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Saint Mary Parish · Jamaica

GoldenEye

Ian Fleming's house, a lagoon and a scattering of beach huts

Private Estate ★★★★★ Oracabessa Bay
The setting of GoldenEye
Location image, not the property. William Hennings / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

GoldenEye is built around the modest concrete house where Ian Fleming wrote all fourteen Bond books, on a bluff above Oracabessa on Jamaica's north coast. Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records, bought the estate and turned it into a resort that reflects his own version of Jamaica rather than anyone's idea of a Caribbean hotel.

Accommodation is scattered across the property: the Fleming Villa with its own pool and staff, lagoon cottages on stilts over the brackish water, beach huts and hillside villas. Everything is open to the air, with outdoor showers and hardwood decks.

The atmosphere is creative and informal, with a strong music thread running through it. There is a spa, a private beach, kayaks on the lagoon and the neighbouring Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary, which the estate helped establish, for snorkelling.

At a glance

What to expect

  • Fleming Villa
  • Lagoon cottages
  • Private beach
  • Spa
  • Kayaking
  • Fish sanctuary snorkelling
  • Outdoor showers
  • Bar and restaurant