Cantara Residences, Ara Damansara

Residentials, commercials and lush greeneries spread across 299-hectares of land is what Ara Damansara proudly claims to be hers today. As mentioned above, developed by Sime Darby in year 2000, Ara Damansara has seen a steady rate of development for 15 years, although not rapid as is the case in Malaysia compared to overseas markets such as China or Japan.

For those of you who are familiar with Ara Damansara, you will know that it is a fairly quiet and congestion-free residential area compared to its neighbouring townships which are more congested and crowded. It is nice to live in without the hustle-bustle of the metropolitan stress city-goers experience everyday. For those of you who are not, here is the introduction.

One of the quiet, non-congested roads in Ara Damansara, Jalan PJU 1A/41.

There are basically four major highways that provide access points from outside into Ara Damansara, which are the the New Pantai Expressway (NPE), New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), Lebuhraya-Damansara Puchong (LDP) and Federal Highway. Although we all know that these four are almost always highly congested especially during peak hours, as soon you exit into Ara Damansara, it will be bliss, literally as you free yourself away from traffic.

In terms of neighbouring townships, there are a few prominent ones which connect to Ara Damansara. To the north lies Kota Damansara, which is now a bustling area coupled with the potential of the to-be-completed MRT project. To the south of it lies Subang Jaya, as we all know the successful bustling township by Sime Darby in 1974. Today it is attached with some of the best educational institutions in the country such as Inti and Taylor’s and is crowded with students. Taman Tun Dr Ismail lies on the east while Kayangan Height on the west. Apart from these four major ones, within close proximity lie other established townships such as Bandar Utama, Kelana Jaya, Tropicana, Saujana Golf & Country Resort and Glenmarie Golf & Country Club.

VitaPharm located inside NZX Commercial Square.

Unlike the other neighbouring townships, Ara Damansara is considered to be still developing and as such it has less cars and traffic. With the number of projects that we see being lined up in this area, one can be sure that its future potential will be great especially if we speak in terms of property appreciation and GRR. The already established projects in Ara Damansara such as Damansara Legenda, Damansara Idaman Villas and Seri Pilmoor all support this fact. The 3 developments mentioned above are all luxurious high-end types and as such it suggests an affluent society in Ara Damansara.

For those of you property fanatics who are concerned with rental yield, the current yield in Ara Damansara is estimated to be around 4% to 5%. If you refer to the market, this is considered to be in the range of high-stable to high.

Next, let’s talk about the nearby amenities enjoyed by residents of Ara Damansara. First of all, the commercial centre NZX is only a few minutes walk away from Cantara. Although there is not much to look for in NZX, given its slowly descending condition, there are still some mamak stalls, Chinese hawkers, 7-11, pharmacy and some grocery stores to patronize.

NZX Commercial Centre besides Cantara Residences.

Some of the shops inside NZX Commercial Centre in Ara Damansara.

Chinese Hawker Centre in NZX Commercial Centre.

Around 5 minutes drive, you will be able to reach a few bigger shopping centres within close proximity. Evolve Mall which has just opened doors in November 2015 provides residents with fashion outlets such as H&M, a myriad of eateries and Jaya Grocer. The neighbouring Citta Mall which is only a stone’s throw away also houses a variety of restaurants such as McDonald’s, Unique Seafood, Tony Romas, Baci Italian, Onde-Onde Local Flavour, Korean and Japanese cuisines, fruit stalls, Dr. Café and many other more.

There is also a Harvey Norman and Ace Hardware in the building if you are looking for one. One convenience that Citta Mall provides for nearby dwellers is MBO Cinemas. Apart from that, it also has a few child care centres and a gymnasium.

Evolve Mall with Jaya Grocer in it.

There is also Oasis Village which consists of commercial offices, residential apartments as well as rows of eateries, pubs and night life. This is a major attraction among yuppies in Ara Damansara as driving out being stuck in jam is simply energy-draining. Of course if you are OK with driving a little further, there is a lot more to explore such as the Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya, Sunway Pyramid, Sunway Giza Mall and One Utama.

Thai Massage within the area of Ara Damansara.

In terms of commuting, we are all waiting for the proposed Subang LRT, which we all hope to happen soon. Other nearby LRTs includes the Kelana Jaya LRT and RapidKL Kelana Jaya.

For those who seeks a more tranquil and quiet weekend, head over to the opposite Saujana Golf & Country Resort. You can enjoy a quiet morning there by simply taking a brisk walk or have a job along its green trails. Alternatively, if you have money to spend, indulge yourself in some spa treatment at the Club Saujana. The neighbouring Glenmarie Golf & Country Club provides such luxury as well.

A town will not be complete without proper medical facility. Thanks to the far-sightedness of Sime Darby, it builds the Sime Darby Medical Centre right in the middle of Ara Damansara. The medical centre boasts a 220 bed facility with state-of-the-art equipment for general as well as specialized treatments.

The facility has three dedicated centres specializing in the treatment and diagnosis of heart, kidney and spine & joint disease. Another medical centre which is slightly further away is the Kelana Jaya Medical Centre, which is about 15-20 minutes away.

The road leading to Sime Darby Medical Centre.

For Muslims who are looking to pray, there is a futuristic looking white mosque in Ara Damansara, catering to your religious needs.