Bukit Bintang is the place to be in Kuala Lumpur if you want to be near bars and clubs, or live walking distance from Pavilion, Starhill Gallery and the rest of the myriad of stores in the city’s main entertainment district.

But what about a place to stay – more importantly, what about a place to throw a house party? There are some gorgeous condos in the area, which are perfectly placed to host a warm-up evening before you hit the town. I lived in Bukit Bintang for nearly three years so I’m lucky enough to have been to all of the below condos on several occasions:

1. Vericas Residensi

Verticas, with perhaps the nicest-looking social area of the lot, has a hot tub that looks directly up at KL Tower and three large pools, a sauna and hammam /steam room. The barbecue area is adequate to host a large party and the ‘Sky Terrace’ spaces on the 27th floor offer some of the best chill-out spots in the entire district.

Address: 10, Jalan Ceylon, Bukit Ceylon, 50200 Kuala Lumpur

2. 6 Ceylon

The first thing you’ll notice about the common area here is the pool – it’s bright red! Next door to that is a function space with TV, large table and barbecues for hire, plus comfortable sun loungers. The toilets are artfully dotted around a water feature and the well-equipped gym / workout space is in its own glass box.

Address: 6, Jalan Ceylon, Bukit Ceylon, 50200 Kuala Lumpur

3. Laman Ceylon

Upon entry, you’re greeted with a very smart lobby area and this theme continues into the calming colours of the pool area with large white-draped cabanas, well-kept meeting room, separate gym and yoga space, and sculptures. But it’s not just for grown-ups as there’s a children’s playground to keep the little ones happy, too.

Address: 4, Jalan Ceylon, Bukit Ceylon, 50200 Kuala Lumpur

4. Menara Bukit Ceylon

Slightly older than the other buildings mentioned so far but no less enjoyable, this condo has a pool area that looks up to KL Tower, a sauna, squash court and a small gym. The balconies on the east-facing side of the building look right out over Changkat Bukit Bintang and across to Pavilion and Lot 10 shopping malls – this is as close to the nightlife action as you can get (it’s over the road from Havana)!

Address: 2, Jalan Ceylon, Bukit Ceylon, 50200 Kuala Lumpur

5. Somerset Seri Ceylon

This a cute suntrap of a condo public area, enhanced by bright yellow paint on the walls and a collection of sun loungers. There’s a sauna and children’s playground, a large social space plus a well-equipped gym, and the pool has a smaller section for sitting in and cooling off.

Address: 8 Lorong Ceylon, Off Jalan Raja Chulan, Bukit Ceylon, 50250 Kuala Lumpur

6. Angkasa Impian 2

This could be the poolside party space for residents of KL. It has an enormous ground-level pool with barbecue space and sun loungers dotted around, and I would say that it gets more daily hours of sunshine than any other pool area in Bukit Bintang. As such, there are often expats sunbathing and swimming or using one of the two squash courts, tennis court, ping pong table or gym – and there’s even a small shop (which also sells alcohol) on-site.

Address: Lorong Sahabat, Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur

7. Angkasa Impian

Although the pool here is smaller that the younger Angkasa Impian property, it has a small submerged wall that is just perfect for sunbathing while staying cool, as well as the usual sun loungers. There are also tables and chairs under the shade plus two squash courts and a cute sloped garden complete with playing area for children.

My rooftop secret

You wouldn’t know it just to look at it but this condominium has an open space on the top floor – that’s 31 floors up – available for hire and it’s a showstopping venue for an event.

Address: Persiaran Raja Chulan, Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur

What’s your favourite?

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the condos in and around Changkat; is there a venue that I’ve missed?

At the time of writing, Vida Ceylon is yet to open – could this be the new top venue in the area? Let me know in the comments below!