This Review of The Farm at Cape Kidnappers in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, is from our visit to a sister property of Matakauri Lodge in Queenstown, which we visited last year. For all our posts on New Zealand luxury lodges and dining, please see our posts tagged New Zealand.
TravelSort Clients enjoy these Virtuoso benefits when reserving The Farm at Cape Kidnappers in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand:
- Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
- Daily full breakfast, for up to two in room guests
- $100 USD Equivalent Spa Services credit, (not combinable, valid on services only, not valid on products, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Location, Check-In and Lodge Building
The Farm at Cape Kidnappers is located at 446 Clifton Road in Te Awanga, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. The closest airport is Napier, just a 45 minute drive away, and Napier is just a 1 hour domestic flight from Auckland, or 1 hour 30 minutes from Christchurch.
After driving through Te Awanga, look for a sign on the right, and a gate with intercom. After speaking through the intercom, the gate was opened and we drove along the 4 mile winding road that led up to the Lodge itself, which is perched in a stunning location on 6000 acres of land, with views of the Pacific Ocean.
The Lodge entrance itself is at once cozy and elegant, with handsome wood walls, vaulted ceilings, candelabras, fireplaces, and fresh flowers.
As we were visiting in early April, fall in New Zealand, the warm from the lit fireplaces in the evening was very welcome:
We were warmly welcomed and invited to relax with a welcome drink of our choice (wine for my husband, tea for me, fresh squeezed orange juice for our son) and homemade cookies, while completing our registration.
We also took a peek at the interior courtyard, which would be lovely in slightly warmer weather to enjoy an al fresco drink:
The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Lodge Suite
The Farm at Cape Kidnappers is an intimate luxury lodge, with just 22 suites and a 4 bedroom Owner's Cottage, so I highly recommend making a reservation well in advance as the lodge does sell out a number of times a year from regular bookings as well as from wedding stays given its romantic setting and world class golf course.
We stayed in one of the 4 Lodge Suites that are part of the main lodge building, offering the most convenient access to the Dining Room and Lodge lounge areas. Each is 708 square feet, with ample space for a couple or, as in our case, two adults and a child.
I liked that there was a high ceiling and skylight in the entrance way, that lent additional natural light and space to the suite:
On the right was a walk-in closet, with his and hers closet space as well as built-in benches for our suitcases, a safe, and ironing board.
On the left was the bathroom, with dual his and hers sinks, bathtub, and separate walk-in shower and toilet chamber.
Bath products at The Farm at Cape Kidnappers are naturally formulated with local ingredients, such as Manuka honey and New Zealand Kanuka oil; these are also used at sister properties Kauri Cliffs and Matakauri Lodge.
Also on the left was the honor bar and mini bar area, with coffee and tea maker, welcome fruit, and in our case, a much appreciated chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, which we prefer to champagne.
The bedroom featured one of the most comfortable King beds we've slept on, with a fantastic pillowtop mattress:
There were also comfortable lounge chairs:
And our son's bed featured his own special welcome amenity, a plush lamb toy that he happily embraced:
Outside, our private deck featured similar beautiful views to those from the adjacent main Lodge:
The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Pool, Golf Course and Views
For such an intimate property of just 22 suites (smaller than even most Aman Resorts) The Farm at Cape Kidnappers is well-equipped, with a pool and jacuzzi (the pool was too cold to enjoy during our autumn visit, but we loved the jacuzzi):
And the Cape Kidnappers Golf Course is ranked as one of the best in the world, so avid golfers should definitely bump The Farm at Cape Kidnappers high on their list, although even as non-golfers we couldn't resist driving around the back 9 in a golf cart just to enjoy the views. More on this in a future post on things to do at The Farm at Cape Kidnappers.
The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Restaurant and Dining
I'll cover breakfast, pre-dinner drinks and dinner at The Farm at Cape Kidnappers in a future post. The Dining Room features beautiful views of the lawn and views of the ocean in the distance:
The Verdict
We were already looking forward to the Farm at Cape Kidnappers after our stay last year at sister property Matakauri Lodge. And we loved our stay–our suite was very comfortable, the cuisine was excellent, and if anything, service was even better than the high standard set at Matakauri Lodge. There are unique experiences right on property that I'll cover in a future post and that should not be missed when in New Zealand.
Related Posts
Best New Zealand Luxury Lodges
Review: Matakauri Lodge, Queenstown, New Zealand
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Review: Otahuna Lodge, Christchurch, New Zealand
Disclosure: I was hosted and received two complimentary nights. The opinions expressed in this post are mine.
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