Kapinjala - Review Page 2
Accommodation
Kapinjala offers an internal accommodation area of around 4,000 square feet, split over two levels. This total includes covered terrace and balconies, but not the pool terrace. The villa interior is clean and bright and features white-painted walls, high ceilings and wide window/door openings to enhance the impression of space and coolness.
Unlike the bedrooms, the main living areas are not air-conditioned. Nor do they need to be. It would be criminal to stay in this lovely villa with the doors and windows closed, as would be necessary with full air-conditioning. The hilltop location ensures that the house receives full benefit from the north-east trade winds that blow over the island from the Atlantic coast. Until you have experienced them, it is difficult to imagine the sheer sensuous pleasure of a typical Tobagonian evening at Kapinjala, luxuriating in the cool winds as they gently caress your skin.
Living Areas
As you arrive at the entrance gates and descend the short driveway to the house, you have little concept of the view that will face you as you step across the threshold. The easiest way to think of Kapinjala’s layout is to think of a triangle. The entrance to the villa is through a covered portico and car port at the apex of the triangle.
The entire layout of the house is focussed on the slightly curved third side of the triangle. Broad exposed ceiling beams lead the eye from the front door, across the lounge area, through the three wide patio doors and out over the huge covered terrace to the spectacular panorama beyond. Facing almost due south, every room benefits from similar views. Sitting on the main terrace is like sitting in the front row of a wide-screen cinema – without the neck-ache.
With the exception of a downstairs bedroom and cloakroom, the ground floor is fully open-plan. The kitchen is separated from the living area by a very practical breakfast bar – which became my office for the duration of our stay.
Comfortable living in tropical climates relies on space. Lack of clutter helps create an illusion of space. Tastes will obviously vary, but in our view Kapinjala has really achieved an ideal balance between practicality, comfort and aesthetics.
It is hard to think that anyone would get tired of the ‘outdoor’ living area on the main terrace, but should you do so, or wish to watch television or a DVD rather than stargaze, the internal living area offers a wonderful and cosy refuge – even though ‘cosy’ is hardly a description that one would associate with such a large room with so much clean open space. However, the two sofas and armchair in the living area are just so damned comfortable that I became frustrated by my inability to read, or watch a film, without falling asleep within a few minutes.
I seldom watch television on Tobago. This is not least due to the horrendous quality of the local channels, which are only marginally surpassed by the myriad North American channels available through the local satellite/cable television network. Fortunately, Kapinjala is equipped with a decent high-quality flat-screen TV and DVD-player with a stock of around ten decent films. Additional entertainment is available from a compact hi-fi system with iPod connection, a well-balanced collection of board games and playing cards, plus a good collection of novels and local-interest books.
The kitchen is spacious and superbly equipped. There is no doubt that it is well up to the task of catering for the villa’s maximum occupancy of eight adults. As a new villa, it is hardly surprising that everything was new and in excellent condition. However, it is also clear that cost had not been skimped and that all furnishings and equipment are of the highest quality.
In addition to a large electric oven with grill (broiler), the kitchen is equipped with a microwave oven, dishwasher, large fridge and freezer, plus an additional ‘drinks’ fridge (both with icemakers), toaster, electric kettle and coffee percolator. There was enough crockery, cutlery and glassware to comfortably accommodate a party of twelve. Everything was in fine condition – not that you would expect anything else in a villa of this obvious quality. A built-in cupboard in the kitchen area conceals a washer and dryer.
On arrival we found a lovely meal of Caribbean chicken, rice and salad waiting for us; it just needed heating up at our convenience. The two fridges were stocked with the most exhaustive welcome pack we have ever encountered. Being the first of our 2008 self-catering villa reviews, it had been our intention to offload the luggage and head down to the supermarkets. In practise we found that so much of what we needed had been provided that we were able to postpone those plans for a couple of days and simply relax and enjoy the villa.
It astounds me how often rental property owners miss out on the positive impression created by a decent welcome pack. When visitors have arrived, after enduring something like a nine-hour flight and around an 18-20 hour day, they do not want to stop at a local supermarket on the way to the villa no matter how willing the property manager or person meeting them. It is essential that the visitor is provided with, at the very least, a light evening meal, cold water, beer and soft drinks and ingredients for their first breakfast. It is also an oversight to expect visitors to buy sugar, salt, spices, cooking oil and other essentials, as well as washing up, dishwasher and laundry supplies, most of which are only available in large bulk packs far in excess of the average visitor’s requirements. The cost of supplying these items, when divided by the average length of stay, adds a negligible amount to the daily rental price of the property. However, even without recovering this cost, the benefits can be repaid many times over through the goodwill and sense of hospitality generated. In this regard, Kapinjala was almost without peer.
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