GoldenEye began life as a simple bungalow, built as a 1950s holiday home by author Ian Fleming, who penned a number of his novels here, including the entire James Bond series. The bungalow, now somewhat pimped up, is still home to Fleming’s desk, and has since hosted the likes of Beyoncé and Jay-Z in its new guise as GoldenEye's Fleming Villa. A clutch of Creole cottages were also reincarnated, and a few Caribbean-chic villas joined the jam, hidden amongst tropical greenery and lining a placid green lagoon and white-sand beachfront. Since our visit, a batch of Beach Huts has sprung up, too. Together they make up this amazing 58-acre resort.
The glamorous heritage has been maintained, but although the hotel has an air of exclusivity, it is refreshingly without stuffiness or pretention, making it popular with the rich and famous, as well as mere mortals. Staff are predominantly local and infectiously passionate about GoldenEye and Jamaica as a whole, and there's a happy, one-big-family feeling. Kayak to the FieldSpa for a lemongrass Bush Bath, jet-ski across the bay at sunrise, or take the kids in a glass-bottom boat to see exotic fish. We were utterly wowed by this magical place.
Highs
- The staff: friendly, warm and never subservient. They soon know you by name
- A breathtaking setting and super-cool ambiance
- The Jamaican-inspired food is delicious and plentiful. You may leave a few pounds heavier!
- Beautiful bedrooms many with cool outdoor showers, icy-cold Red Stripes and a host of reggae CDs
- The Jamaican vibe, which permeates throughout. It would be impossible not to feel relaxed here
Lows
- It’s undeniably expensive but entirely worth it
- Not suitable for people with mobility issues due to a number of steps and uneven surfaces
- The man-made sandy beach can get rocky
- Serious holiday blues when you return home!
- Baby cots
- High chairs
Some equipment may need to be requested in advance
On request
A dedicated kids' menu and kids' mealtimes
- Swimming pools
- The beach
- Coconut carving
- Kayaking
- Snorkelling
- Paddle-boarding
- Tennis
- DVD library (including all the Bond movies, naturally!)
- Arts & crafts sessions
- Jewellery making and cooking classes
- Kids yoga
- Kids mani/pedi
- Kids Irie Melody massage
- Jungle tours and ziplining
- Watch turtles hatching
- Swimming in a waterfall
- Swimming with dolphins
- Tubing
- Boutique Hotel
- 49 rooms
- Restaurant and bar (open daily)
- All ages welcome
- Open all year
- Outdoor Pool
- Spa Treatments
- Beach Nearby
- Babysitting
- Creche / Kids Club
- Car not necessary
- Parking
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
- Concierge Service
- Tennis Court
- Bicycles Available
Rooms
Rooms are light and airy with driftwood-lined verandas and local wooden furniture, giving a luxurious but relaxed beach-shack feel. There are sunloungers for lazing and some have a hammock.
Our favourite rooms were the cottages on the magically still lagoon, with direct access into the water, and a kayak moored to the private veranda. Beachfront Villas feel slightly less private but you wake up to sunrise over the ocean; unbeatable. Bigger villas have space for 4-5 guests, and a kitchenette for whipping up snacks.
Superstars should book The Fleming Villa. This exclusive rental comes with serious VIP treatment: private chef, butlers, barmen, a private pool and a private beach. It sleeps 10, should you have an entourage.
Since our visit, a variety of Beach Huts have been added. Painted in rainbow shades with private verandas and wet rooms, they are simpler than the other options, but just as charming.
Super-comfy kingsize beds are wrapped in crisp, white linens, which are offset by brightly patterned bedspreads. Clawfoot bathtubs up the romance factor and you get a host of cool treats: a hipflask of rum, an Apple TV, a stack of reggae CDs.
Features include:
- Bathrobes
- Hairdryer
- Iron
- Minibar
- Safe box
- WiFi
Eating
Food is a mix of local and international influences, much of it grown at their organic farm, Pantrepant. (Just watch out for those Scotch Bonnet peppers!)
Breakfast and lunch are served at the funky Bizot Bar, whose walls are decorated with album covers of Island Record stars. There's a lot of choice on offer, from ackee and saltfish, to fried eggs and bacon, pancakes or waffles. Lunch is similarly expansive; we loved the jerk chicken salad and super-fresh seared snapper.
Dinner is served in Gazebo, which sits like a treehouse above the swimming pool, which has dramatic under-water lighting. As you'd expect, standards are very high, and our coconut-crusted shrimp, Black Angus beef tenderloin and Blackwell Rum banana flambé were all amazing. Meals can also be served on your private deck or in your room on request.
The Beach Huts centre around the Shabeen bar, with rooftop lounge and games room. It's just steps away from Snorkeler's Cove, perfect for post-swim refreshments.
Delicious cocktails are encouraged at all times of the day, with Blackwell Rum (created by GoldenEye's owner Chris Blackwell) heavily featured. If you prefer to go soft, fresh coconut water is a must when in Jamaica.
Features include:
- Bar
- Coffee maker
- Kids' meals
- Organic produce
- Restaurant
- Restaurants nearby
- Room service
- Vegetarian options
Activities
- Laze on the white-sand beaches, or go paddle-boarding, kayaking, snorkelling and on glass-bottom boat excursions to see 700+ different species of tropical fish (all complimentary)
- A dive shop has been opened by a non-profit organisation on James Bond Beach, where guests can obtain scuba certificates and book onto tours - all proceeds fund marine conservation
- Deep-sea fishing and jet-ski tours are also available
- The FieldSpa offers blissful treatments with homegrown elixirs - perhaps a warming ginger and pimenta massage or lemongrass Bush Bath
- Meditation and yoga are on offer, too, and there's a daily morning group run
- Go for a bike ride around the local village
- Tackle Dunn's River Falls, a famous Jamaican waterfall, which you can climb with help of experienced guides
- Watch turtles hatching and being released into the sea with conservationist Mel Tennant. Unmissable!
- Take a picnic up to Noel Coward's house, Firefly, high on a hill with an amazing view of the harbour
- We enjoyed vibrant Kingston, where you can see the birthplace of Bob Marley and view local art at the National Gallery
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Birdwatching
- Boat trips
- Cycling
- Fishing
- Golf
- Historical sites
- Kayaking
- Museums / galleries
- Plantlife / flora
- Scuba diving
- Shopping / markets
- Snorkelling
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Wildlife
- Yoga
Best Time to go
It gets fairly hot during the hurricane season, which runs from the beginning of June to the end of November. The cooler months from December to March are still lovely and warm.
Our Top Tips
Wander the grounds and 'celeb spot' plaques commemorating stars who've planted trees for a conservation charity.
Take a day trip with one of Island Outpost’s amazing drivers (we recommend Chris). They're full of information about the sites of Jamaica and its people, and you learn so much about the country’s rich culture from locals with such personality.
Take a day trip with one of Island Outpost’s amazing drivers (we recommend Chris). They're full of information about the sites of Jamaica and its people, and you learn so much about the country’s rich culture from locals with such personality.
Location
GoldenEye sits on a bluff facing the Caribbean Sea in the quiet village of Oracabessa on Jamaica’s north coast.
By Air:
Ian Fleming International Airport is a small airport 5km from the hotel, which receives regular American Airlines flights from the States (non-US travellers can connect in Miami) and hopper flights from Montego Bay.
Most people fly into Sangster International Airport (102km) at Montego Bay or Norman Manley International Airport (106km) at Kingston. Click on the links below for a list of airlines.
From the Airport
If you just plan on taking it easy once you're here, ask the hotel for a transfer (1.5 hours from Montego Bay; 2 hours from Kingston). For car hire, see our car rental recommendations.
Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.
More on getting to Jamaica and getting around
Airports:
- Ian Fleming International Airport 5.0 km OCJ
- Montego Bay (Sangster International) 102.0 km MBJ
Other:
- Beach 0.1 km
- Shops 1.0 km
- Restaurant 1.0 km