Jamaica’s Goldeneye Hotel, the “Birthplace” of James Bond, Is Open Again

Goldeneye, the Jamaica hotel set at the estate where author Ian Fleming created James Bond, has officially reopened, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

Chris Blackwell’s legendary Island Outpost retreat began its post-shutdown life on Aug. 21, a spokesperson for the property confirmed. 

The 52-acre luxury resort is set in the town of Oracabessa, about 10 miles from Ocho Rios on the northern coast of Jamaica. 

Fleming, a former British intelligence officer, bought the compound in 1946, eventually calling it Goldeneye in tribute to the naval operation that first brought him to Jamaica. 

He created the Bond character and wrote all 14 of the James Bond novels at the property, and the beachfront bungalow where he lived and wrote is now known as the Fleming Villa. (A James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan was titled Goldeneye in a nod to the property.).

Now, it’s a mix of rooms, villas, cottages and, most recently, “beach huts.”

Jamaica has long played an important role in the Bond films, from its star turn in Dr. No to its use as a filming location for Live and Let Die (where then-007 Roger Moore used a Half Moon cottage as his room in the movie).

The next James Bond film, “No Time to Die,” which will be released in November, will be filmed in part in Jamaica. 

Jamaica officially reopened for tourism in mid-June. For more on how to visit the island, check out the destination’s travel protocols for entry. 

For more, visit Goldeneye. 

— CJ