Westmark Apartments

by | Mar 9, 2020

Westmark is a midrange residential complex that consists of one tower of 35 floors (620 units in total). Completed in 2012 by the group PT Cowell Development, it is located just across the mall Taman Anggrek in West Jakarta.

I stayed in this property for a couple of days in 2019 and this is my full review of it:

Location

Note: This section is partly copied from my review of Taman Anggrek Condominium which is just 200 meters away from Westmark.

Neighborhood and Transportation

In which neighborhood of Jakarta is Westmark Apartments located?

Location of Westmark Apartments in Jakarta

Westmark Apartments is located in Grogol Petamburan, a middle-class district of West Jakarta. It is partly residential, with a strong Indonesian Chinese community, but it is also a commercial and transportation hub due to its strategic location at the intersection of important highways (Jakarta-Tangerang and Jakarta Inner Ring Road).

How does it look like around the apartment?
The surroundings of Westmark are not particularly interesting. On one side, you have the brand new Taman Anggrek Residences and the Mall Taman Anggrek. On the other side, there is a plot of land used as a kind of slum. You also have a dirty river right below the apartment.

The superblock “Podomoro City” from the Agung Podomoro Group is nearby (you can walk there in 10 minutes). It consists of Central Park Mall, Neo Soho Mall, APG Tower, Pullman Hotel, and several apartment complexes (such as Mediterania Garden Residence).

Surroundings of Westmark Apartments – Google Street View

Surroundings of Westmark Apartment

Dirty river in front of Westmark Apartment

River and slums – View from Westmark Apartment

By car, with normal traffic conditions, how far is it from:
– Jakarta Airport (CGK): 40 minutes
– Grand Indonesia Mall: 35 minutes
– Sudirman Business District: 30 minutes
– Kota Tua: 55 minutes
– Kemang: 65 minutes

Note that there is a JA Connexion bus going from Taman Anggrek Mall to the Airport every hour from 5AM to 8PM.

Public transportation and access to highways:
– Nearest Transjakarta halt: Taman Anggrek/Podomoro City (1.3 km away)
– Nearest train station: Grogol (2.5 km away)
– Nearest toll road: Jakarta-Tangerang Toll Road and Jakarta Inner Ring Road (400 meters away)

Landmarks Nearby

These are the important landmarks nearby:

Malls:
Taman Anggrek Mall: It is just 3 minutes from Westmark by foot (no sidewalk to go there, unfortunately). It is a middle-class mall, quite popular, with an ice-skating rink on its last floor. It also has a cinema and a gym.

Central Park Mall: Another middle-class mall, popular with young people, with an outdoor area (called Tribeca Park) and a large number of affordable fashion shops (Sogo, Mango, Guess, Marks and Spencer, Pull & Bear, Topman, Stradivarius, H&M, etc.). Also a cinema, a supermarket, a gym, cafés, restaurants, bars, salons, banking and travel services, etc.

Neo Soho: One of the newest malls in the city, it is not too crowded at the moment and the main attraction there is an aquarium. There are also dozens of restaurants. Neo Soho Mall is connected to Central Park Mall through a tunnel and through a skywalk.

You can also reach a few more malls nearby in less than 10 minutes by car (for instance Ciputra Mall or Seasons City, both for low-to-middle income customers).

Supermarkets:
There is a Hero Supermarket in Taman Anggrek Mall, a Giant Express supermarket inside Mediterania Garden Residence 1, and a Transmart Carrefour in Central Park Mall.

Restaurants:
You can find many restaurants within Taman Anggrek Mall.

Bars and Nightlife:
There are some cafés and bars in Central Park Mall like La Bière, Pizza e Birra, Bistreau and People’s Café. There is also an infamous club in B’Fashion Hotel, just outside Westmark.

Education
– Universities: There are 4 large private universities within less than 2 kilometers: Universitas Podomoro (within Podomoro City), Universitas Kristen Krida Wacana (UKRIDA), Universitas Trisakti and Universitas Tarumanegara. Note that all of these universities have a high number of Indonesian Chinese students. A bit further, you also have Universitas Esa Unggul and BINUS (Anggrek campus).

– High schools: SMAK 1 BPK Penabur (Christian school), Trinity International School, SMP Negeri 69

– Preschool: The most reputed are Kidea and Little Giants Preschool.

Hospitals and clinics:
There are some specialized hospitals nearby, such as Dharmais Hospital (Cancer), Harapan Kita (Heart Disease) or Grogol Hospital (Mental Illness). Hospital Royal Taruma is the closest one with multi-specialties. Siloam Kebon Jeruk is 4 kilometers away.

Parks:
Taman Cattleya (or Taman Toman) is a free park on 3 hectares just 2 kilometers from Podomoro City. Nearer, you can go to the tiny Tribeca Park which is part of Central Park.

Offices:
There are not that many office buildings for the moment nearby, except APL tower and Soho Capital. If you are a young professional, this means you will probably need to go to the Sudirman area every day. On average, you will need at least 30 minutes (double if there are a lot of traffic jams).

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

Who is the developer?
Westmark was developed by PT Sandi Mitra Selaras, a subsidiary of PT Cowell Development. This is a medium-sized company that has limited experience. Some of their properties include Plaza Atrium Mall, The Oasis Cikarang, Borneo Paradiso, Lexington Residence, and 45 Antasari.

According to this article from Kompas, the company has been having some financial issues. In 2017, it lost IDR 72.26 billion.

Who is the architect?
The architect for this project was PDW, a consulting firm belonging to Mohammad Danisworo. It has an interesting portfolio that includes some prestigious projects like Verde 2, the International Finance Center, BUMN Mega Kuningan, and the Signature Tower.

Who is the contractor?
The contractor was Totalindo, a company that has worked on many large-scale projects such as Mall Taman Anggrek, Mulia Hotel, West Mall Grand Indonesia, Bassura City, 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):

Westmark Apartment

Facade Westmark Apartment

Entrance and Lobby:

Entrance to Westmark Apartment

Entrance door to lobby of Westmark Apartment

Lobby Westmark Apartment

Seating area in the lobby of Westmark Apartment

 

Landscaping and Public Areas:

Panorama of the pool area in Westmark Apartment

Corridors and lifts:

Lift area in corridors of Westmark Apartment

Lifts in Westmark Apartment

Corridors in Westmark Apartment

Corridors in Westmark Apartment

Corridors in Westmark Apartment

Size and Types of Apartments

The apartments’ size is approximately the following:

Studio unit (1 bathroom): 29 m2
1+1 bedroom unit (1 bathroom + 1 study room): 37 m2
2-bedroom units (1 bathroom): 50 m2

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
Painting (wall, ceiling): 5
Lighting fixtures: 5
Doors: 4.5
Windows: 4.5
Ceiling: 5
Elevator: 6
Gym equipment: 5.5 (only outdoor gym)
Pool equipment: 6
Furniture: 6
Artwork: 5

In the apartments:
Tiles/Parquet: 5
Bathroom equipment: 5
Kitchen equipment: 5

Overall Quality: 5.2/10

Comfort

Facilities and Services

What are the facilities provided in the property?

Swimming pool:

It’s rather small, with a basin for kids.

Pool area of Westmark Apartment

Pool Westmark Apartment

Kids pool and adult pool in Westmark Apartment

Gym:

There are just a few machines, some of which don’t work very well. That’s enough only if you only want to train casually.

Gym of Westmark Apartment

Gym in Westmark Apartment

Kids playground:

It is in the backyard, in an area that’s not maintained very well as you can see on the picture:

Kids playground in Westmark Apartment

What are the services available within the property?
There are several services available on the ground floor of Westmark such as a minimarket, a laundry, and a salon. There is also a sky lounge on the 15th floor.

Eating area in garden of Westmark Apartment

Retail area in Westmark Apartment

Laundry in Westmark Apartment

Minimart in Westmark Apartment

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

Are there issues with parking?
Yes, parking space is limited and it is expensive.

Ground floor parking area in Westmark Apartment

Are there enough lifts?
The lifts are a bit slow but still acceptable.

Atmosphere

Is the property busy?
I found it was rather busy. The occupancy must be quite high due to the reasonable price and good location.

Is it noisy?
The units facing the highway are noisy, but they are the ones with the best view.

What is the background of the residents?
Most residents are Indonesians, including many Indonesian Chinese. I think there are many students as well.

Management

Maintenance

Are there visible damages?
Yes, the maintenance of the property is disappointing. You will often see scratched paint, broken tiles, unused equipment, etc. For instance:

Bad finishes in Westmark Apartment

Wood deck in pool of Westmark Apartment

Pool area in Westmark Apartment

Maintenance problem in the gym of Westmark Apartment

Overall maintenance rating: 6.5/10

Cleanliness

The cleanliness was average.

Overall cleanliness rating: 7/10

Gardening

The maintenance of the garden was average as well.

Overall gardening rating: 7/10

Security

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

Overall security rating: 8/10

Hospitality

The staff is friendly and professional.

Overall hospitality rating: 8/10

Rooms and Prices

Prices at Westmark 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.

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

2-Bedroom (37m2) – Well-furnished:

  • Rental 1 Year: Approximately IDR 48 million (or IDR 4 million per month)
  • Buy: Approximately IDR 800,000,000
  • Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 16.6 years
  • Average buying price/m2: IDR 21.6 million/m2

Investment Potential

Reasons to buy:
High demand in the area of Taman Anggrek (because of the location near highway, the malls, the universities, the high proportion of Indonesian Chinese residents)
Reasonable price

Reasons NOT to buy:
Poor maintenance
High competition from other properties nearby with better value for money (Taman Anggrek Residences, Madison, etc).
The developer is not very famous and it has suffered some financial difficulties recently

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

Address

Westmark Apartments
Jalan Tanjung Duren Timur 2,
Tanjung Duren Selatan, Grogol Petamburan,
Jakarta 11470, Indonesia

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.

Westmark Apartments
2.5 / 5 My Rating
{{ reviewsOverall }} / 5 Readers' Rating (0 votes)
What I Liked
- Location near Taman Anggrek Mall and Central Park Mall.
- Near the toll road.
- The lobby looks nice.
- Basic facilities like pool, gym, minimarket, salon and laundry.
- Affordable price.
What I Didn't Like
- Difficult and expensive to park.
- The surroundings are a bit dirty (slums, dirty river, damaged road).
- No sidewalk to go to Taman Anggrek Mall.
- Many maintenance and cleanliness issues.
Location
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