Sunrise, Sunset, and Merdeka 118: Rooftop Views from The Robertson Residence Kuala Lumpur
Merdeka 118 Tower at blue hour
Over the school holidays, my family and I stayed at The Robertson Residence, Kuala Lumpur, for a short weekend break. It had been a while since I last ventured into the city with my camera and tripod to capture a proper sunrise or sunset, so this trip was a chance to scratch that itch.
Merdeka 188 at Sunset with trees as the foreground
The property consists of two towers, each with its own rooftop. The North Tower rooftop is on the 42nd floor and is accessible by card access. From here, the highlight is the Merdeka 118 tower, especially during sunset. Because of how close the building is, framing the tower is tricky. A super wide lens helps, and it forces you to get creative with composition. This rooftop also has a mini pool and jacuzzi, which works nicely for reflection shots, though again, you’ll need a wide lens to make it work.
Merdeka 118 Reflection in the pool at blue hour
Merdeka 118 Reflection in the pool at blue hour
The South Tower rooftop sits higher, on the 46th floor, and at the time of writing, it is also accessible with a room card. This is the spot for sunrise. The Exchange TRX and the Petronas Towers line up beautifully in the morning glow, and the light slowly reveals the rest of the city. Officially, both rooftops open at 7am and close at 10pm, but in my case, accessing the South Tower rooftop as early as 6:30am was not an issue. I’ll be sharing the sunrise photos of The Exchange TRX in another post.
If you want a clear shot of Merdeka 118 with the Church of St Anthony in the foreground, head to the 6th floor where the pool is. The challenge here is that it’s very difficult to set up a tripod and camera without drawing attention from the guards. To stay discreet, I ended up capturing this image with my iPhone 15.
Merdeka 118 at Sunset with The Church of St Anthony in the foreground. Shot on Iphone 15.
What makes both rooftops interesting is that they’re not just bare decks — each has its own minipark with trees and greenery. The trees can be used as foreground elements, which adds depth and balance to wide cityscape shots. It’s a small detail, but one that makes the rooftops more than just a place to look out from.
All photos were captured using the Nikon Z50 with the Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 and Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 lenses.
