IMHO,
It probably desn't matter that you use the full page of the covering letter, to describe your attributes, as opposed to a single sentence- or less- (how minimalist do you need to be??)
If the prospective employer opens the envelope, and doesn't want to read the accompanying letter, he/she will set it aside immediately, to get into the accompanying CV. On the other hand, another prospective employer may well be interested in a bit of background to fill in the bare bones of the single page CV. After all, it doesn't take more than a few seconds to scan a few sentences!
One small point, close the letter with "Yours Faithfully" if you start with "Dear Sir/ Madam", and use"Yours Sincerely", if you start with the person's name- "Dear Mr.----/ Ms.----".