GoldenEye was the 1995 James Bond movie that introduced Pierce Brosnan as 007, but it was not based on one of Ian Fleming’s books. Instead the movie took its name from the beachside villa in Jamaica where Fleming made his home and wrote all of his James Bond novels. (There was also a 1989 TV-movie about Fleming called Goldeneye, starring Charles Dance as Bond’s creator.) BBC reporter Gordon Corera, who allows that it “may not have been my most arduous assignment as a security correspondent,” recently toured Goldeneye. From the videos posted on the BBC site, it appears to be about the most agreeable place to dream up superspy adventures imaginable.
“Goldeneye is still a beautifully secluded spot which provided Fleming with many of the themes that were so important to the books,” writes Corera. “The house had its own private beach where Fleming would swim and snorkel, and the love of the water would be transferred from the author to his hero. Fleming set many of his books in Jamaica and the country was used as a location for the film Dr No and others.”
In one of the videos, Corera gets a tour of the Green Grotto, a series of caves on a nearby hideout that were used as Kananga’s hideout in Live and Let Die. He also gets a look at the private beach from which Fleming did all that swimming and snorkeling, inspiring many of 007’s underwater adventures. It’s actually an awful lot like Screengrab headquarters, so I’m not envious, but if you’re looking for a spot to write your own spy series, there’s good news. “Goldeneye is now a luxury resort owned by Chris Blackwell, who grew up close to the house and worked as a location manager and an extra on the first Bond film Dr No before founding Island Records.”
We checked out the resort’s website, and it turns out that you can stay in the Ian Fleming house for a mere $2500 per night. That’s in the off-season, of course. There are more affordable options, including a villa in Goldeneye Village for $660 per night. “Deep verandas, doors and windows that open wide inviting cool sea breeze, Goldeneye offers the best kind of out door living. Our aim is to make guests feel they are being entertained in the home of a good friend.” Hey, if we had good friends like that, we wouldn’t need your stinkin’ resort.
