings, dome on the rooftop, stone balconies, etc). The windows and balconies are medium-sized, and the air-con units are hidden.

Entrance:
There are two entrances, one in the back, and one in the front (depicted below).

The front one is rather impressive, with a nice fountain and a garden in the middle, while the back one is more discreet and common.

Reception:
There are two receptions as well: One for hotel guests and one for residents. Both are not too large, but they are clean, exclusive and comfortable.

Landscaping:
Overall, it is average and often confusing. I don’t think they maximized the space available.

Corridors:
They look upmarket, but not too luxurious: Small tiles, white walls, wooden doors…

How spacious are the apartments?
The apartments are rather spacious. They come in different configurations (studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, 3+1 bedrooms) from 45m2 to 547m2.

Materials, Equipment, and Finishes

What is the quality of the materials, furniture, and equipment used in the construction?
This is an evaluation of the quality I observed (ranked from 1 – worst – to 10 – best):

Tiles Lobby: 7
Tiles Corridor: 5
Tiles Units: 5
Painting: 6
Doors: 6
Ceiling: 6
Lighting: 6
Elevator: 6
Gym equipment: 5
Pool equipment: 5
Furniture: 6
Artwork: 5

Overall Quality: 6/10

What is the quality of the finishes?
Satisfactory.

Comfort

Facilities and Services

What are the facilities provided in the property?

– Swimming pool: Even though it is large, I found the whole area underwhelming and not very enjoyable. To swim, you need to go through a small bridge (see photo below). The water was very cold. The jacuzzi was not working.

– Gym: It has the minimum equipment but the quality is average.

– Sports courts: An interesting feature with a squash room, a ping-pong table, a badminton net, a volleyball net, etc.

What are the services available within the property?

– Since there is a shopping arcade below the residence, a large number of services is available: Restaurants, salons, ATMs, supermarket, travel agents, real estate agents, laundries, schools, etc.

Atmosphere

How busy is the property?
The apartments are busy, but the mall is quiet. 

Is it noisy?
It was not (at least in my apartment).

What is the background (ethnicity, social status) and attitude of residents?
Most residents are Indonesians from the upper-class (a mix of Pribumi and Chinese). There are also many foreigners, including some Indians.

Because of the hotel, you will see many short-time guests as well.

Management

Maintenance

How old is the property?
It was completed in 2002.

Are there visible damages?
Yes, especially in the swimming pool area. The maintenance there is not good as you can see on the following pictures:

Cleanliness

The cleanliness could be improved in the swimming pool area, but otherwise it was fine.

Security

– Guards on duty at the gates and reception: 24/7
– CCTV cameras: Few
– Access card: Yes, you need an access card to enter the lift area.

Hospitality

As far as I could tell, the staff was friendly and professional.

Rooms and Prices

Prices at The Bellezza Apartments Permata Hijau may vary depending on many factors such as the floor, the unit type, the room condition and the furnishings.

Be aware that you may also need to pay for additional fees: Service charge, parking fee, electricity and water bills, etc. Here are a few examples of prices and ratios for this property:

1-Bedroom Type (65m2) – Well-furnished:

• Rental 1 Year: IDR 144 million (or 12 million per month)
• Buy: IDR 1,650,000,000
• Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 11.46 years
• Average buying price/m2: IDR 25.4 million/m2

2-Bedroom Type (122m2) – Well-furnished:

• Rental 1 Year: IDR 216 million (or 18 million per month)
• Buy: IDR 2,750,000,000
• Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 12.7 years
• Average buying price/m2: IDR 22.5 million/m2

Which units are the best?
I prefer the high floor units that are facing the South West, away from the road. You will get a clearer view as well since there are no other buildings in front.

Investment Potential

Is there a potential for a price increase in the future?

A normal price increase would be around 5% per year. Here are some of the factors that may affect this rate:

– Factors pushing the prices up:

• Good location near the south of Jakarta’s central business district

– Factors pushing the prices down:

• Average maintenance
• Average reputation of the developer
• The complex is already more than 15 years old
• No MRT or LRT stations nearby

Overall evaluation of the price: Would I buy here?
I would not buy an apartment there as I doubt that the prices will increase significantly in the future there.