Private luxury cemeteries in Indonesia

The Straits Times reported on the growing trend for luxurious private ceremonies among wealthy Indonesians earlier this month.

This trend first began back in 2007 with the construction of the San Diego Hills Memorial Park, the country’s largest luxury cemetry, located in Karawang, West Java.

The San Diego Hills Memorial Park spans 500 hectares (1,240 acres) and boasts, among other facilities, a swimming pool, a running track, an upscale Italian restaurant, a dedicated helicopter landing pad and, of course, an eight-hectare “lake of angels” complete with rowing boats.

The luxury San Diego Hills Memorial Park, owned by the Lippo Group, is part of a growing trend in Indonesia where increasing numbers of the population are finding themselves with growing disposable incomes.

Other cemeteries reflecting this growing trend include Taman Giri Tama cemetery in Tonjong, south of Jakarta, Lestari Memorial Garden in Karawang and Al-Azhar Memorial Garden where a single plot costs around 23 million rupiah ($2,379).