SCBD Suites is a luxury residential tower of 27 floors for a total of 70 units. Completed in 2005, it is located in SCBD, in the heart of Jakarta’s business district.

I visited the property with an agent in June 2019, and this is my full review of it.

Location

Note: Since SCBD Suites is located next to The Capital Residence, the following section is partly copied from my review of the latter.

Neighborhood and Transportation

In which neighborhood of Jakarta is SCBD Suites located?

Location of SCBD Suites in Jakarta

SCBD Suites is part of a prestigious mixed-used development concept called SCBD (Sudirman Central Business District). This 47-hectare area is privately-owned by various shareholders, including the Artha Graha Group of Tomy Winata. It includes famous buildings like Pacific Place Mall, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, the Alila Hotel, District 8, the Equity Tower, the Energy Building, the Jakarta Stock Exchange, The Capital Residence, etc.

It is one of the most modern parts of Jakarta, together with Mega Kuningan. The streets, drawn according to a master plan, are spacious and they have a proper sidewalk. You can walk around without bumping into a street vendor, and you won’t see much garbage. Almost all the buildings are new and high-rise, except for a few blocks that are still waiting to be developed.

To summarize, while SCBD is in Jakarta, it isn’t really Jakarta: It just looks like the business district of any large metropolises.

How does it look like around the apartment?

This is what you can see near the apartment:

Surroundings of SCBD Suites

Pacific Place Mall – 5 minutes walking distance from SCBD Suites

By car, with normal traffic conditions, how far is it from:
– Jakarta Airport (CGK): 50 minutes
– Grand Indonesia Mall: 20 minutes
– Sudirman Business District: 0 minutes
– Kota Tua: 70 minutes
– Kemang: 35 minutes

Public transportation and access to highways:
– Nearest Transjakarta halt: Polda Metro Jaya (500 meters away)
– Nearest MRT station: Istora Mandiri (500 meters away)
– Nearest train station: Sudirman Station (3 km away)
– Nearest toll road: Jakarta Inner Ring Road (600 meters away).

The strategic Semanggi Interexchange is just 5 minutes away by car. It allows you to go faster to any directions in Jakarta (including to the airport).

The traffic is generally reasonable within SCBD, except during peak hours (8-10 AM and 5-7 PM).

Landmarks Nearby

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

Malls:
Mall Pacific Place is about 5 minutes walking distance from SCBD Suites.

It is a medium-sized luxury mall with a Galerie Lafayette department store, a cinema, a supermarket, a gym, a Kidzania, plenty of restaurants and high-end shops.

By car, you can also go in 10 minutes to Senayan City and Plaza Senayan.

Supermarkets:
There is a Kem Chicks supermarket in Pacific Place that has many imported products. A cheaper and larger option is Grand Lucky Supermarket, about 600 meters away (less than 10 minutes by foot).

Restaurants and Nightlife:
SCBD is one of the best locations in Jakarta for eating out and partying. You will have plenty of options, such as Potato Head, Lucy in the Sky, Cork & Screw, Hard Rock Café, Hakkasan, etc.

Education:
Two expensive private universities have a campus nearby: Binus and Pelita Harapan.
There are no international schools but Al Alzhar and SMA 82 are reputed among Indonesians.
For preschool, you can check Apple Tree on Jalan Senopati.

Hospitals:
Siloam Semanggi, just 10 minutes away by car, is recommended.

Parks:
You can reach Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in about 10-15 minutes by foot. It is suitable for running or walking.

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

Who is the developer?
SCBD Suites was developed by Andana UtamaGraha, a company whose main shareholder (51%) is the Artha Graha Group of Tomy Winata (via its subsidiary PT Danayasa Arthatama). The latter is also the owner of The Capital Residence and Kusuma Chandra Apartments, both in SCBD as well.

Who is the architect?
I didn’t find this information.

Who is the contractor?
I didn’t find this information.

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):

SCBD Suites Jakarta

Architecture of SCBD Suites

Entrance and Lobby:

Car drop off in SCBD Suites

Seating area in the lobby of SCBD Suites

Chandelier in the lobby of SCBD Suites

Lobby in SCBD Suites

Waiting area in the lobby of SCBD Suites

Landscaping/Public areas:

Unfortunately, there is almost no garden in SCBD suites. There are just a few plants in pots around the swimming pool:

Pool area in SCBD Suites

Corridors and lifts:

Corridors in SCBD Suites

Lift in SCBD Suites

Size and Types of Apartments

The apartments’ size is approximately the following:

2-bedroom units (2 bathrooms + 1 maid room): 165m2 and 186m2
3-bedroom units (3 bathrooms + 1 maid room): 350m2

Here are some photos I took of a 2-bedroom apartment:

Entrance to an apartment in SCBD Suites

Living room of SCBD Suites

Living room in SCBD Suites

Bedroom in SCBD Suites

Toilets in SCBD Suites

Bathtub in SCBD Suites

Kitchen in SCBD Suites

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: 8.5
Painting (wall, ceiling): 8
Lighting fixtures: 8
Doors: 8
Windows: 8
Ceiling: 8.5
Elevator: 8.5
Gym equipment: 7.5
Pool equipment: 7.5
Furniture: 7.5
Artwork: 8

In the apartments:
Tiles/Parquet: 8
Bathroom equipment: 8.5
Kitchen equipment: 7.5

Overall Quality: 7.8/10

Comfort

Facilities and Services

What are the facilities provided in the property?

These are the facilities available within SCBD Suites:

Swimming pool in SCBD Suites

Swimming pool of SCBD Suites

Gym in SCBD Suites

Gym and fitness in SCBD Suites

Weight lifting machines in SCBD Suites

Gym equipment in SCBD Suites

Private home theater in SCBD Suites

– Facilities not pictures here: Sauna, jacuzzi, spa, tennis court, squash court, children playground.

What are the services available within the property?
Several services are available, including ATM, mini market, and a laundry.

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

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

Are there enough lifts?
Yes.

Atmosphere

Is the property busy?
It is a boutique property with only 70 units. Therefore, you won’t see too many people around.

Is it noisy?
I didn’t think it was noisy.

What is the background of the residents?
The residents are a mix of Indonesians (including Indonesian Chinese) and expats.

Management

Maintenance

Are there visible damages?
There are no important damages, but you can see from the wear-and-tear that the tower is almost 15 years old.

Beware that most apartments need to be refurbished.

Overall maintenance rating: 8.5/10

Cleanliness

The cleanliness was good.

Overall cleanliness rating: 8/10

Gardening

The (small) garden was properly maintained.

Overall gardening rating: 8/10

Security

– Guards: There are 24/7 guards at the main gate of the property, and at the lobby of each tower. They know every guest so they will easily spot an intruder.
– CCTV cameras: In the lobby.
– Access: You need an access card to reach your unit.

Overall security rating: 9/10

Hospitality

The staff is friendly and professional.

Overall hospitality rating: 8.5/10