A Sort of Review of the Kenwingston Square Garden

Accomodation is usually something couples sort out before they get married. They might choose to live with relatives or rent initially, or they may try and settle on a more permanent type of accommodation before tying the not. For my wife and I, our focus was a little different, we’re both young professionals and more importantly we spend most of our time on separate continents. When we meet up, that’s when we start thinking about our living arrangements. I often stay for about a month a time when I visit Malaysia. It’s possible but not cost effective to stay in a hotel the whole time and usually long term rental requires at least 3 months of tenure. Enter the room/house sharing economy. In a quick time we have gone from complete novices to Air BnB seasoned regulars. We eventually settled on the Kenwingston Square Garden complex, as it was a good mix of clean, new features as well as cost-effectiveness. We have gone back there on multiple occasions and have spent, in total, around 2 and a half months at different AirBnb Stays.

The Kenwingston Square Garden is a small apartment complex in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. It consists of 2 apartment towers and seems to be one of the newest establishments in the area. I should note here that Cyberjaya still has a lot of undeveloped land in between buildings. It’s definitely the case for the garden as there isn’t a whole lot going on within the immediate area; as the amount of half-built structures outnumbers the number of completed spaces. There is a lot of cleared land around, which makes me think that it may already have been bought for part of a larger program to populate the area. The drive by can be extremely hot due to the missing greenery.

Cyberjaya is being geared towards a sort of Silicon Valley of Malaysia; somewhat mirroring neighbouring Putrajaya but for technology and not for government administration. I don’t really know what benefits Cyberjaya poses to the tech world that Kuala Lumpur doesn’t, but this is what I have seen. There are some companies set up in Cyberjaya, there are also multiple international education institutions like both King Henry VIII College and Multimedia University. To me Cyberjaya feels quite young and international; there are many non-Malaysian students as well as young Malaysian families choosing to settle here.

In total my wife and I have stayed for about a month and a half in two different destinations at the Kenwingston appartments. It’s the longest we had stayed at any particular location; immediately after getting married we hopped around between hotels, various AirBnB Stays, and a relative’s homestay. We really enjoyed both the amenities and price compared to other AirBnB Stays and hotels, and the aesthetics made us feel like we were living in our own home for that short amount of time.

When it comes to facilities, Kenwingston Square Garden tries to provide a full spectrum of living. It tries to provide all the basic needs of residents without them driving around elsewhere. It seems to have one specific area for future business developments, but currently those are largely unoccupied. So, at the ground level, residents have 2 small markets and a 7-11 for their most important groceries. Both groceries also operate kebab/shawarma stalls in the evenings. These were the only places to eat on the premise until a big Nasi Kandar restaurant recently opened, which dramatically increased the population hanging around the common areas. A laundromat has also recently opened too, rounding off the amenities people may require. On the 7th floor, residents have access to a small children’s playground, pool and gym facilities. I went once, but I blame it on the fact that it was so many floors down that I never went to the gym! The gym, elevators, lobby doors, and car parks can all only be accessed by key card; and the security team seem both helpful and somewhat vigilant. While it could never be completely reliable I did feel relatively safe and protected while sleeping at Kenwingston.

The whole complex, by some standards, ticks off the list of services necessary for basic survival but it left us wanting more. There are lots of food places popping up, around 5 minutes drive away, as more apartments are completed and more residents come in. There is more than enough choices of Arab, Turkish and Indian style foods just nearby and the closest shopping mall is Tamarind Square. Tamarind Square has a lot hipster style eateries, a Village Grocer for a more substantive list of groceries and even a 24 hour book shop! These areas helps break up the monotony of the Square Garden and also give you a good reason to get out and smell fresh air once in a while.

Everything is still so new, so it does feel like some services are still not readily available or would have to be found somewhere else at the very least. The other problems that come along with an area like this are things like roads not being well made, there are still traffic lights missing at key junctions, and it also seems like the local wild dog population has been displaced as you can see packs resting under whatever shade they can get during the day. The last issue is the public transport, it’s still not there yet. In other parts of Malaysia and Selangor you have buses and various forms of trains as well. Currently no busses run past (from my viewing experience) the building and surrounding areas. Putrajaya Railway is nearby and it puts KL in your travel distance, but there still is the matter of getting there; you’d need a taxi, ride share or friend with a car.

So who would I advertise AirBnB Stays at Kengwingston to? There could be a few options. If you really have something to do on a weekend in Cyberjaya or Putrajaya, this might be an ideal place to make your HQ. If you are someone looking to stay in Malaysia for a few months, it might present a unique opportunity for you. The restriction on public transport as well as it’s location might mean this is not ideal for someone who wants to hop between tourist destinations in Malaysia. However if you are looking for a working and living space; with some swanky hang out places and nice local attractions this might be a relatively cost effective solution. Whether it ultimately is more cost effective than being a digital nomad based in the heart of KL is an issue you’d need to compare and a consideration you would have to make.