Far East Organization is the largest property developer in Singapore and have developed over 500 properties in Singapore, especially in the Orchard Road area. It is the only developer in the world to have won eight FIABCI Prix d’Excellence Awards, which is considered the highest honour in international real estate.
Project Name: The Seawind
Address: 70 – 86 Lorong M Telok Kurau
Type: Residential
Site area: approx. 153,008 sqft
Tenure: Freehold
District: 15
Configuration: 222 Condo, SOHO and Townhouse units total
Unit types: 30, 1-bedroom units (642 – 691 sqft)
40, 2-bedroom units (931/991 sqft)
31, 3-bedroom units (1,165 – 1,384 sqft)
8, 4-bedroom units (2,019 – 2,265 sqft)
23, 4-bedroom townhouses (3,247 – 3,608 sqft)
Parking lots: 199 lots + 2 lots per townhouse
Expected TOP: July 2015
The Seawind, is the counterpart to SeaHill, Far East Organization’s other massive project in the West Coast.
But unlike SeaHill’s up and coming location, the East Coast is a mature district long considered premium for all the reasons listed in the category above. But while the district already makes the development attractive, the project still has to prove its own worth.
Fortunately, The Seawind is visually striking, with a colour scheme that makes it feel resort-like and interior landscaping that evokes the best of Sentosa in a smaller, more intimate setting.
Pool from townhouse
There are three types of units available at The Seawind; townhouse, 1-bedroom condo and 1-bedroom + study SoHo.
Townhouse
Only one townhouse is vacant but there are still several 1-bedroom and SoHo units available.
The selling point of the townhouse here is as much as the size of the unit as is the poolside connectivity. As a safety precaution, Seawind townhouses have a transparent barricade with a small door the owner can open and close at their discretion.
Seawind townhouse living room to swimming pool
For owners with small children, the barricade is a necessary safety precaution against any accidents. It also allows the owner to have a little more privacy and room to utilize the patio without worrying about other residents splashing water onto their property.
The kitchen has the same overall aesthetic, with a sliding glass door to keep the heavy cooking space contained. It’s next to the window overlooking the backyard.
Seawind townhouse kitchen
The kitchen appliances used are branded, with the familiar high-end brands like Bosch alongside uncommon but extremely premium brands like Englefield and Küppersbusch. The latter provides a coffee-maker which is available in all the units of Seawind, not just the townhouse.
Bedrooms are spacious and the wardrobes are nicely done, with additional drawers included.
Most of this unit comes bare but the master bedroom has an en suite bathroom with distinctive resort-style vibe due to the design and materials used.
Overall, it’s attractive and the master bedroom is further punctuated with a good view of the pool below. From this vantage, the wider gap between the opposite neighbours can be felt, thus allowing for more privacy and light to filter in.
Seawind townhouse pool view from master bedroom
The pool width here as a result, is also wider and topped off with some attractive landscaping in the middle that acts both as a divider and a means to further add on to an already resort-like environment.
Townhouses were bought mainly by foreigners due to the higher quantum and type of lifestyle associated with it. Furthermore, as this is a freehold development in a high profile neighbourhood, transacted amounts range between $4.7m to $5.4m.
And since townhouses start at a generous 3,477 sqft, its overall quantum is on par with condo units in Orchard, making this a smarter investment for people who want the convenience and aesthetics without the overcrowding.
1-bedroom
The 1-bedroom showunit proves that with a good layout and some smart interior designing, a 498 sqft unit can look incredibly spacious.
This showunit has a boutique look with an L-shaped kitchen and a bomb shelter at the end, next to the built-in rubbish chute.
The Seawind 1BR kitchen
As The Seawind was a holder of an older permit, the internal bomb shelter and rubbish chutes are remnants of that permit that allowed such things to be built into the units.
The kitchen is rather spacious with a generous counter overlooking the living room and balcony while the cooking area is toward the back, next to the bomb shelter and rubbish chute. Unlike some of other developments, Far East opted for a more traditional gas stove rather than the common induction stove.
This kind of stove allows for heavier meal preparation which is far more suitable for long/permanent stay. The other appliances, such as the washing machine, oven, wine chiller, coffee maker and fridge are neatly tucked away in the areas built in for them. The same high-end brands like Küppersbusch are utilised here. These premium brands are uncommon in other developments in Singapore and as such, adds yet another distinctive selling point for The Seawind.
For a 1-bedroom, the kitchen impresses with its size and completeness. But the kitchen is just one part of the greater whole. Even the living room is quaint and aesthetically pleasing.
The Seawind 1BR living room
Since the shape of the living area is a little rectangular, it gives the owner two ideal locations to place a couch and their television.
The couch can’t be too big of course, as that would eat up too much space, but a three-seater or the type used by Far East Organization as seen in the picture fits comfortably.
The Seawind 1BR living room with TV
As for the TV, it sits between the two exits/entrances to the bedroom.
Why two entrances?
While the bedroom is large enough for a king size bed, there is still a little bit of space between the foot of the bed and the wall to walk across which might be a bit of a squeeze for some people. If they mount a television or install some shelves on that wall, it becomes even tighter.
The Seawind 1BR bedroom
Thus with two entrances, a couple living in the apartment can enter and exit via both sides instead of jumping over the bed.
It’s a nice compromise for a small space and helps to accentuate not just the ideas to make a small space more functional but that size constraints were taken under review.
The balcony likewise, is of a good size.
The Seawind 1BR balcony
It’s large enough to place a few chairs and even a small table but the space isn’t so overwhelming that other parts of the unit were sacrificed for it.
The balcony comes with a sunscreen to help mitigate some of the harsher rays that will seep in, despite the development being north-south.
The Seawind 1BR balcony view
In addition, the screen helps to keep rain out and maintain some level of privacy as the distance between the neighbours might be too close for comfort for some people.
The tinted sliding doors do keep prying eyes out however.
As for the bedroom, the en suite bathroom (or in this case, the only bathroom), is big. It’s simple, with the basic bathroom items included but big for a 1-bedroom.
The Seawind 1BR bathroom
There is room for a clear separation between the wet and dry areas. The wet area in particular is notable, as it is located on lower ground.
A short flight of steps next to the glass wall leads to the shower area. Residents can fit a bathtub in there if they wish but all 1-bedroom units already come with this look.
The Seawind 1BR bathroom shower area
This is a little unorthodox, but its inclusion imbues a little something new to the overall unit. Furthermore, with the shower floor depressed, it keeps the wet area truly separated from the dry area.
That it looks beautiful and posh is a bonus.
SoHo
As the SoHo showunit has yet to be completed, there won’t be any pictures to accompany the description.
The unit however is similar with the 1-bedroom, but with an added, flexible space that owners can convert into a work-station, art studio or install walls and turn it into another bedroom.
The ground floor SoHo unit has a ceiling height of 5m so bunk beds can certainly fit. The subsequent SoHo units on the 2nd to 5th floor have a ceiling height of 3.4m.
The bathroom for this unit sits between the main bedroom and the flexible room. As such, there are two doors with the bathroom acting as a thoroughfare.
The placement of the toilet and showering areas on one side of the wall with the sink and vanity cabinets on the other ensures quite a lot of space in between to move about in. This type of layout for bathrooms should be the norm for when the unit is capable of accommodating it.
The SoHo unit has a different feel from the townhouse and 1-bedroom unit. Where those two felt like a resort and a boutique apartment respectively, the SoHo unit exudes an artisan vibe.
The Seawind SoHo area
Beyond the ground floor unit is a landscaped garden with chairs and tables to relax at. The SoHo unit is closest to Lorong N, the kindergarten (which is just across the road) and most importantly, the bus stops.
For the first year, complimentary shuttle bus service is provided to take residents from The Seawind to Dakota and Bedok MRT stations or to Parkway Parade.
Bedok MRT station which is integrated with Bedok Mall and Bedok Residences will soon add an indoor swimming pool and public library to its vicinity. This expansion of amenities gives residents of Seawind more amenities outside their immediate area of convenience but still within acceptable travelling distance.
Connecting Changi Road to Marine Parade Road, Telok Kurau has been a popular middle-class residential district since the 1960s.
Numerous landed houses – two/three storey bungalows – populate its inner roads imbuing the area with a private estate vibe, albeit one that is a short drive from the local and international eateries prominent along East Coast Road.
In recent years, more upmarket condominiums have arrived on the scene, capitalising on the well-known and sought after address of Telok Kurau.
The Seawind
The Seawind by Far East Organization is not the first to call Telok Kurau its home but it is the first to offer townhouses as part of its varied unit mix.
In the Bay of Fishes
Telok Kurau translates roughly to the Bay of Mango Fishes where the lorongs are narrow two way streets flanked by old terraces, bungalows, semi-Ds and now, condominiums.
It is fairly quiet with abundant greenery acting like privacy screens for the two/three-storey houses. Cars are parked along the side of the street or in front of houses where the front porch is already taken up by other vehicles covertly illustrate the inherent wealth of the residents here. The low-rise nature of the buildings here reinforces its private enclave status. As a result of this, Telok Kurau is low-density.
But Telok Kurau is more than one of the more affluent and peaceful zones in Singapore. It is also, well-connected. Part of East Coast Road, Telok Kurau is in the crossroads with Marine Parade and Changi Road. In the middle, there’s Joo Chiat and Siglap, which are filled to the brim with local and international restaurants serving anything from Hokkien Mee to Mediterranean cuisine.
Perhaps most important for Telok Kurau residents, is the proximity to several prominent schools. All boys St. Patrick’s Secondary School is a five minute walk from the back gate of The Seawind facing Lorong N.
The bus stops are a short walk away
There is a path, next to the Nafa International Kindergarten, that takes you to the East Coast Road, just across from the one of the two main entrances to the secondary school.
There will be a bus stop on your right, with buses to Siglap, Pasir Ris, Bedok and Toa Payoh Interchanges and on the side of St. Patrick’s that go toward Kent Ridge, Clementi and Vivo City.
After St. Patrick’s Secondary is all-girl’s school, CHIJ Katong Convent Secondary. Next to that is Ngee Ann Primary School.
Further down the road toward Parkway Parade is Tao Nan Primary School and across is all-girls CHIJ Katong Primary. After Tao Nan Primary is the Marine Parade Public Library.
St Patrick’s School along the park connector toward Telok Kurau
There is a good combination of single and mixed gender primary and secondary schools in the area, putting Telok Kurau in the category of developments that inhabit a school zone.
Those schools are an additional five minute walk or a short bus ride away. The quickest way to KC Secondary would be to take the Siglap park connector and walk past the canal.
Katong Convent (KC) Girls is just across the road and accessed either by crossing the road near the canal or the overhead bridge in front of St. Patrick’s, a little further down. The other schools like Tao Nan and CHIJ Primary are two bus stops away. Take any bus except 15 from the bus stop in front of KC Secondary.
CHIJ Katong Girls across the road from St Patrick’s is also next to where the new Marine Terrace MRT station will be
If you were to continue walking along the Park Connector past KC, you’ll come to another overhead bridge located just after the HDB estate (as well as Ngee Ann Primary School), next to the ECP (East Coast Parkway highway) that brings you directly to East Coast Park/Beach.
Suffice to say the Park Connector is one of the perks of living at the Seawind and Telok Kurau in general.
It is close by and though pierced by a storm drain most prefer to refer to as a ‘canal’, it is an idealistic stretch of green for joggers and cyclists to exercise from one end to the other.
Path to The Seawind
These two groups are commonly seen, as are families with children relaxing along the many chairs or playing at the outdoor playgrounds. From the Park Connector, if residents were to walk a little bit out to St Patrick’s Road, it is about a ten minute stroll to Siglap Centre in the direction of Bedok.
Alternatively, 112 Katong is about three bus stops away.
There is no bus stop directly in front of 112 Katong however, so you’ll either have to stop at Holy Family Catholic Church and walk up or at Katong Shopping Centre and walk down.
Likewise, Parkway Parade is after 112 Katong.
Parkway Parade
There are several straight buses to Parkway Parade though you will need to take the bus from the bus stop along Marine Parade Road, in front of Katong Convent Secondary.
It’s not particularly a long walk and on days when the back and front gates of St Patrick’s is opened, you can just walk through and get there in under five minutes. Parkway Parade and 112 Katong is walkable from the development, give or take 15 minutes.
There is also a Fairprice Finest near Parkway Parade, next to Block 79 and across the road from Popular.
Fairprice Finest near Parkway Parade, opposite Popular
That and the Cold Storage opposite Siglap Centre are the closest grocery stores. However, there are several amenities within walking distance from The Seawind.
Granted Parkway Parade and Siglap Centre are all within reasonable walking distances, especially with lots of fun (and delicious) distractions along the way, but sometimes all you need is a quick walk out to get a drink or somewhere to unwind.
Along East Coast Road (the same direction as 112 Katong or VivoCity) are many restaurants, bars, hipster cafes and local cuisine.
You can get there from Lorong M, where the guardhouse is, and walk out toward the main road (away from the Park Connector), make a left and continue a short distance down.
Path to East Coast Road and eateries
From this vantage point, the Marine Terrace estate can be seen in the distance.
Alternatively, exit via Lorong N, through the same path next to the kindergarten, make a right and walk past the kindergarten and away from St Patrick’s Secondary.
Either way, it’s a five to eight minute stroll.
There are a few more amenities in the opposite direction, toward Changi Road. A few bars like the ‘Streets of London’ and salons are located at Kurau Court and across the road from it.
Bus stop opposite Tandeville
The two bus stops just outside Lorong M along Telok Kurau Road support two buses – 15 and 155 – that regardless of direction, end up at Pasir Ris Interchange or Toa Payoh Interchange respectively.
The Seawind’s location is excellent. It is secluded enough to guarantee privacy and quiet but is still surrounded by a host of schools, amenities and even transportation all within walking distance to make it convenient.
Sometime in 2023, the Marine Terrace MRT located near St Patrick’s and KC Secondary will open, linking residents on the new Thomson-East Coast Line to Siglap, Marine Parade, Bedok North, Marina Bay, Orchard and further north to Woodlands.
The MRT line will make an already commute-friendly district into a better one.
Out of 222 units launched, about 162 units have been bought, at the time of this writing. Most of the units left available are SoHo and 1-bedroom units. Only one townhouse remains with an estimated starting quantum of $5.4m.
Source: PropertyGuru, URA
Transaction data for 4-bedrooms are not available, either unreleased or those units have yet to be sold. There is a big jump from 3-bedroom units to townhouses of about $1.5m difference, so 4-bedrooms are estimated to be in the $3m-$4m range.
For a freehold development in a matured district, The Seawind’s prices are consistent with mid to upmarket condominiums. The higher quantum takes into consideration the exclusiveness of its location.
Telok Kurau is quiet and privacy is at least guaranteed for the numerous landed property dwellers there. For an integrated development like The Seawind, Far East have taken some steps toward creating an inclusive and yet private enclave for the residents.
For example, the townhouses occupy their own stretch with a communal swimming pool that runs between both sides like a stream, the 1 to 4 bedroom apartments have their own stack, as do the SoHo units.
Rental
Average rental for a 635 sqft 1-bedroom unit can come up to $5,000 a month. The median transacted quantum for this particular sized unit is $1,010,000 so gross rental yield comes up to 5.94%.
For Telok Kurau and Marine Parade, this is expected but while Marine Parade is already full of HDBs and condos as choices for rent, Telok Kurau Lorong M & N are still predominantly landed property.
The other condos in the vicinity are older and further in the street. The Seawind is somewhere in the middle, and it takes two minutes to either get out to the main road or to the park connector.
This gives The Seawind accessibility without compromising on peace and quiet, a feat that is oftentimes difficult to achieve.
The Seawind is the most unique property in Telok Kurau as it is the only project to offer two – technically three – types of properties. Townhouses, despite being the ones with the highest premiums are nearly sold out with only one remaining while the other more conventional unit types are still available.
Seawind also has a good layout and distance between the townhouse neighbours. The landscaping in the pool sets it apart, giving Seawind more of an exclusive resort feel in a quiet upmarket neighbourhood.
The Seawind
The quantums are therefore justifiable when factoring in both the convenient location as well as the peace and quiet.
Aesthetically, The Seawind brings a bit of post-modern zest to an aged and low-density area. It’s a worthy investment and the calibre of schools in the vicinity makes it is an ideal place to raise a family.
That all of its perks and benefits is wrapped up in an attractive and well-designed façade is just icing on the cake.
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