Warner St 24, Newtown, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Central location, a short walk to The Strip and Queen’s Park Savannah
Rooms are bright and cheery, with air-conditioning and flat-screen TVs
Rooftop terrace with plants, blossoming flowers, and tables and chairs
Hearty breakfast featuring local and international dishes included with room rate
Front desk staffed around the clock
Free Wi-Fi throughout
No free off-street parking and finding a street spot can be difficult
No elevator to reach terrace or rooms on hotel’s second floor
Forty Winks Inn is a charming two-and-a-half-pearl boutique hotel with homey interiors and a convenient location in central Port of Spain. Its five air-conditioned rooms were renovated in 2016 and have 32-inch flat-screen TVs, wrought-iron headboards, and wall-mounted folding desks. There’s a lush rooftop terrace overflowing with plants and blossoming flowers as well as a ground-floor dining room, where a free, hearty breakfast is served. There’s no on-site restaurant or bar, but Forty Winks’ central location is a 10-minute walk from The Strip, Port of Spain’s bustling nightlife and restaurant hub. For a boutique hotel a bit farther from town with artsy interiors and air-conditioned guest rooms, it’s worth considering the Coblentz Inn Boutique Hotel.
Scene
Quiet, homey atmosphere attracts guests ranging from backpackers to business travelers
Walking into Forty Winks feels like you just you’ve just walked into a private living room, albeit one with an inspirational quote and decorative butterflies providing the welcome. The lobby doubles as a sitting area and has a slightly worn green love seat, rattan armchairs with floral cushions, and photos of steel-pan bands. Next door is a long, narrow breakfast patio with an outdoor cafe scene painted on its wall and ceilings draped with billowy sorbet-colored fabric. Forty Wink's owner is often chatting up guests in the lobby’s cushy seats and the inn feels like an extension of her effervescent personality. Without a doubt, the hotel’s best feature is its lush rooftop terrace. It’s an urban refuge covered in orchids, blossoming bougainvilleas, palms, cactus plants, and a few colorfully painted tables and chairs. The hotel attracts a wide range of guests -- from backpackers to business travelers -- and is close to Queen’s Park Savannah, the center of Port of Spain’s carnival celebrations.
Location
Central location close to Queens Park Savannah, The Strip, and many embassies
Forty Wink’s is located in central Port of Spain’s Newtown neighborhood, full of embassies and government buildings. A handful of small markets and carry-out restaurants serving Trinidadian food are within a three-minute walk, and there's a full-size grocery store just over five minutes away on foot. There’s also a dim-sum restaurant a five-minute walk from the inn. Queens Park Savannah, the world’s second largest roundabout and epicenter for the island’s Carnival celebration, is also a five-minute walk from Forty Winks. Ariapita Avenue, also known as The Strip, is Port of Spain’s nightlife and culinary hub and is a ten-minute walk. Emperor Valley Zoo and Royal Botanic Gardens are across the park, a 15-minute walk. A car is necessary to reach the island's beaches, though, and there's a car rental office within a 15-minute walk of the inn. The nearest beach, Maracas Beach, is famed for its bake-and-shark stands, is a 45-minute drive. A bit farther down the same windy road is Las Cuevas Beach, a leatherback turtle nesting site and one of the islands most beautiful beaches (an hour's drive). Piarco International Airport is an hour drive from the hotel depending on traffic.
Rooms
Bright, fresh rooms with air-conditioning and flat-screen TVs plus artsy details
Forty Winks five air-conditioned guest rooms were recently renovated. They’re bright and modern -- especially the light-flooded second floor rooms -- with either two double beds, two twins, or one queen bed with wrought-iron headboards. Beds were comfortable. Turquoise or striped neutral bed runners match the curtains. Expect modern accents like lamps with cylindrical or Lucite orb bases, 32-inch flat-screen TVs with cable channels, and wall-mounted folding desks. Cheery wall art decorates the white walls with larger-than life metal flower sculptures or modernist mirrors shaped like blossoming daisies. Tiled bathrooms have purple-framed mirrors and trim, stand-up, glass-brick showers and include soap. Irons, ironing boards, and hairdryers are available to borrow from the front desk. Free Wi-Fi is available in all guest rooms.
Features
Lush terrace, free breakfast, assistance arranging tours and tour guides, and free Wi-Fi
Forty Wink’s rooftop terrace is by far its best feature -- it's lush, covered in blossoming flowers and vibrant plants, and is the perfect spot to wind down after a day of exploring. What it doesn’t have in views (only of the surrounding building), it makes up for in atmosphere. A hearty breakfast is included with all stays and features eggs, meat, traditional Trinidadian items like bake sada roti (bread), sauteed potatoes, pumpkin, and coffee and juice. The hotel can arrange tour guides and book organized tours. They also work with car rental companies who will pick up the guest in the rental car, though there's no on-site parking and street parking can be difficult to find in the area. Laundry service is available and Wi-Fi is free throughout the inn.