I've lived at Parc Oasis for 22 years - here's my review of what it's like staying in this old but spacious condo

For multi-generational families, staying in a unit together (such as a landed home, or jumbo HDB unit) can come at a price. 

Be it privacy, or sometimes just being too close for comfort, it may cause friction at times if the space isn't big enough. The ideal arrangement is one that allows for a communal gathering space, but yet has private living spaces to retreat to when needed.

Or… just buying multiple units within the same development. 

This is what Tim and his wife managed to achieve after buying another unit at Parc Oasis, once he got married and had to start his own family. 

"I've stayed in Parc Oasis since 2000 – more than 20 years ago. I had just finished A levels when my parents moved here," he shared. "After I got married and had my own family, we decided to move into our own unit in the same estate so we could be near our parents."

Completed in 1995, Parc Oasis Condominium is an older development with 950 units.

Located in Jurong East Avenue 1 in District 22, this 99-year leasehold property sits in proximity to various amenities, including shopping malls and primary schools.

But the best part? Near direct access to the Chinese Garden MRT station. 

Tim and his wife believe that this condominium is a great long-term property investment – and they still do after more than two decades of living at Parc Oasis.

If you're planning to stay at Parc Oasis as well, it's best to find out what it's like from an actual resident staying there.

And while we've done a full review on the condo before, what better way to get another perspective than to learn from someone who has been staying there since 2000? And not to mention, in not just one, but two units as well!

How Parc Oasis compares to other estates

With a good amount of HDB options and condominiums available in District 22, Tim also has other reasons why he decided to stay at the same condo.

He said that some of his considerations in looking for a home include having a spacious compound, adequate facilities, and amenities, as well as convenience and accessibility. And lastly, having a spacious home at a reasonable price.

And Parc Oasis ticked all the boxes of what they envisioned as an ideal living environment.

We asked Tim if they were considering other condos in the area before they decided to purchase a unit at Parc Oasis.

"As we wanted to be a stone's throw away from our parents, only Parc Oasis and the Mayfair were the only two developments in our consideration," he said.

As the area is currently surrounded by a number of HDB estates, The Mayfair is the only private development located directly across the road. There is Ivory Heights and Westmere too, but these are located a little further away closer to Jurong East Central. 

Compared to Parc Oasis, The Mayfair is five years newer and has more up-to-date facilities. It also has a private lift landing and offers unit layouts housing more rooms for a smaller space. 

Tim said that for The Mayfair, the two bedders start from 700 square feet and three bedders from 1,100 square feet. Parc Oasis, on the other hand, offers a two-bedder at 1,100 square feet. So for those looking for size, Parc Oasis would naturally be the right pick. 

For them, it was also a matter of what was important to them in a space. There are those who may feel that a private lift is worth the additional space, while others may feel that it's just not important. 

For Tim and family, they were in the latter camp. 

"In the end, we chose Parc Oasis as we realised that Mayfair's space is not as well-optimised."

He found that the private lift landing, the snaking corridors, and large aircon ledges were not the best use of space. Then there's also the ceiling height which is 30 centimetres lower than the units in Parc Oasis. 

What made Parc Oasis stand out from other choices

We asked Tim what attracted them to Parc Oasis in the first place.

"Space is pristine in land-scarce Singapore," he replied. "We love the big compound and the lush greenery landscaping."

Compared to other developments, especially the newer ones, the units of Parc Oasis offers a generous space at an affordable psf of around $1000 psf.

At least, when you make the comparison in today's market. Plus, he said that the higher-than-average ceiling height also adds to the spatial depth of the place. 

Tim continues that space is wasted in bomb shelters or air-con ledges in many newer developments. In Parc Oasis, he feels that every inch of space is well-utilised.

"Also, I must repeat again and again – the accessibility and convenience to the amenities around are really unparalleled."

In a nutshell, he said that the compound spans four bus stops, and the condominium grounds are equipped with generous leisure and recreational spaces.

It's also opposite Chinese Garden MRT station, and it takes only two minutes to drive to AYE, PIE, and between two hawker centres. The estate is also just a short distance from Jurong Lake District. 

Unless you've been living in a well, you'd know by now that Jurong Lake District is being fashioned as Singapore's second Central Business District.

There's a lot more that will be built in the area in the next few years, and if you want a full rundown you can read more here. 

What a typical day looks like at Parc Oasis

One of the reasons why people like living in a condo – it's about the facilities. Especially if you have a young family, having facilities like a swimming pool, a playground, or even just an open court is vital to entertain the kids on the weekends. 

With the space available at Parc Oasis, it's naturally safe grounds for kids to run around without fear of them getting into too much trouble. Very interestingly too, there is actually a golf driving range (it really shows off the size of the development), but sadly that has been closed for a while. 

Besides the facilities, another big part would be the amenities around the area. 

He said that on a typical lazy weekend, they would walk across to Block 303 Jurong East for breakfast at the most "doped" Prata in Singapore. Then they would bring their kids to the neighbourhood playgrounds or Jurong Lake Gardens to have outdoor fun.

For lunch, they have a lot of options available in the area. It only takes them five minutes to reach any of the Michelin Bib Gourmand Hawker centres, such as Joo Siah Bak Kut Teh, Na Na Curry, Lai Heng Handmade Teochew Kueh, Heng heng Cooked Food, and Fei Fei roasted noodles.

When their kids are taking their afternoon nap, Tim would usually go for a swim or just chill and watch Netflix. In his unit, he has a great view of the quiet and calming lake just right opposite their block.

Sometimes in the late afternoon, they would head out to town for dinner, which is only about a 15 to 20-minute drive away. They would also do some grocery shopping before heading back home and wind down for the day.

A look behind the facade of Parc Oasis

The condominium is not without its own share of drawbacks – as with every development. We asked Tim to share some of his own issues about staying at Parc Oasis.

"As with all ageing estates, deteriorating infrastructure is a major concern," he said.

He recalled that when they moved into their new place, they had to gut the entire unit and replace the pipes and electrical wiring, including the DB box. They wanted to ensure that these issues would not plague them after moving into the place.

Tim has also learned that, unfortunately for some units, they encounter experiences of leaking water from the unit above. There are even electrical outages due to the electrical overload by other units.

But if there was something to be improved at Parc Oasis, Tim said that would be the ageing infrastructure as well as the facilities. He gave us a few examples.

"For example, for such a large development, the gym is so minuscule that it can probably only accommodate five to six people at a time. The defunct golf driving range could also go through some adaptive reuse. Currently, the driving range is left isolated with weeds growing."

As Parc Oasis could just be the only development in Singapore with such a facility, it's certainly a unique one that would be quite a differentiated selling point.

Understandably though, it seems that the maintenance upkeep cost could just be not worth the cost. 

He also pointed out that having automated side gates could also be useful, especially for residents staying at the two extreme ends of the estate.

However, because there are just so many residents in the development, it's quite challenging for them to get a consensus on any estate upgrading matters.

Considerations potential buyers should know

Potential homeowners should give important consideration to where their unit is facing as well as the block where it's located.

Since Parc Oasis is a mega development, Tim said that some residents might find themselves walking quite a distance before reaching the main or the back gates.

With the development having no side gates, it can become very inconvenient to make a big detour when your block is actually right next to where you want to get to. 

If you noticed from the facade, Parc Oasis also has a very unique curved full-height glass window instead of a balcony. As such, owners might need to consider how the morning and late afternoon sun can impact the amount of sunlight their unit receives. 

"For example, most would love to have a good lake view unit," he shared. "However, a direct lake view would also mean that it is facing west, resulting in direct and excessive sunlight at certain times of the year."

It can also be a design challenge for some, as a curved layout is not usually the most optimal. But when done right, it can be a highlight of the space as well – as the photo below shows. 

Staying at Parc Oasis condominium

"Location, location, location" is what Tim replied when we asked him about his favourite part about staying at Parc Oasis.

He said it's really a breeze to get around places. Even without a car, you'll be able to get to the Jurong East Malls or Jurong Point in less than 15 minutes.

You can also get your daily necessities quick and easy because the development is flanked by Yuhua Village, Yuhua Village Market, and Yuhua Place.

Tim said they're planning to stay put at Parc Oasis for the foreseeable future, especially since they just moved into a four bedder unit.

"We have the upcoming Lake District developments and second CBD in the pipelines. It will be exciting to watch how these developments can make staying in Jurong even more vibrant and exciting."

ALSO READ: I've lived at Pine Grove at Ulu Pandan for 20 years: Here's my review of what it's like to stay in a huge development

This article was first published in Stackedhomes.