Apartemen Robinson is a budget residential complex in North Jakarta that consists of two towers of 24 floors (400 units in total). It is an old property that was built in 1995, and it has suffered many issues (with safety, service charge, electricity, parking, management, etc). In 2013, Jokowi himself inspected this property following complaints from residents.

I stayed in one of their units for a night in 2019 and here is my review of it:

Location

Neighborhood and Transportation

In which neighborhood of Jakarta is Apartemen Robinson located?

Location of Robinson Apartemen in Jakarta

Robinson Apartemen is located in the district of Penjaringan, in North Jakarta. It is a rather low-income area of the city, with mostly low-rise buildings (houses, shops, small factories). It has an important Indonesian Chinese community.

How does it look like around the apartment?

Robinson Apartemen surroundings

By car, with normal traffic conditions, how far is it from:
– Jakarta Airport (CGK): 35 minutes
– Grand Indonesia Mall: 35 minutes
– Sudirman Business District: 35 minutes (Gatot Subroto)
– Kota Tua: 15 minutes
– Kemang: 60 minutes

Public transportation and access to highways:
– Nearest TransJakarta halt: Jembatan Dua (300 meters)
– Nearest MRT station: None nearby
– Nearest train station: Angke (3 kilometers) or Kota (4 kilometers)
– Nearest toll road: Jakarta Inner Ring Road (1.3 km)

Landmarks Nearby

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

Malls:
The nearest one is Seasons City (10 minutes), a middle-class mall with mostly unbranded shops (fashion, accessories, electronics). They also have a Carrefour supermarket, an XXI cinema, and a Ramayana.

Emporium Pluit (10-15 minutes) is another option, more upper-class.

You can also check Ciputra Mall (3.5 kilometers), Pluit Village (3.4 kilometers), and Central Park/Taman Anggrek (4.6 kilometers).

Supermarkets:
Carrefour in Seasons City (midrange)
Farmer’s Market in Pluit Junction (expensive, many imported products available)
Transmart in Emporium Pluit (midrange)

Restaurants and Nightlife:
There is a food court within Robinson Apartment:

Food court in Apartemen Robinson

Apart from that, the area doesn’t have a lot of options except for a few warungs.

The nightlife in the area is also pretty much nonexistent.

Education:
The area around Apartemen Robinson has quite many schools and universities. For this reason, it can be a strategic choice for students who need a cheap place to live.

– Universities: There are a few within 10-15 minutes, such as Universitas Tarumanegara, Trisakti, UKRIDA, Podomoro University, Atma Jaya University Kampus 2 (Medicine), Bunda Mulia University

– Schools and preschools: High Scope Pluit, Westin School, Bahkti Utama, Kristen Yusuf, PELITA, Bunda Mulia School, Bina Tunas Bangsa, IPEKA, Pelita Harapan (until Grade 8).

Hospitals:
Atma Jaya Hospital, Pluit Hospital, RS Duta Indah, RS Sumber Waras

Parks:
Apartemen Robinson is just 5-10 minutes away by car from Kalijodo Park. It was built by Ahok (the previous governor of Jakarta) after he demolished a huge red light district.

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

Who is the developer?
The developer was PT Putra Mas Simpati, a company on which there isn’t much public information. As I searched online, I could find many complaints from residents of Robinson Apartemen. For instance, the management illegally built some “kos-kosan” in public areas, such as the parking.

Who is the architect?
I don’t know.

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”.

Design and Appearance

How does the building look like?

From Outside (Facade):

To be honest, when I arrived in Robinson Apartemen, I was shocked at how poor the building was looking. I think it is the ugliest apartment complex I’ve seen in Jakarta:

Robinson Apartemen Jembatan Dua

Architecture of Robinson Apartments in Jakarta

Facade of Apartemen Robinson in Jakarta

Facade of Robinson Apartemen

Reception/Lobby:

Fortunately, the inside of the property looks a bit nicer than the outside:

Entrance of Robinson Apartments

Car drop off in Apartemen Robinson

Entrance door to Apartemen Robinson

Lobby of Apartemen Robinson

Lobby Robinson Apartemen

Access to elevator area in Robinson Apartemen

Lobby of Robinson Apartments Jakarta

Corridors and lifts:

Lift area in Robinson Apartemen

Corridors in Robinson Apartemen

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: 5
Tiles corridors: 5
Painting (wall, ceiling): 5.5
Painting (external wall): 0
Lighting fixtures: 4.5
Doors/windows: 5
Ceiling: 5
Elevator: 6
Gym equipment: 6
Pool equipment: /
Furniture: 5
Artwork: /

In the apartments:
Tiles/Parquet: 4.5
Bathroom equipment: 4.5
Kitchen equipment: 4.5

Overall Quality: 5/10

Comfort

Facilities and Services

What are the facilities provided in the property?

– Gym: It is old, but quite large (you need to pay IDR20,000 each time you want to use it)

Gym in Apartemen Robinson

Gym of Robinson Apartemen

Quality of living

Is the property busy?
Yes, it seemed quite busy.

Is it noisy?
Since it is a local neighborhood, you can hear a few mosques from the apartment.

What is the background of the residents?
It is a mix of Indonesian Chinese and Indonesian Pribumi. Since the price is cheap, it attracts some students from nearby universities and schools.

Are there issues with the electricity supply?
I don’t know.

Are there issues with parking?
I don’t know, but I would guess there are.

Are there enough lifts?
Yes.

Management

Maintenance

Are there visible damages?
Many, especially the facade of the building which is a shame.

Overall maintenance rating: 5/10

Cleanliness

It is not perfectly clean, but still acceptable.

Overall cleanliness rating: 6/10

Security

– Guards: On duty at the reception 24/7.
– Access: A card is needed to reach the lift area.

Overall security rating: 7/10

Hospitality

The staff is friendly.

Overall hospitality rating: 7/10

Sizes and Prices of Units

The prices of the apartments 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.

Below is an estimation of the prices in Apartemen Robinson:

Studio units
30m2 with 1 bathroom
Average renting price: IDR 2M/month or IDR 24M/year
Average buying price: IDR 200,000,000