Seasons City Apartments is a midrange residential complex that consists of 3 large towers of 33 floors (Aster, Bougenville and Cherry). Completed in 2011 above the mall Seasons City, it has 1,500 units in total ranging from studios (32m2) to 3-bedroom apartments (84m2).

It was developed by PT. Cakrawira Bumimandala, a joint venture between the property giant Agung Podomoro Land and the Priamanaya Group, a conglomerate involved mainly in the energy sector.

I stayed in Seasons City Apartments for one night in 2019 and here is my review of it:

Location:

Neighborhood and Transportation

In which neighborhood of Jakarta is Seasons City Apartments located?

Location of Seasons City in Jakarta

Seasons City Apartments is located in the district of Tambora, in West Jakarta. It is a rather flat and poor area, with mostly low-rise traditional houses and shops. The main interest of this neighborhood is that the Jakarta Inner Ring Road highway passes nearby, making it a rather strategic location to live for those working in North/West Jakarta.

Historically, it is also one of the areas of Jakarta with the largest Indonesian Chinese community.

How does it look like around the apartment?

The surroundings of Seasons City Apartments are quite uninteresting. On its northern and eastern side, you have a large “kampung” (traditional neighborhood). On its western side, several large roads. On its southern side, a polluted river (Ciliwung).

Surroundings of Seasons City Apartments

Surroundings of Seasons City

Surroundings of Seasons City Mall and Apartments

Surroundings of Seasons City Apartments in Jakarta – Kampung on the eastern side

By car, with normal traffic conditions, how far is it from:
– Jakarta Airport (CGK): 35 minutes
– Grand Indonesia Mall: 35 minutes
– Sudirman Business District: 30 minutes (Gatot Subroto)
– Kota Tua: 20 minutes
– Kemang: 60 minutes

Public transportation and access to highways:
– Nearest bus halt: Seasons City (0 meters)
– Nearest TransJakarta halt: Jembatan Besi (200 meters) to catch line 9 (Pluit – Pinang Ranti)
– Nearest MRT station: None nearby
– Nearest train station: Duri (1.3 kilometers) to catch the Yellow line
– Nearest toll road: Jakarta Inner Ring Road (500 meters). While it is nearby, you may need to do a long U-turn if you arrive from South Jakarta or if you go to North Jakarta (or the airport).

Landmarks Nearby

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

Malls:
Seasons City is the main attraction around. It is a middle-class mall with mostly unbranded shops (fashion, accessories, electronics). They also have a Carrefour supermarket, an XXI cinema, and a Ramayana. On the top floor, there are many games for kids too. Unfortunately, it can be a bit confusing to get around in it as they don’t have very clear signage.

For better shopping, you should go to Emporium Pluit or to Central Park/Taman Anggrek (both about 3.5 kilometers away).

Supermarkets:
Carrefour in Seasons City (midrange)

Restaurants and Nightlife:
There are several restaurants and cafés within Seasons City. They sell mostly Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean food. There are also some chains like Starbucks, Pizza Hut, KFC, A&W, HokBen, Dunkin’ Donuts, Yoshinoya, Solaria, D’Cost, etc.

For nightlife, you can go to Central Park Mall where you’ll find a few nice cafés selling alcohol.

Education:
The area around Seasons City has quite many schools and universities, many of which cater to Indonesian-Chinese. Most of them are private and Christian.

– Universities: There are a few within 10-20 minutes, such as Universitas Tarumanegara, Trisakti, UKRIDA, Podomoro University, Atma Jaya University Kampus 2 (Medicine), Bunda Mulia University

– Schools and preschools: Mutiara Bangsa 3, High Scope Pluit, Westin School, Bahkti Utama, Kristen Yusuf, PELITA, Bunda Mulia School, Bina Tunas Bangsa, IPEKA, Pelita Harapan (until Grade 8).

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

There are also some specialized hospitals nearby, such as Dharmais Hospital (Cancer), Harapan Kita (Heart Disease) or Grogol Hospital (Mental Illness).

Parks:
Kalijodo Park (10 minutes): It was built by Ahok (the previous governor of Jakarta) after he demolished a huge red light district.
Penjaringan Forest City Park (10 minutes)

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

Who is the developer?
Seasons City was developed by PT. Cakrawira Bumimandala, a joint venture Agung Podomoro Land (APL) and the Priamanaya Group.

APL is the largest apartment developer in Indonesia and it is behind many famous midrange properties such as Mediterania Apartments, Metro Park, Thamrin Residences, Sudirman Park, Kalibata City, etc. They are also present in the luxury market with the brand Pakubuwono.

Overall, it has a fairly good reputation, though each property is managed differently: Some are very well-maintained, while others are in poor condition.

Also, the company has been criticized for infiltrating the tenant’s association (PPPSRS) in order to manage their properties more freely (and increase the amount of the service charge without being contested).

Priamanaya Group is a relatively unknown player in the property industry. This conglomerate, owned by Djan Fariz, has interests in the energy sector (coal mines, electrical power plants). They also own Blok A and Blok B in Tanah Abang.

Who is the architect?
The architect firm was Indomegah, a company behind some budget and midrange properties such as Kebagusan City in South Jakarta or Green Apartment in Lebak Bulus.

Who is the contractor?
The contractor was Waringin Megah, a mid-sized company that has built several apartments, malls, hotels and office buildings (for instance Cilandak Town Square, Surabaya Town Square, Kemang Mansion, 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):

Seasons City Jakarta – Apartments and Mall

Facade of Seasons City Jakarta

Landscaping and garden:

This is one of the best features of Seasons City Apartment. You have a large garden with a water park, plenty of plants and trees, and several walking trails.

Landscaping of Seasons City Jakarta

Pool area in Seasons City Apartments – Panorama

Houses in Seasons City

Walking path in Seasons City

Garden Seasons City

Fish pond in the garden of Seasons City

Garden in Seasons City

House units in Seasons City Jakarta

Path in the garden of Seasons City Apartments

Garden area of Seasons City Apartments

Reception/Lobby:

Entrance to Seasons City:

Entrance to Seasons City Apartments

To reach the lobby area of Seasons City, you need to go to the parking P6:

Seating area at the lobby of Seasons City Apartments

Reception desk in the lobby of Seasons City Apartments

Corridors:

Corridors in Seasons City Apartments

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: 4
Tiles corridors: 4
Painting (wall, ceiling): 3.5
Lighting fixtures: 4
Doors/windows: 4
Ceiling: 4
Elevator: 5
Gym equipment: 5.5
Pool equipment: 5.5
Furniture: 4.5
Artwork: /

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

Overall Quality: 4.2/10

Comfort

Facilities and Services

What are the facilities provided in the property?

– I was surprised to discover there is a small water park in the garden. You have a decent slide, a big lagoon pool (with a kids’ basin), and a third pool (less crowded).

Pool in Seasons City Apartments

Slide at the pool of Seasons City Apartments

– Gym: There are only a few machines, and you may have to wait for your turn if you go there during busy hours (6pm to 8pm). The aircon was weak and the room was quite smelly.

Gym in Seasons City Apartments

Gym in Seasons City Jakarta

– Kids’ playground: It is spacious, but the maintenance of the equipment is poor (see below).

Kids playground

Kids playground in Seasons City Apartments

– Ping pong table and squash court:

Ping pong table and squash court in Seasons City Apartments

Other facilities and services:

There are many services available within Seasons City Mall: Banks, salons, supermarket, restaurants, shops, ATM, laundry, coffee shops, etc.

Quality of living

Is the property busy?
Yes, it is quite busy as you have over 1,500 apartments in the same complex.

Is it noisy?
Some units can be noisy if they face the local neighborhood (many mosques). I recommend choosing one with a view of the garden area.

What is the background of the residents?
Residents are mostly Indonesian Chinese and Indonesian “Pribumi”. I didn’t see any foreigner.

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

Are there issues with parking?
I don’t know.

Are there enough lifts?
Yes.

Management

Maintenance

Are there visible damages?
Unfortunately, I noticed quite many problems in the maintenance of Seasons City. For instance:

Damp walls in Seasons City Apartments

Bad maintenance of the kids’ playground

Maintenance of the garden

Overall maintenance rating: 5/10

Cleanliness

It is satisfactory but some areas would need more effort.

Overall cleanliness rating: 6/10

Security

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

Overall security rating: 8/10

Hospitality

The staff is friendly.

Overall hospitality rating: 8/10

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 Seasons City Apartments:

2-bedroom units (furnished)
48m2 with 1 bathroom
Average renting price: IDR 2.75M/month or IDR 33M/year
Average buying price: IDR 575,000,000

68m2 with 2 bathrooms
Average renting price: IDR 4.75M/month or IDR 57M/year
Average buying price: IDR 850,000,000

Other available units:
Studio: 32m2
3-bedroom: 74m2 (2 bathrooms and maid room)