Gandaria Heights is an upscale apartment complex featuring 2 towers of 32 and 34 floors with a total of 340 units each. Completed in 2010, it is part of Gandaria City, an 85,000m2 superblock belonging to Pakuwon Group that also includes, Gandaria Mall, Gandaria 8 and Sheraton Hotel.

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?
Gandaria Heights is in Kebayoran Lama, a diverse neighborhood with a mix of low-to-upper class housing. It used to be mostly made of low-rise buildings, but several recent projects have modified the skyline (including Gandaria City). Nowadays, it is considered an exclusive address, particularly if you stay along Jalan Sultan Iskandar Muda.

By car, with normal traffic conditions, how far is the complex from:
– Jakarta Airport: 60 minutes
– Grand Indonesia Mall: 50 minutes
– Kota Tua: 70 minutes
– Kemang: 30 minutes

How does it look like around the apartments?
Gandaria Heights Apartments are surrounded by the mall Gandaria (see below for more details). Beyond the limits of the shopping center, there are several large roads with high traffic, bordered by various shops. There aren’t many reasons to venture there, except if you are interested to try Indonesian street food.

What are the important landmarks nearby?

Nearby, there are several landmarks you can go to:

Malls:
Gandaria City Mall is the main attraction for residents of Gandaria Heights. It is an interesting mall targeting the mid-to-upper class and particularly young people. There is a large choice of restaurants, including Western food, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. The cinema is one of two in Jakarta with an IMAX screen. The other anchor tenants are Gramedia, Ace Hardware, Metro, H&M, Uniqlo, and Lotte Mart.

There are a few other malls nearby such as Senayan City, Plaza Senayan and Pondok Indah Mall.

Supermarkets:
There is a Lotte Mart in the basement of Gandaria City (Korean brand, expensive with good quality). Some 24-hour minimarkets are available outside, on the main street (5 minutes walk).

Restaurants:
Large choice within Gandaria City, but it tends to be expensive. Cheaper options are available in a food court Eat&Eat and on the street, outside of the complex.

Bars and Nightlife:
Gandaria City has several restaurants serving alcohol, but not a proper bar. The closest ones are Halfway and Camden, only 500 meters away. They are both often crowded with students.

Universities:
Universitas Satya Negara (5 minutes away). A bit further: STIKOM, InterStudi, Bina Sarana, Universitas Al-Azhar, Universitas Bhayangkara.

Schools:
Binus School Simprung, Lentera School, Jakarta Intercultural School Pattimura.

Preschools:
Integrated Children Academy, Sahabat Montessori.

Hospitals:
RS Gandaria, RS Pusat Pertamina, RS Pondok Indah, RS Muhammadiyah (Children and Women Hospital)

Parks:
None nearby. The nearest thing that looks like a park is Gelora Bung Karno Stadium where you can run outside.

Offices:
There is an office tower of 32 floors within Gandaria City called Gandaria 8. The Central Business District of Jakarta is about 20-30 minutes away (SCBD, Gatot Subroto, Sudirman, Mega Kuningan).

Transportation

What are the main roads or highways nearby?
Gandaria Heights is at the intersection of two secondary, yet busy roads: Jalan Sultan Iskandar Muda (going from Senayan to Pondok Indah) and
Jalan Syafii Hadzami (going from Gandaria to Blok M).

Unfortunately, the nearest toll road is quite far. You’ll need 15 minutes to reach the Jakarta Inner Ring Road and 20 minutes for the Jakarta Outer Ring Road.

What is the traffic situation near the apartment?
There are often traffic jams just in front of Gandaria City, but then the situation improves as you go to Senayan or Pondok Indah Mall (except during rush hours).

Is it easy for taxis/GrabCar to find the location?
Yes, it is a very famous location.

Is there a Transjakarta bus stop nearby?
There is only one stop in Gandaria City, on the line 8C from Iskandar Muda to Tanah Abang. This line doesn’t have its own dedicated corridor. You can also walk to Kebayoran Station and get the line 8, going from Lebak Bulus to Harmoni (with a dedicated corridor).

Is there a train station nearby?
Kebayoran Station is 1,5 kilometers away and from there, you can catch the green line from Tanah Abang to Serpong.

How about the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) or LRT (Light Rapid Transit)?
There is no MRT station planned near Gandaria. The closest one will be in Blok M.

Are there sidewalks? Is it possible to walk around?
There are average sidewalks around Gandaria City, but few interesting places to walk to.

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

What is the reputation of the developer?
Pakuwon Jati is the developer of Gandaria City through its subsidiary PT. Artisan Wahyu. It is a group originally from Surabaya, where they own the famous Tunjungan City complex (high-end mall, apartments and hotel). In Jakarta, their portfolio also includes Kota Kasablanka (with Casa Grande Residences).

I would say that it has a good reputation in the upper-class segment, but that they have limited experience with luxury properties.

Who is the architect?
There were several architects involved in the Gandaria City project. The main design was done by Cadiz International, along with Arkdesign Architects (PT. Arkipuri Intranasional) and PTI Architects for the Hotel and Mall Facade.

Who is the contractor?
The contractor was PT Acset Indonusa, a subsidiary of Astra.

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:
The facade of Gandaria Heights isn’t spectacular or original, but it looks neat and modern. It has large glass windows, hidden AC units, and no balconies.

Entrance:
The main car entrance is a bit narrow and not particularly interesting. There is also a pedestrian entrance through the mall Gandaria.

Lobby and Reception:
The lobby of Gandaria Heights is impressive: It is very large, with plenty of sofas to sit down, marble tiles and carpets on the floor, artwork on the walls, and a high ceiling. The reception is behind a long and elegant desk.

Landscaping:
The garden is between the two towers of Gandaria Heights. The available space has been maximized and it feels like a nice little park, with some benches to rest, two pools, a tennis court, a kids playground and a BBQ area.

Corridors:
They are rather wide, with large tiles (false marble) and a false ceiling. It is consistent with the standards of a 4-star property.

How spacious are the apartments?
The apartments’ layout is the following:

– 1-bedroom units range from 40m2 to 59m2 (1 bathroom)
– 2-bedroom units range from 76m2 to 94m2 (2 bathrooms)
– 3-bedroom units range from 117m2 to 171m2 (3 bathrooms)

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: 8
Tiles Corridors: 6
Tiles Apartment: 6
Painting: 7
Lighting: 6
Doors: 6
Ceiling: 6
Elevator: 7
Gym equipment: 7
Pool equipment: 7
Furniture: 6
Artwork: 5

Overall Quality: 6.5/10

What is the quality of the finishes?
Good. I didn’t see any issues.

Comfort

Facilities and Services

What are the facilities provided in the property?

– Swimming pool: It is a large rectangle, perfect for swimmers, with an infinity view on Jakarta. The day I visited, it was very windy and the water was freezing. I hope this is not always the case. Next to it, there is also a jacuzzi and a kids’ pool.

Sunbeds with a tiny mattress are organized around the pool.

– Gym: It is compact but there is all the equipment you may need for a complete workout:

– Kids playground:

– Tennis court:

– Garden with BBQ, jogging track, reflexology path, benches, etc:

What are the services available within the property?
As long as the mall is open (from 10 AM to 10 PM), you have a lot of available services (banks, restaurants, salons, etc). There is also a laundry service and ATMs.

Are there issues with the electricity supply?
Not that I know of.

Are their issues with parking?
There is a total of 4,000 parking spaces to be shared with the clients of the mall. If you have a car, always make sure that the parking space is included in your apartment.

How many lifts are there in each tower?
There are 4 lifts per tower. It seems that past a certain time, at least two of them are turned off. One evening, I had to wait quite a long time to go to my unit.

Does the apartment have running hot water?
Yes in the bathroom.

What is the air-conditioning system used?
Individual AC units.

What about Internet/Cable?
Provided by Indovision.

Atmosphere

How busy is the property?
Gandaria Heights is a popular property and you will often meet other tenants in public areas. The mall Gandaria is also very crowded. 

Is it noisy?
Not too much, but beware the units facing the South as there is a mosque nearby.

What is the background (ethnicity, social status) and attitude of residents?
There is a mix of residents, both Indonesian and expats. Among the latter, many are Korean and Japanese.

Management

Maintenance

How old is the property?
It was completed in 2010.

Are there visible damages?
I didn’t see any significant damages apart from one broken tile at the pool.

Cleanliness

The property is clean.

Security

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

Hospitality

The staff was friendly and professional.

Rooms and Prices

Prices at Gandaria Heights 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 (40m2) – Well-furnished:

• Rental 1 Year: IDR 150 million (or 12.5 million per month)
• Buy: IDR 1,800,000,000
• Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 12 years
• Average buying price/m2: IDR 45 million/m2

3+1-Bedroom Type (117m2) – Well-furnished:

• Rental 1 Year: IDR 300 million (or 25 million per month)
• Buy: IDR 3,800,000,000
• Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 12.67 years
• Average buying price/m2: IDR 32.47 million/m2

Which units are the best?
You will get the best view from the units facing the North and the East.

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:

• Development of Gandaria City surroundings from middle-class to upper-class
• Good quality of the maintenance of the property

– Factors pushing the prices down:

• No MRT lines near Gandaria City
• Traffic jams to go to the Central Business District

Overall evaluation of the price: Would I buy here?
I believe Gandaria Heights is a sound investment. The buying price is reasonable, the location convenient, the facilities are great, the maintenance is adequate, and the potential Return On Investment quite high.