Kusuma Candra Apartments

by | May 23, 2020

Apartemen Kusuma Candra (also spelled Kusuma Chandra) is an upscale residential complex that consists of 3 towers (25 floors, 16 floors and 8 floors) for a total of 178 units. Completed in 1998, it was the first apartment building on SCBD, before SCBD Suites and The Capital Residence.

I slept two nights in this property, and this is my full review of it.

Location:

Note: Since Kusuma Candra is located near The Capital Residence, the following section is partly copied from my review of the latter.

Neighborhood and Transportation

In which neighborhood of Jakarta is Kusuma Candra located?

Location of Kusuma Candra Apartments in Jakarta

Apartemen Kusuma Candra is part of a prestigious mixed-used development area called SCBD (Sudirman Central Business District). Occupying 47 hectares of premium land, it is privately-owned by various shareholders, mainly the Artha Graha Group of Tomy Winata. It includes famous buildings like Pacific Place Mall, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, the Alila Hotel, District 8, the Equity Tower, the Energy Building, the Jakarta Stock Exchange, The Capital Residence, etc.

It is one of the most modern parts of Jakarta, together with Mega Kuningan. The streets, drawn according to a master plan, are spacious and they have a proper sidewalk. You can walk around without bumping into a street vendor, and you won’t see much garbage. Almost all the buildings are new and high-rise, except for a few blocks that are still waiting to be developed.

To summarize, while SCBD is in Jakarta, it isn’t really Jakarta: It just looks like the business district of any large metropolises.

How does it look like around the apartment?

This is what you can see near the apartment:

Kusuma Candra Apartments

In just 5 minutes, you can walk to the Mall Pacific Place:

Pacific Place Mall

By car, with normal traffic conditions, how far is it from:
– Jakarta Airport (CGK): 50 minutes
– Grand Indonesia Mall: 20 minutes
– Sudirman Business District: 0 minutes
– Kota Tua: 70 minutes
– Kemang: 35 minutes

Public transportation and access to highways:
– Nearest Transjakarta halt: Gatot Subroto LIPI (1 km away) or Polda Metro Jaya (1.5 km away)
– Nearest MRT station: Istora Mandiri (1 km away)
– Nearest train station: Sudirman Station (3 km away)
– Nearest toll road: Jakarta Inner Ring Road (400 meters away).

The strategic Semanggi Interexchange is just 5 minutes away by car. It allows you to go faster to any directions in Jakarta (including to the airport).

The traffic is generally reasonable within SCBD, except during peak hours (8-10 AM and 5-7 PM).

Landmarks Nearby

What are the important landmarks nearby?
Nearby, there are a few landmarks you can go to:

Malls:
Mall Pacific Place: It is a medium-sized luxury mall with a Galerie Lafayette department store, a cinema, a supermarket, a gym, a Kidzania, plenty of restaurants and high-end shops.

If that’s not enough, you can go by car to Senayan City and Plaza Senayan in about 10 minutes.

Supermarkets:
There is a Kem Chicks supermarket in Pacific Place that has many imported products. A cheaper and larger option is Grand Lucky Supermarket, about 500 meters away (less than 10 minutes by foot).

Restaurants and Nightlife:
SCBD is one of the best locations in Jakarta for eating out and partying. You will have plenty of options, such as Potato Head, Lucy in the Sky, Cork & Screw, Hard Rock Café, Hakkasan, etc.

Education:
Two expensive private universities have a campus nearby: Binus and Pelita Harapan.
There are no international schools but Al Alzhar and SMA 82 are reputed among Indonesians.
For preschool, you can check Apple Tree on Jalan Senopati.

Hospitals:
Siloam Semanggi, just 10 minutes away by car, is recommended.

Parks:
You can reach Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in about 10-15 minutes by foot. It is suitable for running or walking.

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

Who is the developer?
Kusuma Candra was developed by PT Primagraha Majumakmur, a subsidiary of PT Danayasa Arthatama, the company that owns and manages SCBD. It is itself part of the Artha Graha Group, a large conglomerate that belongs to Tomy Winata.

The group is a shareholder in several luxury properties and it has a fairly good reputation. The ones I’ve reviewed here are District 8, The Capital Residence, SCBD Suites, Residence 8.

Who is the architect?
I didn’t find this information.

Who is the contractor?
I didn’t find this information.

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”.

Design and Appearance

How does the building look like?

From Outside (Facade):

The style of Kusuma Candra Apartment is Mediteranean. It was a popular design in Jakarta in the 90s and early 2000s. Now, it looks a bit old-fashioned in my opinion.

Kusuma Candra Apartments

Architecture of Kusuma Candra Apartments

Smaller tower of Kusuma Candra Apartments

Entrance and Lobby:

Car drop off in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Entrance door to lobby of Kusuma Candra Apartments

Reception desk of Kusuma Candra Apartments

Lobby area in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Main corridor near the lobby of Kusuma Candra Apartments

Landscaping/Public areas:

There is a rather large public area on the ground floor of the property:

Landscaping of Kusuma Candra Apartments

Panorama of public areas in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Path in the garden of Kusuma Candra Apartments

Corridors and lifts:

Lifts in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Mosaic in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Inside lift of Kusuma Candra Apartments

Size and Types of Apartments

The apartments’ size is approximately the following:

2-bedroom units (2 bathrooms + 1 maid room): 125m2
3-bedroom units (2 bathrooms + 1 maid room): 145-160m2
4-bedroom units (3 bathrooms + 1 maid room): 262m2
Penthouse 3-bedroom (3 bathrooms + 2 maid rooms): 512m2

Materials and Equipment

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):

In common areas:
Tiles lobby: 8
Painting (wall, ceiling): 7
Lighting fixtures: 7
Doors: 7
Windows: 7
Ceiling: 7
Elevator: 6.5
Gym equipment: 6.5
Pool equipment: 7
Furniture: 6.5
Artwork: 7

In the apartments:
Tiles/Parquet: 8
Bathroom equipment: 7.5
Kitchen equipment: 6.5

Overall Quality: 7.2/10

Comfort

Facilities and Services

What are the facilities provided in the property?

These are the facilities available within Kusuma Candra Apartments:

– Swimming pool:

Swimming pool of Kusuma Candra Apartments

Pool in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Kids pool of Kusuma Candra Apartments

– Gym: The equipment is a bit old and some machines were not working properly

Gym in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Gym in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Fitness room in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Gym equipment in Kusuma Candra Apartments

I thought the bathrooms in the gym did not look so luxurious:

Toilet of gym in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Toilet of the gym in Kusuma Candra Apartments

– Sauna:

Sauna in Kusuma Candra Apartments

– Kids playground:

Kids playground in Kusuma Candra Apartments

– Tennis court and basketball court: 

Tennis court in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Basketball court in Kusuma Candra Apartments

– Reflexology:

Reflexology path in Kusuma Candra Apartments

– Facilities not pictures here: Sauna and spa, Squash court

What are the services available within the property?
Several services are available, including a mini market, and a laundry.

Are there issues with the electricity supply?
None that I know about.

Are there issues with parking?
None that I know about.

Are there enough lifts?
Yes.

Atmosphere

Is the property busy?
It is rather quiet as you only have around 170 units.

Is it noisy?
Some owners have reported that they can hear the sound of nearby nightclubs at night (Lucy in the Sky/Empirica). For this reason, it is better to choose the units that are facing the northeast.

What is the background of the residents?
The residents I saw were mostly Indonesian and Indonesian Chinese.

Management

Maintenance

Are there visible damages?
There are no major damages, but the building is not maintained up to the standards of an upscale residence. In particular, several areas would need to be repainted. For instance:

Path in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Stairs going to the gym in Kusuma Candra Apartments

Overall maintenance rating: 6.5/10

Cleanliness

The cleanliness was ok.

Overall cleanliness rating: 7.5/10

Gardening

The garden was properly maintained.

Overall gardening rating: 8/10

Security

Guards: There are 24/7 guards at the main gate of the property.
CCTV cameras: In the lobby.
Access: You need an access card to reach your unit.

Overall security rating: 8.5/10

Hospitality

The staff is friendly and professional.

Overall hospitality rating: 8.5/10

Rooms and Prices

Prices at Kusuma Candra 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:

3-Bedroom (145m2) – Well-furnished:

  • Rental 1 Year: Approximately IDR 300 million (or IDR 25 million per month)
  • Buy: Approximately IDR 5,200,000,000
  • Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 17.3 years
  • Average buying price/m2: IDR 35.8 million/m2

Investment Potential

Reasons to buy:
Location in Central Business District
More affordable than competitors

Reasons NOT to buy:
Old building
Most apartments need to be refurbished

Would I buy this property? (On a scale from 0 = “not at all” to 10 = “yes absolutely” ):
4/10.

Address

Kusuma Candra Apartemen
SCBD Lot 20
Jalan Jenderal Sudirman No. 52-53
Senayan, Kebayoran Baru
South Jakarta 12190

More Photos

My Ratings

I do my best to write honest and detailed reviews of the apartments I visit. If you disagree with my rating, please let me know why and leave your own rating at the end of this page.

Kusuma Candra Apartments
3.5 / 5 My Rating
{{ reviewsOverall }} / 5 Readers' Rating (0 votes)
What I Liked
- Location in SCBD, walking distance to Pacific Place Mall and near Semanggi interexchange.
- Good neighborhood for eating out, shopping, partying, and working.
- Limited number of units.
- Large public area with pool, tennis court, kids games, etc.
-
What I Didn't Like
- The property is over 20 years old and it is showing its age.
- Many apartments have not been refurbished and they have old furniture.
- You can hear the noise from bars and nightclubs in some units.
- Some of the equipment at the gym was not working.
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