Ivory Property Group Berhad’s Moonlight Bay development has been highly commended for Best Leisure Development at the Asia Pacific Property Awards 2011 in association with Bloomberg Television.

Famed for its villages on the hill concept, Moonlight Bay is an open resort style garden development with stepped levels and swathes of lush greenery

The gated community residential development, with a GDV of RM188.7mil, stood at the scenic hill of Batu Ferringhi overlooking the sea and the sandy bay of its namesake.

The Group’s chief operating officer Datuk Ooi Chin Loo said attaining one of these coveted awards is indisputable evidence that Ivory is capable of beating some exceedingly strong contenders within the highly competitive Asia Pacific property arena.

“It is definitely a recognition and boost of confidence for Ivory to continue ‘building a better world for our future generations’ (Ivory’s tagline),” he said after receiving the award from the International Property Awards president Stuart Shield at a gala presentation dinner at a hotel in Shanghai recently (May 31).

Last year, Ivory’s Penang Times Square was highly commended for the Best Mixed-use Development.

Attributing the commendation to several factors, Ooi said Moonlight Bay is equipped with security services, landscaped greenery, stonework retaining walls, pocket parks and cascading water features.

“It offers residents an ideal sanctuary to enjoy peace and tranquility away from the city’s hustle and bustle, bringing them closer to nature.

“Its strategic location – in proximity with places of interest like Butterfly Farm, Tropical Fruit Farm, Batu Ferringhi night market, restaurants and pubs, makes it an ideal project for the market,” he said.

The project, featuring 70 units of resort-style villas and 20 units of condo villas, perched on a 6ha (14.8 acres) of freehold land and elevated approximately 30m above sea-level at the lowest point.

Each villa is equipped with a home elevator and two common elevators are housed in the observation towers to facilitate movement from the hilltop to the facilities area and vice versa.

The development also features facilities like swimming pool, playground, jacuzzi, gymnasium, community hall and jogging path.

Ooi said Moonlight Bay is a shining example of a safe model of hillside development cited at a biennial international forum on slope development.

“The system of reinforced soil segmental retaining walls used in the construction of Moonlight Bay is gaining popularity in luxury end property development against the conventional rigid retaining wall system.

“This system meets stringent engineering standards and practice which are imposed by JKR (Public Works Department) and the Road Engineering Association of Malaysia,” he said of the International Conference on Slope 2010 held at Chiangmai, Thailand.

Citing some features included in the property to improve safety, security, sustainability and innovation, Ooi said they used energy saving light bulbs for all external, large overhangs to reduce heat gain and replanted a total of 700 trees.

The villas are currently priced between RM2.69mil and RM3.44mil with a built up area ranging from 3,800 sq ft to 5,700 sq ft while the condo villas are priced between RM1.24mil and RM1.39mil with a built up area ranging from 1,950 sq ft to 2,200 sq ft.

A record number of 21 different countries took part in the Asia Pacific Awards this year. These awards are part of the International Property Awards which was established 17 years ago and cover residential as well as commercial categories.