Puri Orchard is a budget residential complex with three towers of 39 floors (namely Cedar Height, Orange Groove, and Magnolia Spring), for a total of over 1,080 units. Completed in 2019, it was developed in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, by the Serenity group.

I stayed one night in this property (Orange Groove tower), just a few months after its opening, and this is my full review of it:

Location

This section is partly copied from my review of The Crest West Vista, a property just 1.5 kilometers away.

Neighborhood and Transportation

In which neighborhood of Jakarta is Puri Orchard located?

Location of Puri Orchard in Jakarta

Puri Orchard is located in West Jakarta, in the district of Cengkareng and the sub-district of Duri Kosambi. This is currently a rather local area, with mostly low-rise and low-income accommodation. However, it is developing rapidly with several large housing, apartment and office projects, especially along the Jakarta Outer Ring Road highway.

The main reason for that is the proximity to the airport and the affordable price of land compared with other areas of Jakarta.

How does it look like around the apartment?

The towers are located on a small street off the Jakarta Outer Ring Road:

Surroundings of Puri Orchard

Surroundings of Puri Orchard

Entrance Puri Orchard

Bottom of Puri Orchard

By car, with normal traffic conditions, how far is it from:
– Jakarta Airport (CGK): 30-35 minutes. One thing to know is that if you come back from the airport using the toll road, you will need to do a U-turn in Puri Indah, which requires at least an extra 10-15 minutes.
– Grand Indonesia Mall: 60 minutes
– Sudirman Business District: 55 minutes
– Kota Tua: 40 minutes
– Kemang: 60 minutes

Public transportation and access to highways:
– Nearest Transjakarta: The halt Jembatan Baru (2 kilometers away) has several lines going to Harmony and Grogol (2A and 3 in particular)
– Nearest train station: Bojong Indah (2 kilometers away). Unfortunately, you cannot go directly to the center of Jakarta from this station. You have to make a stop in Duri station first.
– Nearest toll road: Jakarta Outer Ring Road (200 meters from the apartment) – Beware the long U-turn every time you arrive from the North.
– Nearest MRT station: None for the moment

Landmarks Nearby

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

Malls:
Mall Daan Mogot (15 minutes): A low-to-mid-range mall with a Hypermart supermarket, a Matahari department store, an Ace Hardware, a XXI cinema and several fast food restaurants (McDonald’s, A&W, etc).

Puri Indah Mall (15-20 minutes away): A large mall targeting the upper-middle class with many popular brands (fashion, sports, accessories, beauty, kids, home, etc). It has a Metro department store, a XXI cinema, a Hero supermarket, a Celebrity Fitness gym, and an F&B area.

Lippo Mall Puri (15-20 minutes away): This new shopping center, near Puri Indah Mall, is more upmarket and trendy. It has Sogo and Parkson department stores, a FoodHall supermarket, fashion stores like H&M, Forever 21, Uniqlo and Zara, a XXI Cinema, and a Fitness First gym. It also has a good selection of restaurants and cafés.

Px Pavillion (15-20 minutes away): Upmarket boutique mall, just opposite Lippo Mall. It has a Gold’s Gym, a Ranch Market, a bookstore and several cafés/restaurants.

In the future, there should also be a mall inside the huge Ciputra International complex (currently under construction).

Supermarkets:
– Spar in Ramayana Cengkareng (5-10 minutes away)
– Superindo Duri Kosambi (5-10 minutes away)
– Hypermart in Mall Daan Mogot (10 minutes away)
– Pasar Jaya Cengkarang and Pasar Sayur Rawa Buaya are traditional markets with cheap fruits, vegetables and meat (less than 10 minutes away).

In Puri Indah (20 minutes away), you have several options like Hero in Puri Indah Mall, Carrefour, Hypermart, FoodHall (Lippo Mall), and Ranch Market in Px Pavillion.

Restaurants and Nightlife:
There isn’t much around for eating, except Indonesian warungs and fast foods. For more sophisticated venues, you will need to go to the restaurants in Lippo Mall, Px Pavillion, and Puri Indah Mall (all types of cuisine: Western, Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc). There is also an expat bar in Puri Indah called Double Doors.

If you like Chinese food and seafood, you should check City Resort Apartments (10 minutes away). In front of it, there are dozens of street food stalls that are only open in the evening.

Education:
There are some decent educational facilities, especially some reputed high schools (private and Christian), around 15-20 minutes away:

– Universities: Universitas Satyagama
– Schools: IPEKA, Global Sevilla, Springfield, Global Nusantara, Bukit Sion, Ichthus School West Campus, Notre Dame, Makarios are within 15-20 minutes. A bit further (20-25 minutes), you have the international schools Bina Bangsa and Tunas Muda.
– Preschool: Kinderhouse Taman Semanan Indah, Acacia House, Serenity School, Kinderworld Montessori

Hospitals:
RS Pondok Indah (Puri Indah Branch) is the best hospital around, but also the most expensive.
Cheaper options are Hermina Daan Mogot and RSUD Cengkareng.

Offices:
Several companies (like Lippo, Ciputra, Pondok Indah Group) are trying to develop the area of Puri Indah and along the Jakarta Outer Ring Road into a business district. Currently, there are already a few complexes such as Ciputra International, Puri Indah Financial Tower, and Lippo Office Tower.

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

Who is the developer?
The developer of Puri Orchard is relatively unknown. Called PT Adicipta Graha Kencana, it is a subsidiary of the Serenity group. The latter has built some housing complexes and office towers like Wisma 76, Duta Harapan Beksai, Permata Kuningan, Kedoya Garden, or Pakuan Hill Bogor. None of these properties is very famous or reputed.

As usual with this kind of developer, be cautious when buying from them.

Who is the architect?
The architect for this project was Megatika International. This local consultant company specializes in midrange properties, housing or apartments. Some of their completed projects are Metro Park, Mediterania Garden Residence 1 and 2, Sudirman Park, Permata Hijau Residence, Bellezza Residence, Alam Sutra Mall, Da Vinci Tower, etc.

Who is the contractor?
The contractor was Nusa Konstruksi Enjiniring, a company that has been involved in several prestigious projects such as Botanica, Casa Domaine, or the French Embassy in Jakarta.

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 are massive concrete blocks with small windows and a uniform facade:

Architecture of Puri Orchard

Facade of Puri Orchard

Facade of Puri Orchard

Entrance and Lobby:

Car drop off Puri Orchard

Entrance to the lobby of Puri Orchard

Lobby in Puri Orchard

Seating in the lobby of Puri Orchard

Lighting in Puri Orchard lobby

Garden and landscaping:

Panorama of the pool area in Puri Orchard

Garden in Puri Orchard

Corridors and lifts:

Lift area in Puri Orchard

Lift in Puri Orchard

Corridors in Puri Orchard

Door of apartment in Puri Orchard

Size and Types of Apartments

The apartments’ size is approximately the following:

Studio units (1 bathroom): 26m2
1-bedroom units (1 bathroom): 35m2
2-bedroom units (1 bathroom): 50-54m2
Junior suites (2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms): 70-74m2
Presidential and Family suites (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms): 75-80m2

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: 7.5
Painting (wall, ceiling): 6
Lighting fixtures: 6.5
Doors: 6
Windows: 6
Ceiling: 6.5
Elevator: 7
Gym equipment: 7
Pool equipment: 6.5
Furniture: 6
Artwork: 6

In the apartments:
Tiles/Parquet: 4
Bathroom equipment: 4
Kitchen equipment: 4

Overall Quality: 6/10

Comfort

Facilities and Services

What are the facilities provided in the property?

– Swimming pool (two basins, 1 for adults and 1 for kids):

Swimming pool in Puri Orchard Apartments

Swim up bar in the pool of Puri Orchard

Pool area in Puri Orchard

Pool of Puri Orchard

Kids pool Puri Orchard

– Gym (It was not opened yet but I could still take a picture):

Gym Puri Orchard

Gym of Puri Orchard

– Other facilities:

Kids playground Puri Orchard

– Facilities that I didn’t see (not opened yet):
On the brochure of the property, I see a tennis court, but it wasn’t available at the time of my visit.

What are the services available within the property?
Minimart, ATM, laundry.

Are there issues with the electricity supply?
Studios and 1-bedroom apartments are limited to 2,200VA while 2-bedroom apartments are limited to 3,500VA.

Are there issues with parking?
The property is not full yet so it still has plenty of parking space.

Are there enough lifts?
Yes.

Atmosphere

Is the property busy?
For now, the occupancy is still low (2019).

Is it noisy?
There are mosques on the North and East side of the property. On the West side, you may hear the sound of the toll road. Ideally, you should choose a unit facing the South or a unit facing the garden?

What is the background of residents?
The residents are mostly Indonesians.

Management

Maintenance

Are there visible damages?
It is still new so it’s too early to say.

Overall maintenance rating: –/–

Cleanliness

The cleanliness was satisfactory.

Overall cleanliness rating: 8/10

Gardening

The garden was properly maintained.

Overall gardening rating: 8/10

Security

– Guards: There are 24/7 guards at the gates of the property and in the parking area.
– CCTV cameras: In the lobby.
– Access: You need an access card to reach the lift area:

Overall security rating: 8.5/10

Hospitality

The staff is friendly and professional.

Overall hospitality rating: 8.5/10

Rooms and Prices

Prices at Puri Orchard 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 (IPL), parking fee, electricity and water bills, etc.

Here are a few examples of prices and ratios for this property:

1-Bedroom (35m2) – Well-furnished:

• Rental 1 Year: Approximately IDR 42 million (or IDR  3.5 million per month)
• Buy: Approximately IDR 650,000,000
• Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 15.5 years
• Average buying price/m2: IDR 18.5 million/m2

Investment Potential

Reasons to buy:
→ Reasonable price
→ This area is developing as a new business center

Reasons NOT to buy:
→ Not a famous or reputed developer
→ Nearby properties like The Crest West Vista or Puri Mansion seem more interesting
→ Low rents due to an oversupply of apartments in this area at the moment
→ Many empty plots of lands nearby => More apartments can be constructed, thus keeping prices low
→ Average location (still far from malls, schools, offices, etc)

Would I buy this property? (On a scale from 0 = “not at all” to 10 = “yes absolutely” ):
3/10.