Cyan Review: Living in Cyan

Cyan has always been one of my top choice condos in this stretch of Bukit Timah from Balmoral Road to Stevens Road. Located in a prime residential enclave, Cyan is one of the most sought-after developments in District 10.

Cyan is a 278 apartments freehold project which obtained its temporary occupation permit in 2014. It has a large plot of land comparing to all the surrounding mature developments, sitting on a vast 162,000 sq ft of greenery and sprawling grounds. Its closeness to Bukit Timah Road makes it more accessible than many nearby projects along Ewe Boon Road.

Pros:

• Walking distance to Stevens MRT (Downtown Line DT10 and Thomson East Coast Line – TE11)
• Both North Tower and South Tower are in North-South orientation
• Both towers are space about 70 meters apart and almost unblock
• Eleven spacious entertainment venues which can host 10-50 pax each
• Large swimming pool in a low density development
• Great landscaping and outdoor space with  resort feel
• Within 1km to Anglo Chinese School (Primary)
• Within 1km to Singapore Chinese Girls School
• Minutes drive to Pan Island Expressway, Bukit Timah Expressway and Central Expressway

Cons:

• Only a single lane, Keng Chin Road into and out of the condo
• Pick up and drop off area are in the respective tower basement and require the vehicle to register with the security guard house first
• During school bus pick up and drop off timing, big school buses will hog the road for up to a few minutes while waiting for the student

Project Info

Project Name	Cyan
Developer	Kentish Court Pte Ltd (Far East Organization)
Property Type	Condominium
Tenure	Freehold
District	10
Completion	2014
Total Units	278
Address	6 Keng Chin Road (North Tower) 8 Keng Chin Road (South Tower)
Units Type	1-bedroom: 679 to 710 sqft (41 Units) 2-bedroom: 1016 to 1165 sqft (106 Units) 3-bedroom: 1480 to 1573 sqft (70 Units) 4-bedroom: 1722 to 2003 sqft (28 Units) 2-bedroom (Loft): 1343 to 1395 sqft (23 Units) 3-bedroom (Loft): 2158 sqft (2 Units) Penthouse: 2977 to 4075 sqft (9 Units)

The main entrance of Cyan is located along Keng Chin Road (100m away from the main Bukit Timah Road).

The North tower (Block 6) is near to Bukit Timah Road and the South tower (Block 8) near to Ewe Boon Road. The stacks in Block 8 facing Ewe Boon Road and Block 6 facing the swimming pool have direct afternoon sun.

The egress into Bukit Timah Road can be a challenge during peak hour, especially when motorists waiting to filter to the extreme right lane to make a U-turn into Dunearn Road. This will cause tailback of vehicles all the way to Ewe Boon Road, particularly during rainy days.

There is a side gate facing Bukit Timah Road (near to Madison Residences’ main entrance) which makes it very convenient for the residents to walk to the bus stop or Stevens MRT station.

Facilities

Cyan has two towers separated by a 50m infinity lap pool. In my opinion, this pool is as good as an Olympic size swimming pool.

The facilities in Cyan are one of the best in so many condos that I had ever visited. It has superb landscaping and several greenery corners for you to enjoy the outdoor. A total of 11 function venues to make use.

Facilities and Locations

• Spa Suites 1: Behind South Tower (near the gym)
• Spa Suites 2: Behind South Tower (near the guardhouse)
• Pool Bungalow: Beside Swimming Pool (near the side gate)
• Rainforest Bungalow: Beside Swimming Pool (near the guardhouse)
• Lagoon Villa 1: Behind North Tower (near the side gate)
• Lagoon Villa 2: Behind North Tower (near Keng Chin Road)
• BBQ pit: Between Tennis Court 2 and playground
• Sky Villa 1: North Tower Level 19, Facing South Tower
• Sky Villa 2: North Tower Level 19, Facing Bukit Timah Road
• Sky Villa 3: South Tower Level 20, Facing Ewe Boon Road
• Sky Villa 4: South Tower Level 20, Facing Guardhouse

Spa Suites 1

Spa Suites 2

Pool Bungalow

Sky Villa 4

Sky Villa 3

Sky Villa 2

Sky Villa 1

There are 2 tennis courts in Cyan. Each apartment is entitled up to a maximum of 9 hours per week. Consecutive bookings to use the same court for more than 2 sessions are not allowed. Play session will be daily 0700 hours to 2200 hours.

The gymnasium in Cyan has 2 treadmills, 2 stationary bicycles, 1 walker machine, 1 bench press and 2 full racks of dumbbells. It may not have a lot of equipment but sufficient for a basic workout. The operating time is from 0600 hours to 2300 hours daily.

The main swimming pool and 3 Jacuzzi areas operate from 0700 hours to 2200 hours daily. Children below the age of 12 years old are not allowed in pool if unaccompanied with an adult. The depth of the pool is 1.2m throughout.

Each unit in Cyan is entitled to a car park lot. 4 bedroom unit is entitled to 2 parking lots and Penthouses are entitled to 3 lots. Bicycle and motorcycle parking are available too.

Transportation & Accessibility

Driving

Cyan is well connected to any part of Singapore via major roads. Orchard, Newton, Novena, Balestier, Toa Payoh and Thomson estate are just minutes drive away. The nearby highways such as the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) lead to the western part of Singapore, Tuas or Northern Singapore through Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE). PIE also connect to eastern Singapore direct to Changi International Airport. A short drive to Newton will lead to Central Expressway (CTE). Another few minutes further down Bukit Timah road will hit Beach Road Nicoll Highway, East Coast Expressway (ECP), Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) and the whole of Marina Bay area.

MRT

From the DT10 Stevens MRT Station (Downtown Line) that is only 600m away, commuters take mere minutes to travel to the Central Business District and Marina Bay Business District. Its only 12 minutes to Promenade where Suntec City is located. 15 minutes will get you to Bayfront (near Marina Bay Sands and Gardens By The Bay) and another minute to Downtown Station (Marina Bay Business District).

The train also goes to Chinatown, the eastern side of Singapore and ending at the Expo. Here, you can cross over to the opposite platform to take the train to the Changi International Airport.

MRT Stations	Distance (km)
Stevens MRT (DT10 TE11)	0.53
Newton (DT11 NS21)	1.03
Mount Pleasant MRT (TE10) Thomson-East Coast Line Due 2021	1.24
Novena (NS20)	1.45
Orchard (NS22 TE14) Thomson-East Coast Line Due 2021	1.54
Bukit Brown MRT Circle Line U/C	1.75
Botanic Gardens (CC19 DT9)	1.72
Napier MRT (TE12) Thomson-East Coast Line Due 2021	1.83
Orchard Boulevard MRT (TE13) Thomson-East Coast Line Due 2021	1.92

Bus Stop	Bus Service Number	Distance (km)
Leng Kwang Baptist Church	66, 66B, 67, 48, 170, 170A, 171, 960, 700, 700A	0.16
Chinese International School	48, 66, 66B, 67, 170, 171, 700, 700A, 960	0.17
Before Goldhill Avenue	48, 66, 66B, 67, 170, 171, 700, 700A, 960,	0.25

Amenities	Location	Distance
Groceries & Supermarts	Cold Storage (Alocasia)	0.50 km
	NTUC Fairprice (Scotts Square)	1.42 km
	Cold Storage Specialty Tanglin Shopping Centre	1.43 km
	Cold Storage United Square	1.45 km
	Cold Storage Novena	1.53 km
	NTUC Fairprice (Square 2)	1.57 km
	Paragon Market Place	1.66 km
	Cold Storage Takashimaya	1.83 km
	Cold Storage Cluny Court	1.86 km

Schools	Location	Distance
Pre-school	ACS Kindergarten	0.65 km
	Raffles House @ Robin Close	0.65 km
	Camberley Pre-School (Balmoral Plaza)	0.70 km
	Zee Playhouse	0.80 km
	PCF Sparkle Tots YMCA Steven Road	0.85 km
	House on the Hill Montessori Pre-School	0.90 km
	Little Woods Montessori	1.00 km
	Mindchamp @ Raffles Town Club	1.10 km
	St. James’ Church (Gilstead Campus)	1.30 km
	Pat’s SchoolHouse (Buckley)	1.50 km
	Newton Kindergarten	1.60 km
	Preschool for Multiple Intelligences	1.60 km
	Eton House International School (Newton)	1.70 km
	The Children Learning Centre	1.70 km
	Learning Vision @ Novena	1.80 km
	Kiddiewinkie Schoolhouse (Novena)	1.90 km
	Mulberry Learning @ Cairnhill	2.10 km
	Pat’s SchoolHouse (Claymore)	2.10 km
	Eton House International School (Claymore)	2.10 km
	Kiddiewinkie Schoolhouse (Newton)	2.30 km
	Learning Leap Student Care Centre (Orchard)	2.30 km
	Maple Bear (Claymore)	2.30 km
	Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer (Korean)	2.60 km
Primary School	Singapore Chinese Girls’ Primary School	0.24 km
	Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)	0.59 km
	Anglo-Chinese School (junior)	1.54 km
	St. Joseph’s Institution Junior	1.70 km
Secondary School	Singapore Chinese Girls’ School	0.41 km
	Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road)	0.62 km
	St Joseph’s Institution	1.30 km
International School	Rain Trees International Kindergarten	2.20 km
	Chatsworth International School Orchard Campus	2.80 km
	Finnish Supplementary School (Singapore Land Tower)	3.00 km
	ISS International School (Elementary & Middle)	3.00 km
	Norwegian Supplementary School	3.00 km
	Italian Supplementary School (Embassy of Italy)	3.00 km
Lifestyle	The Pines Club	0.53 km
	Raffles Town Club	0.73 km
	Singapore Polo Club	0.89 km
	Tanglin Club	0.96 km
	The American Club	1.16 km
	The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore	1.46 km
	Celebrities Resort Club	1.77 km
	Riding for the Disabled Association of Singapore	1.88 km

The two reputed primary schools in this area are Singapore Chinese Girls School (SCGS) and Anglo Chinese School (Primary) which is within short walking distance from Cyan. The proximity of 1km to these 2 schools make Cyan one of the very popular choice project for parents who want to enrol their children into these two schools.

The morning traffic jam along Dunearn Road，the stretch from SCGS to ACS (Primary), can be so bad that one may choose not to fetch their children to these 2 schools even though it’s just a short drive.

For the girls who study in SCGS, once exit the side gate, turn left and walk a minute to the bus stop in front of The Legend Condo. You can take any bus to Stevens MRT (just 1 stop) away and make use of the underpass to walk over to Dunearn Road Exit C. SCGS is just a minute away.

Alternatively, at the same bus stop outside The Legend Condo, you can walk over the bridge to Dunearn Road. Then walk towards SCGS entering from Gate F into the school canteen.

For the boys going to ACS Primary, turn right at Cyan’s side gate and walk about 10 minutes to the 2nd overbridge just beside Balmoral Gate Condo. Walk across the bridge and you will enter the school via the bridge entrance.

Alternatively, on rainy days you can choose to drive to ACS (Primary). Along Keng Chin Road, make a left turn into Bukit Timah Road. Make the first left turn into Robin Road and drive straight towards Stevens Road. Turn into Stevens Road and make another left turn into Balmoral Road.

At the Balmoral Gate Condo, take the filter lane into Bukit Timah Road. At about 30metre, you can alight your boy at the drop off point below the overhead bridge. Hence they will not get drench in the rain. This is also a faster way to drive your boy to school compare to using Dunearn Road.

Amenities

Nearby amenities are Alocasia Mall where there is a Cold Storage supermarket, a cafe, a drive-through McDonalds and Subway.

The next nearest mall will be Balmoral Plaza where there are Spizza, Red Lion Bistro, Smith Authentic British Fish & Chips, Waffletown, 7-Eleven, Pet Lover Centre, wine shops, clinic, hairdresser and many enrichment centres for children.

The nearest recreation neighbourhood park is the Goldhill Avenue playground which is 8-9 minutes walk away. The unique part about this playground is the sand pitch flooring which makes it very children-friendly especially for toddlers.

Many people would bring along their sand beach toys here to play. There are some exercise equipment, swing and a badminton court too. It has a pitch big enough for a 3-per-side soccer game.

The Unesco Heritage Botanical Garden is a short drive away. With more than 150 years of history, this 82-hectare National Park featured many theme gardens which house more than 2000 plant species and hybrid on display.

The National Institute of Education (NIE) Evan Road stadium just 3 bus stops away from Cyan is another popular amenities. NIE is equipped with both indoor and outdoor sports facilities at the Institute’s physical education complex.

Outdoor facilities include the jogging track, an artificial turf hockey pitch, a teaching pool, four tennis courts, two sepak takraw courts, one handball court for handball, netball and futsal and three covered outdoor courts which can be used for basketball, tennis, netball and volleyball.

As for indoor sports, there are five squash courts and a large multipurpose sports hall which can accommodate several activities. There are a fully-equipped weight-training facility, cardiovascular training facility and a studio for dance.

Living in Cyan

There are many festivals which Cyan host throughout the year such as Halloween, Chinese New Year, Moon Cake Festival, Easter Festival, Mother’s Day, Oktoberfest, Deepavali and Christmas celebrations.

These are usually organised by the Balmoral Neighborhood Committee together with all the nearby condominiums in support of bonding the community. The most popular party is always Halloween Night where kids and adult dress in their most spooky costumes.

The main focus is to let the kids living in the estate to have fun and make new friends. Game booths and food stalls are set up as early as 6 pm for children who register early to get door gifts and start winning prizes in the sure win games.

The interesting part comes when nightfall where more people from the neighbourhood will join in after their dinner. The event will stretch from the service gate next to the tennis courts of Cyan all the way to the other end of Ewe Boon Road and end at Palm Spring. At the end of the party, the most popular kiosk will be the photo booth where everyone wants to have a photo to bring back as a souvenir.

 

Pricing trend in Cyan

 

How are the prices in Cyan compared to other similar nearby projects?

Renting

What are units rented for in Cyan?

Source: Edgeprop

 

How do rental prices in Cyan compare to those found in other similar projects?

Source: SRX

 

Investing in Cyan

On average, the annual profit/loss experienced for all resale transactions in Cyan was 1.0% since May 2011.

The nearby new launch Juniper Hill Condo, former Crystal Tower (en bloc in 2017), and City Tower (en bloc 2019) will definitely push Cyan and surrounding development price higher in the next few years.

Other new developments down the road such as Sloane Residence (former Sloane Hotel), Pullman Residence (former Dunearn Court) and former Chancery Court will also contribute to the increase in current market prices in this vicinity.

Current prices in Juniper Hill (TOP 2022) are transacting between $2,700 – $2,900 psf while Sloane Residence (TOP 2022) are transacting between $2,750 – $2,985 psf. Pullman Residence, Chancery Court and City Tower has yet to launch. Price is expected to be $2,500 – $2,900 psf.