Astoria Ampang @ Ampang

Located in the metropolitan district of Ampang, Astoria Ampang is the latest addition in KL’s growing list of green living concept homes. This leasehold property is being developed through Xtreme Meridien Sdn Bhd as a joint venture between Land & General Bhd (L&G) and Malaysia Land Properties Sdn Bhd (Mayland). Modeled as a serviced residence, the construction for this apartment started in mid 2015 and is expected to achieve completion by 2019.

Following in the trend of dual key homes in Malaysia, the Astoria Ampang has joined the growing number of homes imbibing the concept into their design. Essentially, the dual key home concept is a unit within a unit with 2 separate entrances. In Astoria Ampang, the unit comes with a bedroom and attached bathroom which could be separated by building a partition. This option is only available for Type E units, which consists of 136 units in the apartment. The concept has been catching waves with first time and seasoned property buyers mostly due to its appeal of two homes within a property. First time property buyers see the advantage of renting out the additional studio space for extra income that will support their housing loan. Seasoned property buyers, especially ones with family, see the benefit of having extra space for their elderly parents or their grown up children to stay close by without sacrificing each other’s privacy. Aside from the dual key home concept, the property would attract the section of home owners who are increasingly drawn towards the green living home concept. A sprawling ‘Garden of Eden’ is in the plans for its 6th floor with facilities such as an overlooking sky deck, a hammock garden and even a cascading waterfall to appease the weary city dwellers.

The location of this luxury serviced residence in itself presents an appeal of its own. The district of Ampang, located largely in Kuala Lumpur and partly in Selangor, has now been separated as Ampang, Kuala Lumpur and Ampang Jaya, Selangor. The Astoria Ampang is located in the Selangor section. Practically the heart of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Ampang is home to the apple of Malaysia’s eye, the KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre) twin towers. The city houses the perfect blend of old world and new world architectural charm with embassies and diplomatic buildings just a stone’s throw away from the KLCC. The city is also host to Malaysia’s foremost urban F&B, lifestyle and commercial hub, called TREC (Taste, Relish, Experience, Celebrate) in Jalan Tun Razak about 5.6 km away from Astoria Ampang. As Ampang is in the city centre, traffic congestions are to be expected, but road networks such as the newly built AKLEH ( Ampang-KL Elevated Highway), MRR2, Smart Expressway, Duke and Federal Highway offer various routes of access. As for public transportation, one would be spoilt for choice with seven LRT stations, three monorail stations and a newly proposed MRT station at Ampang Point up for pick wherever your destination may be.

The attraction of location notwithstanding, Astoria Ampang is pretty enticing by itself. As mentioned earlier, the ‘Garden of Eden’ is a catch for buyers who crave for greenery amidst the concrete jungle of KL. Designed by Malaysian landscape extraordinaire, Inch Lim (Lim In Chong), the recreational area takes up almost two thirds (that’s 4 acres out of 5.7) of the entire property. Literally a mini rainforest ecosystem – with wetlands, marshlands, grasslands and park trails with insects such as butterflies and dragonflies – no expense has been spared in ensuring the ultimate green living experience at home. To complete the garden, features such as the Zen Garden with Yoga & Tai Chi areas, the Hammock Garden and a Sky Bridge leading up to an Observatory Deck have been added.

The apartment layout consists of five types of units. Three of the units will be in the range of smaller sized apartments, with Type A (560 sq ft, 1 bedroom), Type B (735 sq ft, 2 bedroom) and Type C (888 sq ft, 2+1 bedroom). The bigger units would each be sized at 1050 sq ft with 3 bedrooms (Type D) and 1505sq ft with 4 bedrooms (Type E). All homes will come in partially furnished with all areas fitted with air conditioning units, fully fitted bathrooms with hot water system, and kitchen cabinets with hob and hood complete with built in convection ovens. There are a total of four apartment towers in the complex, each with 46 floors and 253 units. The total comes up to 1,012 units. Each unit is allotted one parking bay except for Type D and E which is allotted two.