Touring Westlake Gardens: Scenic Freehold Landed Living At MacRitchie Reservoir & Near Famous Schools

Get The Property Insights Serious Buyers Read First: Join 50,000+ readers who rely on our weekly breakdowns of Singapore’s property market.

TJ's interest in property was sparked after returning from the UK- where balconies are not counted in one's square footage!- and finding that the Singapore property had totally changed in the 7 years she was away. When not reading and watching articles & videos about property, she is busy cooking and baking for friends, family & her blog Greedygirlgourmet
Have you ever dreamed of living next to a lake (okay fine, in Singapore’s context, reservoir)? Well, if so, you should head over to this particular small estate, Westlake Gardens, which is right next to MacRitchie Reservoir with just under 100 houses. The view in the photo above is literally less than 5 minutes away from the houses in the estate!
Since the key attraction of living at Westlake Gardens is MacRitchie Reservoir, let’s start today’s landed tour there! Well, that and the 3 famous schools nearby – Raffles Institution (15 minutes walk away), Raffles Girls School (22 minutes walk) and Catholic High (27 minutes walk away). Some houses are within 1 km of Marymount Convent (Primary) School and 2 km of Ai Tong School, another well-known school. And since we are on the subject of education, I should also mention that there are also at least 3 childcare centres nearby (some within the estate proper.)

Despite being such a tiny estate, there are actually 2 exits and entrances for vehicles into Westlake Gardens, which makes it very easy for people who drive. For those who don’t, you’re 11 minutes from Marymount MRT and 16 minutes from Caldecott MRT. There is also a bus stop right next to the entrance above, where ELEVEN buses stop! (Buses 52, 74, 130, 132, 162, 162M, 163, 165, 166, 167, 852, 855 and 980.) As you can see, this is a very well-connected landed enclave!

This is the 1st row of houses next to the entrance. Although Westlake Avenue is off a busy main road (Upper Thomson Road), there is actually a small stretch of empty land on the left of this (small) road, that separates these houses from the main road, which helps provide a buffer from the sound of the traffic.

Note that there is definitely wildlife within the estate – spot the monkey in the picture above! I saw several monkeys during my tour and also saw a boar (but not within Westlake Avenue. The boar was happily snuffling around in a gated compound next to the estate. I think the compound was St. Theresa’s Home but can’t be 100% sure.)

Walking down the road brings me to St. Theresa’s Home.

As you can see, there’s a lot to keep you occupied if you live here (and enjoy an active lifestyle.) There’s kayaking, canoeing, fishing, hiking and more!














According to a signpost, Lim Bo Seng’s tomb is not far away – never knew! There’s also Mushroom Cafe and a treetop walk. Mushroom Cafe is the closest F&B outlet that I can find (to Westlake Avenue). Unfortunately it only had a 3.6 star review on Google at the time of writing. However, I’m not sure how much to trust the review as one of them was (to paraphrase) “good food. Shame I had to pay for it.” (???!)



The path to the bus stop and the overhead bridge is partially sheltered. I am also impressed that this overhead bridge has a lift! It certainly makes it feasible for the less mobile.
More from Stacked
3 Interesting Upcoming Residential Sites To Watch Out For (Orto Yishun, Jalan Tiga Ratus, Teban Gardens)
Now that we’ve seen the impact of limited land plots, perhaps there’ll be more Government Land Sales next year. A…


However, as the parking at MacRitchie isn’t the most ample, visitors do park outside the houses. Having said that, I visited thrice (twice on the weekend), and all 3 times was able to easily traverse the roads/find parking spaces.)





Remember the monkeys I mentioned? Although I did come across a couple, they were generally inside the reservoir and I didn’t see any throwing parties in the houses. I was puzzled as, when I visited Island Country Villas near Upper Peirce Reservoir, the monkeys had definitely made themselves at home everywhere. Then I saw a lady throw something away and realised that all the bins were secured (see above – it’s something like the straps used to secure luggage) and thus the monkeys couldn’t get any food. Smart move.





Anyway, let’s walk back into Westlake Avenue to see more of the landed enclave.




Most of the houses closer to the St. Theresa’s Home (which is zoned as a Civic and community Institution, so won’t be turned into a condo) are still in original condition so there’s lots of redevelopment opportunity here. In 2022 alone, there were 4 sales, which is quite a lot as there were several recent years with 0 sales! (At the time of writing, asking prices ranged between $6 – $18 million.)

And here’s the Google map of the area. Unfortunately for shopaholics, as shown, there aren’t many malls nearby- the closest would be Bishan Junction 8 and Thomson Plaza. (Lots of plant nurseries, such as Ji Mei Flowers, though!)
It’s quite different from Yew Lian estate, which we viewed last week, as that had a ton of shops and cafes!

Note: The 2nd childcare centre that I mentioned is to the right of the photo. (Preschool by the Woods.)
Now that you’ve seen Westlake Gardens, how did you find it? It’s quite an interesting juxtaposition to me: simultaneously so close to nature yet so urban, thanks to the proximity of the highways. (Being situated at such a busy junction also means that it’s not really pleasant to walk anywhere, outside of McRitchie!) I guess it sums up life in Singapore, living in “a city in Nature.”
Anyway, let us know in the comments what you think and see you again next week as we visit Westville (requested by several readers!)
TJ
TJ's interest in property was sparked after returning from the UK- where balconies are not counted in one's square footage!- and finding that the Singapore property had totally changed in the 7 years she was away. When not reading and watching articles & videos about property, she is busy cooking and baking for friends, family & her blog GreedygirlgourmetRead next from Landed Home Tours

Landed Home Tours We Toured A Rare Part Of Singapore Where Terrace Houses Are Bigger Than The Semi-Detached Units

Landed Home Tours I Visited Freehold Terraces, Semi-Ds, and Detached Homes in the East Ranging from $2.5 Million to $11 Million

Landed Home Tours We Found Freehold Landed Homes From $4 Million In The East—But Would You Live Here?

Landed Home Tours We Tour Freehold Landed Homes Within Walking Distance of Somerset MRT From $6 Million
Latest Posts

On The Market 5 Cheapest 3-Bedroom Condos To Buy Right Now In 2025 (From $980K)

Homeowner Stories I’m a Former Police Officer Who Now Co-Owns 40 Property Investments Without Managing a Single Tenant: Here’s How

Pro Analysing 10 Years of District 15 Boutique Condo Transactions: Insights Into What Drives Profitability

Property Advice The Ideal Size for Each Room of Your Condo to Actually Feel Liveable Revealed

Property Advice 5 Mistakes You Make When Comparing Condo Prices – Your ‘Good Deal’ Might Be Hiding a Secret

Pro District 7 vs District 9: Which Prime Location Has Delivered Better Condo Value?

Overseas Property Investing 4 Hidden Risks To Avoid When Buying Property In Malaysia (A Guide For Singaporeans)

Homeowner Stories I Bought a Freehold Property in Singapore and Regret It — Here’s the Big Mistake I Made

Singapore Property News What Buyers Overlook When Purchasing Older Condos (Until It’s Too Late)

Editor's Pick 5 Ways Housing Shapes Singapore’s National Identity

On The Market 5 Attractive Freehold Condos With Private Pools (Under $2M)

Editor's Pick Springleaf Residence Pricing Review: How It Compares To Nearby Resale And New Launches

Editor's Pick Springleaf Residence Review: A 941 Mega-Development Near The MRT From $1,995 Psf

Property Market Commentary 4 Condo Layouts And Features Buyers Are Moving Away From in 2025

Editor's Pick Summer Suites Condo Review: A Freehold Johor Bahru Condo Near The RTS Link
