Midwood Condo Review

Midwood is a 564-unit, 99-year leasehold development located in District 23. Developed by Hong Leong Holdings Limited and Hong Realty (Private) Limited, Midwood spans 29 storeys, making it one of the tallest buildings in the peaceful and serene neighbourhood of Hillview. The building height offers residents scenic views of the surrounding area.

Besides its towering height, the condo also has a large land area. At 153,882 sq ft, the land space at Midwood is equivalent to almost three football fields. Despite that, the developer has set aside 80% of the land area for the compound, facilities and foliage of greenery.

Only 20% of the land is used for the residential units, which guarantees common space, panoramic vistas and spacious footpaths for Midwood residents to revel in. 

Facilities wise, Midwood features two pools, a 40 m leisure pool on the ground level and a 50m infinity pool on the roof of the multi-storey car park that overlooks the neighbouring forest.

What’s also unique about this development, is that there’s an underground passage for motor vehicles from the arrival podium to the multi-storey car park, ensuring that there are no visible roads within Midwood to disrupt the view of the landscape. It also gives both adults and kids the free rein to roam around the wide-open courtyard facilities without having to worry about traffic.

Families with young children will also enjoy the convenience of having a childcare centre located right at the doorstep of the condo.

Midwood is also smart-enabled and each unit is connected to an advanced smart home system. The smart home system allows residents to access their digital lockset (provided to every unit) and control smart home appliances like aircon, smart plug, lights and curtains/blinds.

Midwood: Developer

Hillview Rise Pte Ltd is a Joint Venture between Hong Leong Holdings Limited and Hong Realty (Private) Limited where both of them are under the Hong Leong Group.

Hong Leong is one of the pioneers in the real estate scene in Singapore. It is among the forward-looking developers in Singapore that continues to pursue improvement and expansion while maintaining its high design, customer service and sustainability standards.

With over five decades in the property business, Hong Leong Holdings has established itself as a market leader in the residential real estate market. A household name in building high quality homes, some of Hong Leong’s most distinctive and iconic residential developments in Singapore include The Meyerise, One Balmoral, Penrose, and The Avenir.

Hong Leong Group, which comprises CDL and GuocoLand, has won multiple property accolades such as:

• Best Developer (Asia) at PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards 2020 (GuocoLand)
• Urban Land Institute FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards 2019 – World Gold Winner, Residential (High Rise) (CDL)
• 2020 ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence (ULI)
• Global recognition at the FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards

Midwood: Design

Midwood 1-bedroom + study (Type (1+1)a, 549 sq ft) review

At 549 sq ft, the 1-bedroom + study is a bit bigger than the typical shoebox unit. As you enter the unit, you will be greeted with the open concept kitchen on the right. 

The open concept kitchen makes use of the entrance corridor in a clever manner so that space isn’t wasted. The kitchen comes equipped with laminate finishing cabinets and a solid surface countertop. Electrolux electrical appliances like fridge, microwave oven, washer-cum-dryer and induction hob with hood are also provided.

The washer-cum-dryer is hidden inside the cabinet, right beside the microwave oven.

On the left of the entrance, you will find the study (slightly bigger than 4 sqm). It’s large enough to fit a 6 x 4 sq ft single bed (if you don’t mind having a bed right next to your entrance).

From the study, you can access the Jack and Jill bathroom that links directly to the master bedroom. 

For the uninitiated, Jack and Jill bathroom refers to two-door access to the bathroom. In this 1-bedroom + study, the Jack and Jill design allow access from both the master bedroom and study area.

The bathroom is neatly designed with porcelain tiles on both the floor and walls. Bathroom fittings and wares are from Roca (sink) and Hansgrohe (shower head, rain shower). 

The cistern from Gerberit is wall-mounted which not only saves space, but also gives a clean look.

Note that the bathroom is mechanically ventilated and does not come with any windows.

The master bedroom is decently-sized and can fit a queen-size bed with additional room to walk around.

The top hung window design lets you ventilate the room regardless of the weather condition.

The living area is spacious enough to place a four-seater sofa and a small two-seater dining table right before the kitchen countertop.

The balcony has its own bib tap and powerpoint, which offers a space for you to extend your living space. 

North-facing units and units on the 13th floor and above will be provided with balcony screens as with south-facing units on the 25th floor and above. The balcony screens are meant to block views of the military training at the neighbouring forest beside Midwood. As such, the balcony screen is considered as a common area and will be maintained by the condo management.

That said, residents can be assured that it won’t affect the view when you look straight from your balcony.

Midwood 2-bedroom (Type (2P)b, 689 sq ft) review

The 2-bedroom also adopts the same open kitchen concept as the 1-bedroom + study. The difference is that, with the extra space that the 2-bedroom enjoys, the developer is able to create a separate kitchen area. All you need is a glass panel right after the sink and it can be converted into an enclosed kitchen.

The kitchen is fitted with built-in cabinets with laminate finish and a solid surface countertop. It also comes with electrical appliances from Electrolux (a fridge, microwave oven, induction hob with hood, washer-cum-dryer). For bigger units (2-bedroom and above), an Electrolux-brand convection oven is provided instead of the microwave oven.

The washer-cum-dryer is tucked into one of the bottom level cabinets.

The living room is large enough for a four-seater dining table.

The 2-bedroom comes with a dumbbell layout where the bedrooms are on each side of the living room. This layout allows space to be more functional as it eliminates wasted space in long corridors, which is common in conventional layouts.

The balcony is fitted with porcelain floor tiles with matching skirting and aluminum framed glass balustrade as the railing. 

Bedroom two can fit a queen-size bed and comes with engineered timber flooring. The laminated-finishing wardrobes are also built-in and provided for residents.

The room features half-length windows that keeps the aircon ledge out of sight. The child bed featured in the show flat nicely blocks away the bottom half of the wall below the half-length windows, making the room appear visually bigger.

The common bathroom is en suite to bedroom two and can be accessed from both bedroom two and the living room. Fittings and wares for the bathroom are from brands like Roca (basin, toilet bowl), Hansgrohe (shower, tap) and Gerberit (cistern). Similar to the 1-bedroom + study unit, the toilet is wall-mounted, offering a sleek look.

The master bedroom also comes engineered timber flooring. Unlike bedroom two, the window is full-length with top hung windows. The full-length windows encourage plenty of natural light and ventilation.

Size wise, the master bedroom can fit a queen bed with space at both sides to place a bedside table.

The en suite bathroom has the same fittings and wares as the common bathroom. The colours of porcelain tiles on the wall are darker than the common bathroom. It also comes equipped with an  additional rain shower.

Midwood 3-bedroom with yard (Type (3Y)a, 990 sq ft) review

At 990 sq ft, the 3-bedroom is considerably bigger than most 3-bedroom units. The dining area is quite narrow however, so space is not efficient as it can be.

Unlike the smaller units, the kitchen is enclosed and tucked away at the side of the unit.

It does, however, come with all the same electrical appliances from Electrolux. The difference is that there’s a gas hob instead of an induction hob.

From the kitchen, you can access the yard that connects to both the utility room and water closet.

However, the utility room is small. Given the size and layout, using it for storage is probably the best option.

Next to the dining area is the living room, which is spacious enough to fit a sofa set and a few furniture. It’s also connected to the balcony, and you can use the area as an extension of the living room.

An interesting feature of the 3-bedroom with yard unit is that the balcony stretches to bedroom three.

Bedroom three comes with a glass sliding door with an aluminum frame that lets you open it up for access to the “en suite balcony”. As such, space appears to be visually larger despite being the same size as other bedrooms. As with standard bedrooms, there’s still enough walking space after fitting a queen bed and a wardrobe.

In terms of size, bedroom two is similar to bedroom three. However, instead of a glass sliding door, the bedroom comes with a full-length window. The top half windows are accessible and come with a top hung design.

Both bedroom two and bedroom three comes with a built-in wardrobe with a streamline design.

Unlike the smaller units, the common bathroom comes with a window for ventilation. Fittings and sanitary ware for the common bathroom are from Roca (basin, toilet bowl), Hansgrohe (shower, tap) and Gerberit (cistern). Note that the blind is an ID treatment and is not provided.

The master bedroom is large enough to fit a king-size bed and it has the same full-length window with top hung design as bedroom two.

The included wardrobe is similar to the other bedrooms, though there’s a hidden full-length mirror and some storage space for the accessories at the side of the wardrobe (near the bathroom entrance).

The en suite master bathroom has a darker shade of porcelain tiles compared to the common bathroom. It also has a rain shower, apart from the mixed shower head. 

The fittings and sanitary wares are from Hansgrohe, Roca and Gerberit, similar to the common bathroom.

Midwood 4-bedroom (Type 4a, 1,249 sq ft) review

At 1,249 sq ft, the 4-bedroom unit is one of the largest unit types available at Midwood.

The 4-bedroom unit comes with a dry and wet kitchen. The dry kitchen has a kitchen island that is provided by the developer. It is separated from the wet kitchen by a glass sliding door and a glass panel (provided).

Apart from the kitchen island, the dry kitchen comes with Electrolux-brand kitchen appliances such as a built-in induction hob with hood, convection oven and a separate dryer and washer. It also has a small window opening that allows natural ventilation in your kitchen when you are doing some heavy cooking.

The kitchen is connected to the yard, utility room and water closet. The utility room has enough space to fit a pull-down single bed.

The living and dining room is spacious and should fit large dining and sofa sets easily. The living room also overlooks the balcony, offering views of the surrounding while promoting natural light and ventilation.

The balcony is spacious, so there’s plenty of room for ideas, including using it as an outdoor reading nook to enjoy the outdoor views. Just like the 3-bedroom with yard unit, the balcony is adjoined to bedroom three.

Bedroom three is well-sized and can fit a queen-size bed easily. The aluminum framed sliding door lets you close off the bedroom if you need to turn on the aircon.

Bedroom three links to an en suite bathroom, which is connected to bedroom two. The bathroom comes with fittings and sanitary wares from Roca (basin, toilet bowl), Hansgrohe (shower, tap) and Gerberit (cistern).

The connecting bedroom two is also spacious enough to fit a queen bed, with enough walking space. Unlike bedroom three, bedroom two comes with a full-length window with top hung window designs. 

The full-length feature promotes natural lighting during the day while the top hung window allows for natural ventilation of the room even during rainy days.

You will find bedroom four across the corridor from bedroom two and three. All three bedrooms are equal in terms of size and layout, so they fit the same furniture. The only difference is this bedroom doesn’t have the same four panel window because of the aircon ledge that sits outside.

Bedroom four has its own en suite bathroom with a Jack and Jill design that lets you access the bathroom from the corridor and bedroom four. This is useful when you have guests over but don’t want to let your personal private space get disturbed.

The master bedroom it’s spacious enough to fit a queen bed with plenty of walking space. A King bed is possible too, however, the room may feel crowded.

The master bedroom comes with an en suite bathroom as well, making all the bathrooms in the 4-bedroom unit en suite. Similarly, the master bathroom spots a different look and feel to the other two bathrooms with its darker shade of porcelain tiles and the extra rain shower.

The master bathroom comes with fittings and sanitary wares from Hansgrohe and Roca.

Midwood: Site plan

Midwood is located next to The Hillier and HillV2 with its own private access at Hillview Rise.

As explained above, around 80% of the 153,882 sq ft site is dedicated to landscaping, lawn and facilities for residents, and 20% used for the condo. 

Because of that, the developer is able to keep the two residential blocks wide apart. In fact, the two blocks are 120m apart, which is a rare sight nowadays as developers tend to squeeze in as many blocks as possible to maximise the land use of their development site.

And thanks to the scale of Midwood, the developer is able to provide a variety of facilities to its residents. Apart from the typical clubhouse, gym and pool, residents can enjoy some unique facilities such as an infinity pool overlooking the forest, hydrotherapy pool, spa suite with jacuzzi and picnic lawn. 

All blocks in Midwood are either North or South facing. Due to the directions of both the sun and wind, North-South facing homes are the most desired house facing direction in Singapore. They not only avoid the direct sun during the day, your unit will also enjoy the wind’s current to keep your unit windy.

Also, as previously mentioned, North-facing units on the 13th floor and above will have a balcony screen installed on the balcony. The same goes for units that are South facing from the 25th floor onwards. This is to align with the authorities’ requirements given that the sensitive military training ground is in close proximity to Midwood.

Midwood: Facilities

First Storey

• Clubhouse with:

• Function Rooms 
• Reading Lounge
• Poolside Lounge Deck

• Leisure Pool with:

• Pool Deck 
• Lounge Deck

• Cascading Water Wall
• Hydrotherapy Pool
• Spa Suite with Jacuzzi
• Yoga Lawn
• Community Lawn
• Community Corner
• Gardenia Courtyard
• Crepe Myrtle Courtyard
• Picnic Pavilion with BBQ Pit
• Picnic Lawn
• Tennis Court 
• Bauhinia Walk
• Hammock Enclave
• Childcare Centre

Second Storey

• Link Bridge
• Outdoor Fitness Corner
• Private Dining Pavilion with BBQ Pit

7th Storey 

• 50m Infinity Lap Pool With:
  • Sun Bathing Deck
  • Outdoor Shower
• Gym
• Palm Court
• Kid’s Pool with Aqua Play Equipment with:
  • Fun Deck
• Children’s Playground
• Gourmet Pavilion with BBQ Pit
• Party Deck
• Wine & Dine Pavilion with BBQ Pit
• Stargazing Deck

Midwood: Condo maintenance fees