Jamaica like James Bond...

Linda Buckingham on 11 May 2016
To friends that know me, it’s no secret that I love the Caribbean and especially Jamaica. On this trip I travelled with two work colleagues for an update.

First stop - Half Moon.

The is a mega resort set on 400 acres with a stunning 2 mile beach just outside Montego Bay. We stayed here for 2 nights in Hibiscus Junior Suites. These suites in two storey detached buildings run along the back of the beach with glorious sea views. Although the resort is set on such a large amount of land it only has 228 rooms and villas and they’re so well spread out that you need the golf cart supplied to get from the villas back to the main part of the resort. The villas have 4 – 7 bedrooms with pools and they come with three staff (a cook, butler & housekeeper).

It’s well known that some of our royal family have stayed here, so as you can imagine, the grounds are immaculate, the food is excellent and we were very well looked after. They’ve even planted insect repellent plants around the restaurants to ward off anything that might bother you when you eat outside! Sadly we didn’t get the chance to use any of the 13 tennis courts, ride or swim on any of the 28 horses at their equestrian centre, play golf on their award-winning 18-hole championship course or use the wonderful spa – but we did swim each day and made a point of finding their two bottle nosed dolphins in the private lagoon.

Next stop was Goldeneye in Oracabessa.

We couldn’t believe our luck to be invited to spend a night in their newly finished (but not yet on sale) beach huts! Our driver clearly didn’t know quite what to expect from this funky 49 room resort and drove straight past it. After getting him to turn around we spotted a discreet set of gates in the greenery and we'd arrived. It was originally a villa owned by Ian Fleming and he wrote all 14 James Bond books here. Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records, bought the property in 1976 and over the years has set about refurbishing the original villa, building the beach & lagoon villas and lagoon cottages along with the bar and restaurant.

I have to say he’s done a stunning job and the resort was everything I’d hoped it would be. After being shown around, we were equally lucky to meet the man himself who was an absolute gentleman and spent time talking to us about what they had hoped to achieve and their plans for the future – all very exciting stuff! An eclectic mix of celebrities have stayed here – as well as my two favourite Bonds – Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan. If you’re staying in the Fleming Villa, you get your own beach and, of course, your own pool, gardens, and staff. If you can’t quite run to that, you can have in room dining on your verandah which all have lovely views and will be lit by torchlight. Even thinking about it again now, my mouth is watering! We all had a wonderful time and would go back in a heartbeat.

We went into Ocho Rios for our third stay – Jamaica Inn.

This hotel was featured on ‘Millionaire’s Holiday Club’ recently and has just 48 suites and cottages. It opened in 1950 and has several pictures around featuring the Hollywood greats who have stayed there. Many of the staff have been there almost as long and Teddy the barman has been there 55 years! If you get him making cocktails he has plenty of memories to share of the hotel in its party heydays, but they are very discreet about guests.

Jamaica Inn is a colonial property and the suites and cottages are very spacious. The pool is small but it’s only steps away from their private sandy bay so we preferred to go for a dip in the sea. Close to the beach you’ll find an immaculate croquet lawn and hidden in the cliffs en route to the cottages you’ll find the spa. Like all things here, it’s small but perfectly formed and the four treatment rooms overlook the beautiful Caribbean Sea. As you’d expect, the food is wonderful and the service allows you time to savour the surroundings. There’s live music over dinner but it’s mostly finished by 11pm. Let’s face it – if you want to party it’s only a 10 minute taxi into the centre of Ocho Rios.

By the time we had to leave, we had made firm friends with Shadow IV, the hotel’s resident black Labrador and had discovered that the blue of the buildings is an almost exact match to the cloudless blue sky. Jamaica Inn doesn’t allow kids under 10 and has a very loyal clientele - so all those familiar faces of both guests and staff soon make it feel as if it’s ‘home from home’. Many of the guests may actually be millionaires - but everyone that stays at Jamaica Inn is made to feel like one....

We finished our trip at Round Hill, an iconic property with 36 rooms and 27 villas, spread across 110 acres on a private headland and beach in Montego Bay.

It opened in 1953 as a hotel with the 36 ‘Pineapple House’ rooms that were designed by Ralph Lauren. The pineapple is a theme throughout the property because the land was originally a pineapple grove. Our room was an Oceanfront Balcony and overlooked the infinity pool just a few steps from the beach. The villas are all completely different in size and style and you can opt for a villa suite or rent a whole villa which comes fully staffed. If you choose to stay in a villa you can still use all the facilities of the hotel including the restaurant.

There are pictures of Hollywood icons such as Paul Newman and Bing Crosby in the bar who were regular visitors and it’s well documented that John F Kennedy spent his honeymoon in Villa 10. Since that golden era there have been many additions including the kids' club, fitness centre, yoga pavilion and the spa. There are three tennis courts close to the beach and two more further up the hillside near the entry gates. If you haven’t got the energy to walk all the way up to the upper tennis courts or you can’t remember where your villa is, there are a fleet of golf buggies with drivers ready to take you wherever you want to go.

Afternoon Tea, with homemade sandwiches, cakes, scones, tea and coffee, is served every day in the main cocktail bar and there are regular themed evenings such as a beach barbecue, curry night and the highlight of the week, Jamaica Night on a Friday. The main restaurant sits overlooking the bay and features the only indoor, wood-fired grill on island, using local, indigenous logwood where you can watch the chefs preparing Snapper, Grouper, Mahi Mahi and local Caribbean spiny lobster - but fish isn't the only thing on the menu!

Needless to say – we were sad to leave...