sangria

Hi.We are moving to Nusajaya at the end of March and our two boys of 9 and 12 will be attending Marlborough College. We have only had one quick visit to the area. We currently live in Marbella, Spain and have done so for last 15 years so BIG CHANGE!(originally from UK) WE would like to live in an area where we can meet other expats and boys can literally walk out the door and play with similar aged children. Horizon Hills, East Ledang, Leisure Farm or somewhere we don't know of yet? Any pointers on this please? We are looking for 4 bed though the amount of people that keep saying they will visit we might need a hotel! We are used to having a swimming pool in the garden but it seems this is'nt a common thing to have which I find strange due to the great heat. Are there just "clubhouses" that everyone goes to? and surely these must be packed out?
Any help greatly appreciated!!

bakedbean

Hi Sangria and a warm welcome to the forum. There's a LOT of existing threads on here about Nusajaya. I'm sure some Nusajaya residents will be along soon to help you out but do have a browse through the Malaysia forum. You may find some interesting topics.

I imagine if you were buying a house with grounds, nothing to stop you having a swimming pool built. Cost money of course.

Bocat

Hi Sangria

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your move!

We are currently living temporarily in Leisure Farm but we've bought one of the Phase II Semi-Ds at East Ledang and will be moving there when they FINALLY hand over the keys. Nothing happens fast over here - something that takes a bit of getting used to.

My main criteria was also that we find somewhere where the kids could have other kids nearby to play with - basically what it was like where I grew up in Scotland. We decided East Ledang offered the best solution for that requirement.

Leisure Farm is prettier but the houses are generally quite spaced apart - although there are some that are more like little precincts - Bayou Bay and the new one they're building at the moment Bayou Creek. Leisure Farm is also a little bit further away from the shops, Marlborough, the border etc.

We personally didn't like Horizon Hills but I have a couple of friends living there who love it - so it's a very personal choice.

Ledang Heights would be another option (just next to East Ledang). You'd definitely be able to have a house with a pool here but again the houses are very spaced apart.

There are loads of other areas but I don't know them very well. Nusa Idaman, Setia Eco Garden etc.

East Ledang, Horizon Hills and Leisure Farm have a shared clubhouse with pool, gym etc. Some of the precincts in Leisure Farm also have their own pool - but not all.

If I can help with anything else please just ask.

sangria

Thanks Bocat for your help. I am told that you can rent somewhere pretty fast.ie. within 2 weeks. Does that sound reasonable. Have found it quite difficult to find short term place to stay which is of quite decent quality. Do you have any experience of Granada hotel near Aeon Mall? We are also looking at Garden Club on Leisure Farm which they say is for a max of 14 nights in a house but you are not allowed to cook (! strange one!). We are planning bringing the bare minimum of stuff, just books,toys for boys. I presume it is easy to get towels, sheets, etc from Ikea or Tesco? or somewhere better? Plus any good car rental company? Thanks for your thoughts and comments!!

Bocat

Hi Sangria

Do you mean Garden Court? We're living there at the moment. We were renting directly from Leisure Farm (on a rolling 3 month lease) but they sold the unit so we had to move to another one. We're now renting directly from an owner - a bigger unit and RM1000 less than the one we rented direct.

If you're keen on Garden Court let me know and I'll ask the lady in the office there - she keeps a list of owners who have units to rent.

There's no Ikea nearby. There is one in Singapore but remember that anything you bring over the border from Singapore can be charged at 30% tax if the Malaysian Customs check your car. (In other words - don't buy loads in one go!)

Some of the shops like Aeon have not bad sheets and towels etc. There's a Metrojaya in JB which is probably slightly better quality. None of them are great - but they'd do you for starting off.

I've no idea on car rental but a friend has just moved over who has hired a car so I'll ask her which company she went with.

I've passed the Granada Hotel but I haven't been inside. It's brand new though so should be quite nice.

sangria

Hi Bocat
So busy packing up "our life" don't get a chance to check the posts so often. Only 5 weeks now until we arrive. We are going to stay at Granada Hotel for first few days just so we can meet agents easily to view properties in EL,HH LF. Ideally looking for 4 bed semi D. If you know anybody good I need to speak to..please recommend. Looking back through older posts, I see that you hold meet up groups. As soon as boys are settled into school 15 April , it would be great to come along and meet and grill everybody to death with all my questions! You seem to do a grand job in replying to everyone. apprecite it!

Bocat

Hi Sangria

You're welcome. I got lots of help from people on this forum before we made the move so just repaying the favour!

We had dinner at the Granada Hotel the other night. Seems like a nice hotel.

I know a couple of agents - I'll PM you the details.

Look forward to seeing you at the Meetup group soon and hope the boys settle well into Marlborough.

robin_JB

Hi there,

we have been living in JB for a year now, working in Nusajaya (University of Southampton). We are living in the city centre, in Wadihana Condos, which I can absolutely recommend if you want something a bit more central, though there aren't too many expats around here.

Anyway, if I can be of help or if you need advice, give me a shout!

Also, we are moving back to Europe after a year in JB at the end of March, and are thus selling our car. It was quite a hassle last year to buy one that was decent and reliable and not overpriced and no rip-off in the first place, so if you are interested, don't hesitate to give us a shout! I will be posting about it in the forum, too, so you can find more information there!

Hope your move goes well and everything runs smoothly!

bakedbean

Hi Robin and a warm to the forum. That's great if you can offer some info to those moving to Nusajaya.

You can advertise your car for free in the Classifieds section on here. Just click on the blue banner at the top of the page. Advertising not allowed within this part of the forum - though I imagine anyone interested reading this thread may contact you by PM once you have done a few posts. (You need to do 3 posts before the PM function works.)

Which country are you moving to next? If I may be nosey.

Have you enjoyed Malaysia?

robin_JB

oh no, sorry, I totally didnt know! i have gone down that road now.

we definitely like malaysia for all that it is - great food, friendly people, we LOVE tioman, our condo is amazing, the job great, the weather fantastic...... but it was hard to find people to hang out with. for a really long time we didnt even meet any expats (and i still find it hard to believe there are apparently so many in hiding here in jb!) and found it hard to find a way to connect with the local people around us, mostly acquaintances stayed rather superficial; especially because i moved here because of my job with my girlfirend - people wouldnt understand why we arent married, it was impossible for her to get a job, lots of hassle when she went out by herself etc. dont get me wrong, it was a good year, but we are more outdoorsy people who love to be in the nature, or hang out with friends (singapore lifestyle for example would be not for us at all!), and for all that, JB isnt quite the right place - which is why we are relocating to germany this time. we'd always love to come back, though. how about yourself?

bakedbean

Ah well, all a good life experience anyhow. I'm retired in Penang, into our third year here. Before that Phuket, and before that Singapore. Only planned to move to Singapore for good, but the life of the expat has its twists and turns

I think we have a Germany section on here under Europe obviously, so do check it out if you haven't already done so.