Recently, the CEO of Suntrack, a boutique developer gave me a one-hour presentation about his project; The Riyang @ Happy Garden. I think it could have easily been 2 hours because he was very hands-on and answered all my questions immediately. I would rate his presentation one of the best from a CEO of a property developer. Seriously. I even asked him if he majored in philosophy and he laughed it off. The reason I say so was because he was telling based on WHY concept instead of WHAT’s available. If we are a buyer and we go to a presentation, it’s boring to have the presenter saying this, “Ín my condo, I have this, this, this and that.” If it is just telling about the features, the presenter could have just given me the brochure and I could read it too. Let me tell you my review for The Riyang as someone with a lovely wife who cooks nearly daily and two energetic kids who has unlimited energy levels somehow.
In terms of age, my daughter is 4 and my son is 2 this year. Both of them love the playground and the swimming pool and everytime we travel, the hotels I book should have these two features. In The Riyang, the playground is shaded. This a well-thought out design. the kids could run around without the sun shining down on them and the parents worrying too much that they fall sick. In condos where the playground is not shaded or even landed properties where the playground is out in the open, the usual time that the kids are allowed to run around would be 530pm, when the sun is no longer ‘threatening’. By 6pm, they needed to go home to shower because dinner would be ready by 7. If the family is eating at some malls nearby, then the time to play at the playground would be even more limited. The CEO explained that he has kids and he would love to have his kids running around within a safe compound and not to worry too much about the sun.
Speaking of my two young toddlers, safety is of utmost important. The Riyang’s swimming pool is raised by 450mm as a child safety feature. It looks inviting too. I have never allowed both of them to swim or play by themselves in the swimming pool but the safety feature is really necessary because precautions are always better. With these two, the shaded playground the swimming pool which includes a separate kids pool’, I think the requirements for my two kids are met.
We have shaded playgrounds, then what about shaded balconies? Balconies in condominiums are usually shaded, no doubt. The Riyang has a deep balcony design which serves as a complete sun shade to all the units up till 2pm. This meant a cooler unit because the total time that the sun would shine directly into the unit would only be a maximum of 3 hours. As someone who has rented a unit with direct sunlight, I can safely tell you that this is a very thoughtful design. This deeper balcony design shows outside the building too, as curves which enhanced the overall aesthetics of The Riyang. The balconies are also wide enough for a small table and two chairs for me to enjoy a cup of coffee with a visiting friend too.
Do you like the feeling of being welcomed home? Specifically a 200 feet driveway of carefully planted trees and plants which also serves as a garden for you and family? These days, when I view any development at all, whether landed or high-rise, the greenery component to me is vital. The reason is very simple. Well planted trees and plants would continue to add that extra into a development even as it ages and the wall paint needs a new makeover. Do take a look at the image which was shown at the scale model at the showroom. I think this can serve as a reminder of how your ‘welcome home’ pathway cum garden may look like in the future.
If you have also noticed that I have not really started about the unit itself, you are right. After staying in high-rise units for the past 16 years, I think it’s important to get all the complementary stuffs right. Our unit may be awesome but if the drive into the car park is a hassle; narrow car park ramps or too many turns just to park our car, then it has destroyed a lot of the attractiveness of living in a family-oriented condominium unit.
How many times have we been to our friend’s place and we did not really like the guard post or the garden or the swimming pool or even the rusty gym but we love their unit because they have invested a fortune on their renovations? Please do not spend a fortune on the renovations and fix even those things which a developer should have provided well in advance. These are just some of the things I noticed at The Riyang. They provide owners with generous amounts of plug points to multi-split air-conditioning units and hidden water heater tanks and even CAT6 cables for future IPTVs, just a few of the things that the owner of a unit in The Riyang would have. For a full list, just scroll all the way to the end of this article.
The Riyang has also just 212 family-oriented units (low density) and it has 5 lifts serving 8 units per floor. This reduces the waiting time tremendously. Still remember your trip to some hotel and the waiting time for the lift took ‘forever?’ It is also designed to be wheelchair friendly too which saves a lot of hassle and trouble. This is something which has been lacking in many condominiums as their target was usually younger couples. For family-oriented condos, I think we should also anticipate that we have older folks too.
Now, let’s start talking about the unit itself. The unit has high ceilings and all the units have good ventilation and natural lighting. Remember when we visit some condos where the corridors are long and dark? That’s because the developers maximize the number of units they could build on one straight line instead of building one unit and leaving some space for natural lights to come in. The Riyang starts from just RM550 per sq ft but I think it’s generous with the available space. Let me be honest, this is definitely not the best condominium project that I have visited but at RM550 per sq ft and 11km from the city centre (KLCC park), it is certainly within the top few.
Do look at some photos which I have taken. Not with iPhone or Huawei but with my trusted OPPO R9S. (Yes, I changed my phone…). The photos would show some of the potential designs that you have in mind. Yes, the space is well designed. I have a wide living hall and if you have a daughter who needs her own room, The Riyang provides her with her own bathroom too. So, there are two rooms in the unit with their very own bathrooms. I think it’s pretty cool.
For some of us who love to plant some stuffs at the balcony, the unit provides an ample-sized balcony to do just that. In case you think the balcony at high-rises are only good for some small herbs, planting lady’s finger is possible and I have done it successfully. Besides that due to the size of the balcony, I think you can have your own ginger and even pineapple plant too. (YES, I have done it successfully before!)
My wife and I agree on one thing when we scout for a new place to stay. The kitchen must be good. She is getting ever better with her Chinese dishes and my tummy is getting bigger. I bake cheesecakes occasionally and a roast turkey party on a yearly basis. So, the kitchen must be well designed. The unit has separate dry and wet kitchens and both have their spacious functional spaces. Kitchen cabinets are provided for in the wet kitchen for all owners too. The colour is pretty neutral and I am sure most owners would like it.
Do you like to have your own basin while your partner has her own? I think I want a basin for myself because right now, the basin in my master bathroom belongs solely to my wife. At The Riyang, you can have your own. Haha. Seriously, even this was designed in. Do take a look, I think if you are also a modern couple (even if not too young anymore), you would like it.
These are just some of the things I learnt during my viewing @ The Riyang recently. I think the show gallery is worth a visit if you have a growing family and need a comfortably-sized condominium which is near enough to the city centre. Take a look at the time to get to KLCC at Jalan Ampang on a weekday, starting your journey at 7am. I did not show 9am because it would take much lesser time. There’s no need to leave home at 630am too. The condominium is situated within a matured neighborhood which meant lots of good food as well as the much lower likelihood that another taller and bigger condominium could be built right in front of your block. Do note however that even sea view condominiums do not have the guarantee clause in the S&P that the sea view is guaranteed. This is the advantage of buying in a mature neighborhood. Beyond just those I shared, it also comes with lots of facilities for your wife, your kids and you too. Thus far, all the sales staffs I met there were friendly and smile a lot. Not sure if it’s because the CEO was around. Haha. Check out more photos which I have taken below.
Are there other things that you may be looking for? Take a look below for the list provided to me by the developer.
The Riyang @ Happy Garden
Property – Key Features:
- Freehold condominium in the heart of KL
- Convenient and accessible via major highways
- Exclusive residential development (GST exempted)
- 212 spacious, family oriented units
- Only 8 units per floor
- 5 lifts for short waiting time
- 35 storey high-end condominium tower
- Designed with Eco, safety features and Disabled-Friendly feature in common areas
- Only RM550 per sq ft
Unit – Key Features
- High ceilings for better ventilation and natural lighting in all rooms
- Dry and wet kitchens with adequate and functional work spaces
- Shower cubicles with tempered glass shower screens
- His and Hers wash basins in the Master Bathroom
- Ample-sized balconies for private herb gardens
- Generous amount of power plug points
- Light switches at disabled-friendly height (1.2m)
- Multi-split inverter air-conditioning units and water heater tanks provided
- SMATV points designed for satellite PVR recording – great for recording your favourite satellite TV programmes
- Fibre optic cables for high-speed Internet connectivity
- CAT6 cables to future-proof IPTVs
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