Serene Heights review

It’s been 5 months now since we moved to our new Serene Heights home and it’s been largely a pleasant change from our previous place. Obviously, this new house is much larger than the 813 square feet apartment we had before. It has a porch where we could park our car and the bike. Even a little strip of land underneath it where we could grow plants or grass if we want to.

Did I find any defects? Sure we did but they were promptly attended to. At first we used to shoot an email every time we find one. Eventually we got hand of the subcontractor’s number and just call the Bangladeshi directly for defect repairs (thank you Zapor!). The usual ones are leaking roof, clogged pipes and drain, uneven flooring/tiles and paint jobs. Nothing too serious that they cannot fix.



For now the girls Mia and Hana are still going to SK Taman Desaminium back in Taman Puncak Jalil. Like I said before, we could not find a suitable/proper nursery and transit that meets our requirement. The one that we found in Alam Sari only cater to schools around Bangi. And the one in Semenyih are difficult to find. So at the time being we are resigned to waking up at 6:00 AM every morning (earlier if Mia had to go to hockey practice/competition).

Like I said in my initial review, many of our neighbours have not moved in yet. I dare say only about 1/3 of them did as of writing. I have met a few across the street and when they hold open houses/housewarming. Many were still renovating their houses before moving in. One thing I can say for sure is that my neighbours here are a wealthy lot. All of them have at least 2 cars each if not 3 or 4. Almost all of them have air-conditioning installed. They have done some kind of renovation to their houses, at least plaster ceiling and elaborate light fixtures. Some have auto gate installed. We naturally have none of the above. Don’t have the budget for any renovations and can’t afford to pay the expensive electricity bill once we installed air conds. My wife and I agreed that our main priority for now is a proper kitchen cabinet and perhaps a new sofa for the living room. There is absolutely no rush to fill our home with the bestest and most expensive thing. We have all the time in the world.

That said, the bedrooms upstairs get pretty hot day or night (in the afternoon especially). We get sweaty within minutes of entering the room. If I had it my way, I’d install air conds in every room. But as I said, can’t afford it now. As a result, everybody basically spend most of their time downstairs usually in the living room where it is much cooler. Even the guest bedroom is less hot than upstairs.





Presently, the neighbourhood currently looks nothing the beautiful surrounding like in the developer’s brochure. The lake waters are still brownish-orange in colour and the trees and parks are still in progress. I imagine it would take a while before they take shape.

In term of amenities, there’s not much to show within 5KM radius. Sure there’s one or two sundry shops and a couple of roadside eateries but that’s about it. No proper grocery stores or restaurants or specialty shops until 10KM away from the township. We usually do our monthly grocery shopping at Tesco Bandar Puteri near Bukit Mahkota or sometimes at Jaya Grocer in Bangi Gateway. It is not until recently that I discovered the little enclave called Sungai Tangkas next to the Bangi Komuter station which is lined up with quite a few grocery stores, restaurants and other shops and services. Nowadays if I wanna get something quick, I’d just ride my bike there to Sungai Tangkas. Although we are nestled right between Semenyih, Kajang and Bangi, we preferred to do most of our shopping in Bangi, usually Section 13 or the Bangi town centre which are undeniably more hip and happening. Semenyih or Bandar Sri Putra just don’t quite got that pull compared to he former.

Location-wise, Serene Heights is strategically located in the middle between Semenyih, Kajang and Bangi. Broga hill is just 20 minutes drive away, Kajang satay another 20 minutes, Bandar Baru Bangi - 15 minutes and also 15 minutes to Nilai. Port Dickson is an hour and a half drive away, Putrajaya - 30 minutes and KLIA another 30 minutes. In hindsight, although we are now a little bit further away from Seri Kembangan and KL, we are actually much nearer to a few other places of interest so it’s not all doom and gloom. That said, I must admit riding 45 minutes every week day to work feels quite tiring sometimes especially during bad weather days. Am I tempted to get another car? Sure but it’ll cost me a lot in the long run and I’m just about to settle the outstanding loan of my other car next year. Perhaps someday but not any time soon.



Moving to Serene Heights is a momentous landmark in our lives. It is a huge step forward for us literally in term of distance and figuratively in term of expenditure. Unless somehow either of us suddenly become a billionaire and can afford to buy another house, we’ll pretty much spend the rest of our lives in Serene Heights. I see this place has a big potential to develop further. It is maybe a sleepy hallow for now but that’s exactly how Taman Puncak Jalil was when we first moved in over a decade ago. 10 years for now, Serene Heights and the surrounding area would become a bustling suburban area with schools, malls and other modern amenities. As for now, I’ll enjoy the serenity and quietness this place has to offer.