Review: The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Review: The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Hawke's Bay New Zealand

 

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.

Review-Farm at Cape Kidnappers Lodge Entrance

Lodge, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review, New Zealand

 

As we were visiting in early April, fall in New Zealand, the warm from the lit fireplaces in the evening was very welcome:

Cozy Lit Fireplace in the Lodge, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review New Zealand

 

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.

Welcome Drinks, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review, New Zealand

 

We also took a peek at the interior courtyard, which would be lovely in slightly warmer weather to enjoy an al fresco drink:

Lodge Courtyard, Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review, New Zealand

 

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:

Lodge Suite Entrance, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review


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.

Lodge Suite Walk-in Closet, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

 

On the left was the bathroom, with dual his and hers sinks, bathtub, and separate walk-in shower and toilet chamber.

Lodge Suite Bathroom, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

 

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.

KCM Bath Products, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

 

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.

Lodge Suite Honor Bar, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

Chilled Sauvignon Blanc for Our Anniversary, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

 

The bedroom featured one of the most comfortable King beds we've slept on, with a fantastic pillowtop mattress:

Lodge Suite, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

King Bed, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

 

There were also comfortable lounge chairs:

Lodge Suite Lounge Chairs, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

 

And our son's bed featured his own special welcome amenity, a plush lamb toy that he happily embraced:

Kid's Welcome Amenity, The Farm at Kidnappers Review

With Plush Lamb, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

 

Outside, our private deck featured similar beautiful views to those from the adjacent main Lodge:

View from Lodge Suite, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

Lodge Suite Deck, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review


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):

Pool, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

Jacuzzi, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review, New Zealand

Shaded Lounge Area by Pool, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review

 

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.

Cape Kidnappers Golf Course

 

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 Dining Room at The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Review


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

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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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