New Straits Times (Property), July 29, 2006

The most expensive spice in the world is also one of the spiciest development in KL

By Lim Lay Ying

Luxury?is what you feel when you have a unique object, made only for you, belonging only to you - something that represents your uniqueness; your originality compared to others.

To some degree, it is a custom-made dream.

And price should not be factored in, for it is relative from one individual to another. There are those who try to show their social standing in life by dressing themselves with designer names. But luxury is never ostentatious.

The objects that distinguish luxury often exude elegance. They characterise a certain art of living. Not merely objects, their influence has everything to do with they way they are presented.

The most precious

The Saffron at Sentul East condominium in Kuala Lumpur promises to spectacularly embody the concept of luxury in Sentul.

Rejecting the austerity, monotony, and mundane existence of the old Sentul area, developer YTL Land & Development Bhd, via its wholly-owned subsidiary Sentul Raya Sdn Bhd, has set out to create its vision of elegance without taking any pecuniary considerations into account... and named it The Saffron.

"Saffron" by the way, is the most precious, most expensive spice in the world. The Saffron filaments, or threads, are actually the dried stigmas of the saffron flower known scientifically as "Crocus Sativus Linneaus".

These threads have to be hand-picked from each flower, and to produce 100 grams require over 750 flowers.

Besides being used in dyeing and in cooking such as rice, soup, pasta, chicken and other meats, as well as in various cheese products, saffron is also well known for its therapeutic and aphrodisiac properties and used to treat a wide range of ailments.

Therapeutic in many ways

Similarly, the Saffron at Sentul East on 4.6 acres of freehold land promises a whole new therapeutic lifestyle for young and upwardly-mobile professionals.

The entrance statement in the form of "The Curve Water Wall", a tiered cascading waterfall, has been designed to meander with the driveway leading into the condominium grounds.

Further reinforcing the developer's intent on making The Saffron a playground for the young and restless, a one-acre park in addition to extensive landscaping and three unique swimming pools will grace the open spaces of the project.

Created exclusively for its residents, the park - named "Saffron Park" - will sport a collection of activities: A "bamboo oval" which will serve as a meditation zone; circle rings and taichi triangles; and play terminals including The Swings - an innovative and colourful assembly of children's play equipment.

But the project's carefree lifestyle theme will be best depicted by the three swimming pools that can satisfy different personalities and moods.

One will be the 25m lap pool situated alongside a reflection pool and yoga lawn for fitness buffs. The second will be the leisure pool with cabana areas for those who prefer to laze around, while the third will be a water spray pool for the typically active young ones.

Trendy homes

The highlight of The Saffron will be its carefully-articulated "trendy" homes available in five layouts ranging between 1,000sq ft and 1,873sq ft.

With a total of 467 condos housed in four blocks - two of which will rise 17 storeys while another two will be 24 storeys - the density of about 100 units per acre is relatively low by current city standards.

The 373 units of three-bedroom condos will be fashioned from 1,000sq ft, 1,085sq ft and 1,087sq ft of space.

Larger units make up the balance: 70 will be of the three-plus-one-bedroom variety (1,757sq ft) while another 24 will have four-plus-one bedrooms (1,873sq ft).

Overwhelming response

Inside a typical unit, floor to ceiling height windows stretching from the living area to the dining will give residents uninterrupted views, while some units at the podium deck level will additionally boast private gardens and water features.

Surprisingly, luxury at The Saffron does not come at a steep price. With two covered car-parks each, the three-bedroom condos are pegged between RM239,700 and RM280,975, while the three-plus-one bedroom units start from RM449,000.

The largest four-plus-one-bed-room type are from RM496,000, with an RM8,000 discount offered to "early birds".

The prices equate to a value of between RM240psf and RM265psf.

Since its official launch in early july, 70 per cent of the units have been sold, breaking the sales record of Sentul East's earlier phases - The Tamarind and Maple condominiums.

Among the buyers are foreigners from Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the United States and United Kingdom, who account for over 30 per cent of the crowd.

A remarkable creation

Other than price, contemporary design, lush landscaping and unique facilities, the buyers of The Saffron were probably swayed by Its location and numerous access points via three new dedicated highways: The Sentul Link; the Duta-Segambut Highway; and the Duta-Ulu Klang Expressway.

Aside from roads, public transport amenities such as the KTM Komuter and the Sentul Timur LRT Stations offer alternative forms of commuting.

But in The Saffron, the luxury of luxuries is the opportunity to sow dreams and harvest memories.

Lim Lay Ying is managing director of Research Inc. (Asia), a company specialising in market research and consultancy for air facets of real estate development. Access past articles and more at www.researchinc.com.my or call 03-2092 4966.