Cheekiemonkies: Singapore Parenting & Lifestyle Blog: Peak Residence at Novena is Near to Everything for Families, from Schools, Nature & Heritage to Food & Shopping! Cheekie Monkies

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After being a parent for 17 years (and counting), I think it is safe to say that there is absolutely nothing that I will not do for my kids. And I believe I speak for most parents too when I say that... because how many times have we let our kids eat their fave foods while having the leftovers, or forgo me-time and even sleep so that we can chauffeur them from place to place, or even volunteer to sleep on the hotel room's floor when there aren't even beds to go around? 😅

Been there, done that.

Same thing applies when it comes to giving them the best, be it enrolling them in good schools, enrichment centres, exposing them to heritage and nature or simply just having everything in your neighbourhood for the sake of convenience.

Sounds too good to be true, right?

Not if your new home is at Peak Residence.

A freehold condominium development located at 333 Thomson Road, Peak Residence boasts exclusive living at its finest with 90 units in prime District 11.

Expected to complete in 2025, I say that Peak Residence's location is its strongest selling point since it is in the Thomson and Novena areas. In fact, it is a mere 10-minute drive to everything from nature and heritage, to great food and shopping, to even good schools and enrichment centres!

Don't believe? Just read on.

Escape to a world of Nature

Take your pick from two huge nature playgrounds in the form of MacRitchie Reservoir Nature Trail & Reservoir Park and Singapore Botanic Gardens, where both are less than a 10-minute drive away.

Anchored by Singapore’s largest reservoir, MacRitchie Reservoir Nature Trail & Reservoir Park is a popular destination for all nature lovers and great for bringing kids for their first hiking trail. There are a variety of nature trails to explore, ranging from easy to difficult, which will bring one right within the tropical rainforest of Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Kids will have a field day trying to spot the many animals along the way, like the long-tailed macaque monkeys, squirrels and monitor lizards. If you are lucky, you may even encounter colugos (flying lemurs) or owls! Or if wish to level up, head to the Treetop Walks, a 250-metre aerial free standing suspension bridge spanning the two highest points within MacRitchie. Everyone in the family will enjoy the tranquillity of walking above lush green foliage.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is also extremely great for kids as well. Inscribed as the first UNESCO Heritage Site in Singapore,Singapore Botanic Gardens is a haven for kids looking for outdoor adventure play.

Choose from Jacob Ballas Children's Garden which is the first garden in Asia dedicated to children, Learning Forest where kids can laze on an 8m-high Canopy Web and walk on elevated boardwalks, or the new Gallop Extension to climb on a giant cempedak and jump on huge saga seeds!

Explore Heritage sites at your doorstep

Did you know that Novena got its name from the Church of Saint Alphonsus, or Novena Church as it is more popularly known?

Established in 1935 by the Redemptorists, a Catholic order dedicated to serving the poor and the abandoned, Novena Church was famed for its Saturday novenas services which began in January 1949. A novena, which means “nine” in Latin, is a devotion carried out over nine days or weeks. Due to the popularity of this devotion, the surrounding area and nearby MRT station later acquired the name Novena.

Another heritage building of historical significance is Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, which is also a few minutes' walk away from Peak Residence. This was the former headquarters of the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance (also known as the Tong Meng Hui) in Southeast Asia and was gazetted as a National Monument in 1994.

Indulge in Gastronomical Delights

It is a good thing that there is no lack of nature parks and heritage trails near Peak Residence because you are going to need all that exercise once you discover all the good food that surrounds the development! 😁

Photos taken from respective eateries' websites

Even if we discount the numerous eateries located within the nearby shopping malls like Velocity @ Novena Square, Square 2 and United Square, there are plenty of food options in the Novena neighbourhood, from restaurants to cafes (ice cream treat for the kids at Udders Cafe, anyone?)... including great coffee, like The Clue-less Goat and Craftsmen Specialty Coffee.

Photos taken from respective eateries' websites

Spoilt for Shopping options, at your doorstep

(and that's before you even reach Orchard Road)

When it comes to shopping, there is definitely no lack of options near Peak Residence. For parents, the most kid-friendly mall has got to be United Square with its range of retail shops that are curated for families with kids. Parents will be able to all their kid-related shopping done at one location, whether it is clothes, nutrition, books, stationery or leisure.

For everything else including groceries and even banking needs, you can head to Velocity @ Novena Square and Square 2 which are a few minutes' walk away from Peak Residence.

And in the event that you are in a ferocious shopping mood, the entire Orchard Road shopping belt is simply a 10-minute drive away.

Education options galore

For families with school-going children, Peak Residence is within 1km of Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), St. Joseph's Institution Junior, and CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh). Other schools in the vicinity (1km - 2km) include Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), Singapore Chinese Girls' Primary School, Farrer Park Primary School, Hong Wen School, Pei Chun Public School, Kheng Cheng School and Marymount Convent School.

For parents looking to enrol their kids in enrichment classes, look no further than United Square, Goldhill Plaza and Square 2. Besides the usual academic enrichment options, there are also other forms of classes ranging from music and art to even Taekwondo. Here are some of them:

UNITED SQUARE

- Aspire Hub Education

- Aureus Academy

- HiArt

- Hua Language Centre

- I Can Read

- Kindermusik With Love Studios

- Lorna Whiston Schools

- Mandeville Conservatory of Music

- The Ballet & Music Company

- The Learning Lab

- The Physics Cafe

- Thomson Kids

GOLDHILL PLAZA

- I Can Read Learning Centre

- Myhometutor Campus@goldhill

- Tony Buzan Learning Centre Pte Ltd

- Concept Math Education Centre Pte Ltd

- Zhou's Chinese Culture Studio

- Taeseong Taekwondo Novena

SQUARE 2:

- Prelude Music Studio

- MatplusLit

In fact, I think if a child were to reside at Peak Residence as an infant, its central location will have got the child's education covered from pre-school, to primary school, to secondary school, to Junior College and eventually university at SMU! EVERYTHING will be within a 10-minute drive from Peak Residence. Just think of the convenience and the time saved spent on travelling! 😁

Accessibility at its best

By now, I think you should understand why I said that Peak Residence's location is its strongest selling point.

Click to enlarge

Even if you do not drive, Peak Residence is just 10 minutes away from Novena MRT station by foot while Orchard MRT station is two stops away. The interchanges City Hall, Raffles Place, and Dhoby Ghaut stations are less than 10 minutes away by train. and much of town is also easily accessible by a comprehensive bus network as well.

And if that isn't enough, Peak Residence's accessibility will be further enhanced when the North-South Corridor (NSC) fully opens by 2027. The 22km NSC will be Singapore’s longest Transit Priority Corridor, directly connecting the northern region and the city centre and is expected to cut travel times by up to 25%. On top of this, the corridor will also include cycling routes and pedestrian paths which will up the connectivity even more.

Even better, it was announced recently that Mount Pleasant MRT will be built beneath the Old Police Academy on Thomson Road while a 5,000-unit HDB estate will be built above. With a stronger demand for housing around the area, more amenities will also be in the works in the coming future.

Peak Residence designed for families in mind

Situated on an elevated terrain with unobstructed, 360-degree views of the surrounding scenery, all of Peak Residence's unit are in a north-south orientation. This means that more than half of the units have unobstructed, panoramic views overlooking a tranquil residential enclave. Higher-floor units also enjoy views towards MacRitchie Reservoir Park.

The development consists of one- to four-bedroom configurations with all the living rooms boasting a generous ceiling height of 3.2m. The one-bedroom units start from 528 sq ft, while the two-bedroom units are between 776 sq ft and 808 sq ft.

But for families with kids, the main draw will be the apartments that come with study units which are essentially an extra study area that can be flexibly used as a workspace, entertainment room or bedroom.

The two-bedroom plus study units start from 829 sq ft; three-bedroom plus study units are from 1,066 sq ft to 1,088 sq ft and four-bedroom plus study units are 1,389 sq ft in size.

I visited the showflat at Link@896 and was impressed with the attention to detail when it comes to the furnishings and fittings of the units.

All units are equipped with high-quality finishings and appliances for everyday comfort. For the kitchen area, the stove, oven, fridge, and other kitchen appliances are from luxury kitchen brand V-ZUG, a renowned brand that was recently awarded Best Kitchen Appliances by Tatler Singapore in 2021.

The bathrooms are fitted with sanitary ware from Duravit.

The sizes of the bedrooms are also pretty decent as Tuan Sing Holdings, the developer of Peak Residence, has made it a point for the bedrooms to be able to accommodate a queen-sized bed minimally.

There are also ample facilities for this boutique development of 90 units.

Highlights include a 33m lap pool, jacuzzi, kid's playground, clubhouse and gym, which are located on the Sky Terrace, on the highest floor of the development.

Riding on its strategic location, exceptional accessibility and wide range of facilities, Peak Residence has all the attributes of a home that families with kids are looking for, and more.