The verdict
4.7/ 5Alila 2 is the Hunza group's freehold condominium on a 9.8-acre hillside in Lembah Permai, Tanjung Bungah, about 223 ft above sea level.
- Price
- RM1.68M–RM3.08M
- Tenure
- Freehold
- Land title
- Residential
- Completion
- 2018
Zac’s own rating, not user reviews.
Zac’s own rating, not an average of user reviews. It reflects one licensed agent’s assessment of this project against others he tracks in Penang.
Part of my Tanjung Bungah 2026 buyer's guide. For the whole area, every building, and how it compares with the rest of the northern coast, start there.
Nearly half of Alila 2's land is garden. That's the developer's figure, 47% of a 9.8-acre site under trees and planting, and when you walk the grounds it's easy to believe. Most Penang condos are towers on a car park with a pool on top. Alila 2 feels more like two towers set in a park, on a hillside about 223 ft above sea level, looking out over the sea on one side and the green hills on the other.
That's the heart of this review. If you want a large, quiet home in Tanjung Bungah where the view and the gardens do the work, Alila 2 is one of the best buildings on the island for it. If you want to walk to the beach, the shops and the cafés, it's the wrong building, and I'll explain why below.
Key takeaways: Alila 2 is a freehold condominium by the Hunza group in Lembah Permai, Tanjung Bungah, with 270 homes across two towers of 33 and 34 storeys. Homes are large, from 1,905 sq ft up to penthouses of about 5,789 sq ft, and asking prices start around RM1.68M. The gardens and views are the reason to buy. The catch is the hill: you'll drive or take a taxi for almost everything.
What you're actually buying
Alila 2 was built by the Hunza group, the Penang developer behind Gurney Paragon and the earlier Alila Horizons, also in Tanjung Bungah. It was completed in the late 2010s, so it's settled in but not old.
The numbers, in short:
- 270 homes in two towers: Tower 1 has 33 storeys and 132 homes, Tower 2 has 34 storeys and 138 homes, both above a 7-storey podium.
- About five homes per floor, so lifts and corridors stay quiet.
- Three to five bedrooms, from 1,905 sq ft (bigger than most UK family houses) up to duplex penthouses of about 5,789 sq ft.
- Freehold, residential title, so it doesn't run down like a UK lease.
- More than 40 facilities, including a pool, gym, tennis court, mini theatre, yoga deck and lounges, plus 24-hour security.
The developer also says the building was designed to the Green Building Index's Gold standard, with energy-efficient glass, rainwater collection and water-saving fittings. Ask the management office whether formal certification was granted, but the design shows in the lower running costs.
The gardens and the views
This is what sets Alila 2 apart, so it's worth being specific.
The developer reports spending over RM12 million on landscaping. On the ground, that shows as trees, planting between the towers and paths that make the grounds feel like a garden rather than a car park with plants. For anyone coming from a UK home with a garden, it's the closest a Penang condo gets to that feeling without the weeding.
The views depend on which way the home faces and how high it is. Sea-facing homes look out over the Strait of Malacca; hill-facing homes look back at the green slopes of the island's interior, which many owners prefer in the evening light. Higher floors on the sea side carry the highest prices. One honest warning: not every home advertised as "sea view" has a clean, open one. Stand in the actual room before you commit.
Prices in 2026
Asking prices move with each listing, but this is roughly where the market sat in late 2026:
| Home size | Asking price | Approx. in pounds (at 5.45) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,905 sq ft | about RM1.68M | about £308,000 |
| 1,947 sq ft | about RM1.95M | about £358,000 |
| 2,397 sq ft | about RM2.25–2.75M | about £413,000–505,000 |
| 3,235 sq ft | about RM3.08M | about £565,000 |
That works out at roughly RM880–1,150 per square foot. For comparison, the new Waterstone launch nearby starts lower, at about RM1.29M, but for smaller homes and with a 2028 completion date.
Running costs and rent
Service charges are about RM0.30 per square foot a month, so roughly RM570 for a 1,905 sq ft home and around RM1,450 for the largest. For a building with grounds like these, that's reasonable, and it's lower than many newer luxury condos on the coast.
If you rent it out, furnished homes were listed at about RM6,000–8,200 a month in late 2026. On current prices that's a gross return of roughly 4–5% before costs and tax. Short-term holiday letting isn't an option: under Penang's 2026 homestay by-law, condos on the island can't be licensed for short stays. Long lets to families at the nearby schools are the realistic market.
Who Alila 2 suits
UK retirees and second-home owners who want space, green views and quiet, and are happy to drive. The size of the homes means room for family visits, and the grounds give you somewhere pleasant to walk every day.
Families at Tenby or Dalat. Tenby Schools Penang is in the same Lembah Permai neighbourhood, and Dalat is also in Tanjung Bungah, so the school run is short.
Anyone who has seen Tanjung Bungah and fallen for the hills rather than the seafront.
Who it doesn't suit
People who want to walk everywhere. Alila 2 sits up a hill, and while it's a short drive to the supermarket, Straits Quay and the Tanjung Bungah seafront, you won't be strolling to dinner. Gurney Drive and Pulau Tikus are better for that.
Anyone on a tight budget. Entry homes start around RM1.68M. If you love Tanjung Bungah but want to spend less, Mira Residence and the new Waterstone launch both start lower.
Buyers chasing a quick profit. This is a long-term home in a settled area. With costs of 13–14% on the way in for a foreign buyer and 30% gains tax if you sell within five years, a short hold rarely makes sense.
Buying at Alila 2 from the UK
Every home at Alila 2 is above Penang Island's RM1M minimum for foreign buyers, so eligibility isn't an issue. Because prices are above RM1.5M, you'll pay the full state levy of 1.5–3%, plus the flat 8% foreign-buyer stamp duty, a RM10,000 state consent fee and legal fees. On a RM1.95M home, budget roughly RM250,000–275,000 in costs on top, about £46,000–50,000, depending on whether you take a mortgage. The whole process usually takes five to six months; the UK buyer's guide walks through it step by step.
What it rents for
Asking rents at Alila 2 in the listings I tracked in September–October 2026 ran from about RM6,000 to RM8,200 a month mostly furnished homes of 1,905–2,397 sq ft. Furnishing, floor and view move the number a lot, so treat this as a range to test against the specific unit, not a promise.
How it compares
Against Waterstone, Alila 2 is the finished, bigger, greener option, while Waterstone is the newer and cheaper one you'll wait for. The full head-to-head is in Alila 2 vs Waterstone.
Against Mira Residence, Alila 2 has larger homes and much more generous grounds, and Mira is the lower-priced entry into the same part of Tanjung Bungah. That comparison is in Mira Residence vs Alila 2.
Against its older sibling Alila Horizons, completed in 2008, Alila 2 is newer and larger. Alila Horizons is mainly priced below RM1M, so it's largely a building for Malaysian buyers.
Zac’s Take
Zac Ong
Alila 2 is the building I'd show anyone who says they want a house with a garden in Penang but not the upkeep that comes with one. The grounds are exceptional for a condo, the homes are large, and the views over the sea and the hills are what you'll remember. The trade-off is the hill: it's a driving location, not a walking one. If that suits the way you'll live, it's one of the best-value premium homes on the northern coast.
Average response: under 1 hour, 9am–7pm Mon–Sat.
📲 Get current Alila 2 listingsSources: Building details, landscaping and green-design claims from the Hunza group's Alila 2 project page. Asking prices and rents from PropertyGuru, EdgeProp and Mudah listings in late 2026. Service charge from published listing information. Foreign-buyer rules from the Penang state schedule and Budget 2026; short-term rental rules from Penang's Private Homestay By-Law 2026. Prices change with each listing, so confirm the figure for the home you're considering. Asking rents from listings I track (September–October 2026).