The Peak is a luxury residential complex that consists of 4 towers: 2 twin towers of 55 floors (218 meters) and 2 twin towers of 35 floors. One of the smaller towers is a serviced apartment managed by Frasers Hospitality under the name Fraser Residence Sudirman. There are 462 apartment units in total.

The complex was completed in 2006, with a handover in 2007. At the time, it was the highest residential property in Jakarta. Since then, it has been overtaken by several other projects like The Signature Pakubuwono, Keraton at the Plaza and Casa Domaine.

I stayed in a two-bedroom apartment for about a week in early 2019 and this is my complete review of it:

Note: This review is only about The Peak. I will write a separate review of Fraser Residence Sudirman in the near future.

Location:

Neighborhood

In which neighborhood of Jakarta is The Peak located?

Location The Peak Sudirman

The Peak is located in Karet, Setiabudi, about 300 meters from Jalan Sudirman. The latter is probably the most important road in Jakarta as it is the main thoroughfare between the north and the south of the city. It has many important buildings, particularly office towers, hotels, and malls. It is no coincidence that the first metro line in Indonesia (MRT) runs just below Jalan Sudirman.

The Peak is also not too far (2 kilometers) from another important street, Jalan Rasuna Said. However, it can get tricky to get there because of the many U-turns you’ll have to make. Expect at least 10 minutes to reach it.

While the Peak is in the heart of the business district, its immediate surroundings are a mix of modern and traditional. Just a few minutes by foot, you can reach some areas that are very local, with the atmosphere of a small village. Don’t be surprised if you see some chickens or a goat running wild in those streets. Not everyone enjoys it, but, personally, I find it more pleasant than the sterile atmosphere of more modern neighborhoods like Mega Kuningan, SCBD or Rasuna Epicentrum.

The Peak with the Setiabudi neighborhood (low-rise, middle class housing). The towers in the background are all along Jalan Sudirman.

By car, with normal traffic conditions, how far is it from:
– Jakarta Airport (CGK): 60 minutes
– Grand Indonesia Mall: 5-10 minutes
– Sudirman Business District: 5 minutes
– Kota Tua: 40 minutes
– Kemang: 45 minutes

How does it look like around the apartment?

Neighborhood The Peak Sudirman

Street in front of The Peak Sudirman

What are the important landmarks nearby?

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

Malls:
In about 10 minutes, you can reach Grand Indonesia, one of the largest upscale malls in Jakarta. It has pretty much anything you may need, including 2 supermarkets, a huge cinema and 3 department stores (Sogo, Seibu, Central). It is also a popular hangout spot with plenty of coffee shops, restaurants, and bars. Next to Grand Indonesia, Plaza Indonesia is another option, more luxurious.

Supermarkets:
The nearest ones are Ranch Market in Grand Indonesia or FoodHall in Plaza Indonesia. Both are quite expensive but they have a wide diversity of imported products.

Restaurants:
There aren’t any restaurants walking distance from The Peak (apart from their in-house coffee shop), but you can find a few within 5-10 minutes by car. Try Setiabudi One, for instance, where you will find about 40 midrange restaurants.

Bars and Nightlife:
Nearby nightlife areas are near Grand Indonesia (Skye, Cloud), in Mega Kuningan (Basque, Loewy) or in SCBD (Fairgrounds).

Education
This is not the best area if you have kids or if you are a student. There are not many universities or International schools. Here a few within a reasonable distance:

– Universities: Bakrie University, Atma Jaya Semanggi, London School of Public Relations, Sahid University, STIE Perbanas
– Schools: Royal Primary Academy (Sekolah Royal Tunas Mulia – 10 minutes away), Highscope (from preschool to high school – in Taman Rasuna), International Islamic School.

Hospitals:
SOS Medika Clinic (expensive – international quality)
Siloam Semanggi
MMC Hospital
Takenoko Clinic (Japanese)
Sahid Sudirman Memorial Hospital

Parks:
None nearby. The closest one would be the Monas or Bung Karno.

Offices:
Plenty of offices nearby: Chase Plaza, MidPlaza, Sampoerna Strategic Square, IFC, World Trade Center, Indofood, etc.

Embassies:
Many within easy reach: Australia, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Italy, Serbia, Greece, Canada, etc.

Transportation

Is there a Transjakarta bus stop nearby?

Transjakarta Station near The Peak Sudirman

There is a station in front of Chase Plaza that you can reach in 5-10 minutes walk. From there, you can easily go to Blok M or Kota Tua.

Is there a train station nearby?
The closest one is Sudirman station, about 2 kilometers away. You can take the train to CGK airport from this station.

How about the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) or LRT (Light Rapid Transit)?
An MRT station is located in front of MidPlaza.

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

Who is the developer?
The developer, Agung Podomoro Land (APL) is a major Indonesian company, famous as the owner of a huge portfolio of apartments. Most of them are in the midrange segment, for instance, Metro Park, Thamrin Residences, Sudirman Park and Kalibata City. Some are more upscale, like Neo Soho, Denpasar Residence and Central Park Apartments.

They also have luxurious properties, and particularly the Pakubuwono block in South Jakarta (Pakubuwono Signature, Pakubuwono View, Pakubuwono Residence, etc). These are often considered among the best apartments in the city.

Overall, Agung Podomoro Land is generally trustworthy, but it really depends on the kind of property you are buying from them. In older and budget properties, the maintenance will sometimes be very poor (for instance in Mediterania Gajah Mada). In the midrange segment, they tend to favor average quality materials in order to be competitive and to offer affordable prices.

Apart from APL, another developer called PT Greenwood Sejahtera Tbk was involved as well. It has worked on several projects like Holiday Inn Express Pluit, Emporium Pluit Mall, LTC Lindeteves, Senayan City, and Kuningan City.

Who is the architect?
The main architects of The Peak were DP Architects from Singapore (Senayan City, Central Park Jakarta, Kemang Village, LaVie Kuningan).

Who is the contractor?
The contractor was Total Bangun Persada, a reputed Indonesian company that has undertaken hundreds of large projects such as Kemang Village, Central Park Residence, the Pakubuwono Residence, Verde I and II, etc.

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 towers of The Peak are quite iconic and easy to recognize:

Architecture The Peak Sudirman

The Peak Sudirman Facade

The Peak Sudirman Tower

Entrance:

Entrance from street – The Peak Sudirman

Entrance gate in The Peak Sudirman

Fountain in The Peak Sudirman

Entrance of The Peak and Fraser Sudirman

Car drop off The Peak and Fraser Sudirman

Lobby of The Peak Sudirman and Fraser Sudirman

Second lobby The Peak Sudirman

Reception/Lobby:

Lobby The Peak Sudirman

Lobby in The Peak Jakarta-noresize

Landscaping and Public Areas:

The landscaping of The Peak was designed by Belt Collins International from Singapore. There is a walking path and a garden, planted with tropica trees, that goes all around the property.

Walking path in The Peak Sudirman

Garden of The Peak Sudirman

Garden in The Peak Sudirman

Jogging track The Peak Sudirman

Pool The Peak Sudirman

Corridors and lifts:

Lift to apartments The Peak Sudirman

Lift in The Peak Sudirman

Size and Types of Apartments

The apartments’ size is the following:

2-bedroom units: 82m2 (1 bathroom)
2-bedroom units: 119-121m2 (2 bathrooms, maid room)
3-bedroom units: 156-159m2 (2 bathrooms, maid room)
3-bedroom units with study: 232m2 (2 bathrooms, maid room)
Junior Penthouse: 229m2, 232m2, 238m2 (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, maid room)
Penthouse with 360° view: 418m2, 478m2 (4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, maid room)

All the units have a private lift.

Here are a few pictures I took inside my apartment:

Private lift in The Peak Sudirman

Private lift The Peak Sudirman

Living room The Peak Sudirman

Toilet in The Peak Sudirman

Bathtub in The Peak Sudirman

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
Tiles corridors: 8
Painting: 7
Lighting: 7
Doors/windows: 7
Ceiling: 8
Elevator: 8
Gym equipment: 7
Pool equipment: 7
Furniture: 8

In the apartments:
Tiles/Parquet: 7
Bathroom equipment: 8
Kitchen equipment: 6

Overall Quality: 7.5/10

Comfort

Facilities and Services

What are the facilities provided in the property?

– Swimming pool: One of the highlights of The Peak is the massive Olympic-size swimming pool, with two smaller basins for children (or are they jacuzzis?).

Pool in The Peak Sudirman

Pool The Peak Sudirman

Swimming Pool of The Peak Sudirman

Kids pool and jacuzzi in The Peak Sudirman

– Complete gym, but it is lacking some free weights:

Gym of The Peak Sudirman

Gym The Peak Sudirman

Gym in The Peak Sudirman

Aerobic and fitness room in The Peak Sudirman

Boxing in The Peak Sudirman

– Other facilities:

Jacuzzi and cold pool in The Peak Sudirman

Sauna in The Peak Sudirman

Playground for kid The Peak Sudirman

Playroom in The Peak Sudirman

Playground kids The Peak Sudirman

Tennis court in The Peak Sudirman

Basketball court The Peak Sudirman

Reflexology in The Peak Sudirman

BBQ area in The Peak Sudirman

What are the services available within the property?
There are several services available: Minimarket, laundry, coffee shop, function room, library, and a spa.

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

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

Are there enough lifts?
Yes.

Atmosphere

Is the property busy?
Yes, there is a high occupancy rate.

Is it noisy?
I didn’t think it was as the windows are soundproof.

What is the background (ethnicity, social status) and attitude of residents?
It is a mix between rich Indonesians, Indonesian-Chinese and expats.

Management

Maintenance

How old is the property?
The property was completed in 2007.

Are there visible damages?
Very few. For instance:

The massage room of The Peak Sudirman would need to be repainted

Overall maintenance rating: 8/10

Cleanliness

I found the property to be very clean.

Overall cleanliness rating: 9/10

Gardening

The garden is very well-maintained.

Overall gardening rating: 9/10

Security

– Guards: On duty at the gates 24/7
– CCTV cameras: In the lobby, lift and public areas.
– Access: You need a card to access the lift area, then to reach your unit.

Overall security rating: 9/10

Hospitality

The staff is friendly and professional.

Overall hospitality rating: 9/10

Rooms and Prices

Prices at The Peak 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:

2-Bedroom (159m2) – Well-furnished:

• Rental 1 Year: Approximately IDR 420 million (or 35 million per month)
• Buy: Approximately IDR 5,900,000,000
• Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 14.04 years
• Average buying price/m2: IDR 37.1 million/m2

Investment Potential

Reasons to buy:
Very central location
Strong demand from renters, especially expats
Well-maintained
Reasonable price
More office buildings could be built in the area as there is still empty land

Reasons NOT to buy:
Some newer residential complexes nearby cost a similar price (Setiabudi Residences, Setiabudi Sky Garden, LaVie, Verde One and Two)

Would I buy this property? (On a scale from 0 = “not at all” to 10 = “yes absolutely” ): 7