Goldeneye Jamaica
Jun 24, 2015, 5:53 pm
#31
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 3,317
Thanks for this very detailed report about an unusual property, pricesquire.
Heh, can`t think of a more sexy sounding airport
Great to see the inside of the Ian Fleming Villa, too.
The Bizot bar has so much character, and probably witnessed many interesting encounters.
I love the foto of the pool, in the shape of a golden eye.
Is there a Fleming "insider" on the premises who can give insight on some of Fleming's typical 007 symbolism and chiffres?
Heh, can`t think of a more sexy sounding airport
Great to see the inside of the Ian Fleming Villa, too.
The Bizot bar has so much character, and probably witnessed many interesting encounters.
I love the foto of the pool, in the shape of a golden eye.
Is there a Fleming "insider" on the premises who can give insight on some of Fleming's typical 007 symbolism and chiffres?
The place is a haven for celebrities (which is interesting because, while "luxury"...it's not "uber luxury"..the way most here feel about an Aman property...But hey, give me a regular old lux hotel with character over an Aman anyday!)
Interestingly, they hated Anthony Bourdain and are really upset with the show he did on the hotel/Jamaica. Like: really, really pissed.
And yes, there is an insider of all things Bond..he's just not on premises 24/7. I'd say he's there once a month or more: Chris Blackwell. Amazing, interesting fellow.
Other than him, there are villagers/townies who use to rub elbows with Fleming, Errol Flynn, and Co. They used to have pre-dinner drinks at GoldenEye and then go to a private residence up the road called FireFly for crazy, crazy parties.. (That's where you'll find the old dudes who really know the legendary stuff that happened at GE and FF w/ Fleming & Co.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_Estate
Jun 25, 2015, 12:19 pm
#32
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Monaco
Posts: 317
Great info. Many thanks, pricesquire.
Indeed:
"Blackwell was born in Westminster, London. ... Blackwell's mother, the former Blanche Lindo, was born in Costa Rica, and was a Sephardic Jew from a Jamaican family. She belonged to a powerful family who made their fortune in sugar and Appleton rum toward the end of slavery. They are named as one of the 21 families who controlled Jamaica in the 20th century. Blackwell's parents divorced when he was twelve. Blanche was considered the love of Ian Fleming's later life, becoming the James Bond author's muse and the inspiration for the character Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. She owned several thousand acres of land near Oracabessa, Jamaica, and sold properties to both Fleming and Noël Coward. ...
In 1958, Blackwell was sailing off Helshire Beach when his boat ran aground on a coral reef. The twenty-one-year-old swam to the coast and attempted to find help along the shore in searing temperatures. Collapsing on the beach, Blackwell was rescued by Rasta fishermen who tended his wounds and restored him back to health with traditional Ital food. The experience gave Blackwell a spiritual introduction to Rastafarianism, and was a key to his connection to the culture and its music. ...
In 1961, Blackwell acted as a location scout and production assistant for the 1962 Bond film Dr No. After the movie wrapped, producer Harry Saltzman offered him a full-time position. Conflicted between music and film, Blackwell visited a psychic, who told him that he would be successful if he stayed in the music industry. ...
Blackwell has long owned Goldeneye in Oracabessa, the previous home of Ian Fleming, where the author wrote all the James Bond books. ... Blackwell developed the property into a community of villas and beach cottages, each with its own private access to the sea, and Goldeneye is considered the most exclusive of the Island Outpost resorts. Blackwell currently runs Island Outpost, which he set up to operate and market a group of elite resorts in Jamaica, including Strawberry Hill in the Blue Mountains (where Marley recovered after being shot in 1976), The Caves in Negril, and GoldenEye Hotel & Resort in Oracabessa. Island Outpost also owned The Tides and The Marlin in Miami Beach, Florida. The Miami Beach properties including The Tides, The Marlin and The Kent along with several other hotels in Miami Beach and The Bahamas have since been sold."
Wikipedia
Indeed:
"Blackwell was born in Westminster, London. ... Blackwell's mother, the former Blanche Lindo, was born in Costa Rica, and was a Sephardic Jew from a Jamaican family. She belonged to a powerful family who made their fortune in sugar and Appleton rum toward the end of slavery. They are named as one of the 21 families who controlled Jamaica in the 20th century. Blackwell's parents divorced when he was twelve. Blanche was considered the love of Ian Fleming's later life, becoming the James Bond author's muse and the inspiration for the character Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. She owned several thousand acres of land near Oracabessa, Jamaica, and sold properties to both Fleming and Noël Coward. ...
In 1958, Blackwell was sailing off Helshire Beach when his boat ran aground on a coral reef. The twenty-one-year-old swam to the coast and attempted to find help along the shore in searing temperatures. Collapsing on the beach, Blackwell was rescued by Rasta fishermen who tended his wounds and restored him back to health with traditional Ital food. The experience gave Blackwell a spiritual introduction to Rastafarianism, and was a key to his connection to the culture and its music. ...
In 1961, Blackwell acted as a location scout and production assistant for the 1962 Bond film Dr No. After the movie wrapped, producer Harry Saltzman offered him a full-time position. Conflicted between music and film, Blackwell visited a psychic, who told him that he would be successful if he stayed in the music industry. ...
Blackwell has long owned Goldeneye in Oracabessa, the previous home of Ian Fleming, where the author wrote all the James Bond books. ... Blackwell developed the property into a community of villas and beach cottages, each with its own private access to the sea, and Goldeneye is considered the most exclusive of the Island Outpost resorts. Blackwell currently runs Island Outpost, which he set up to operate and market a group of elite resorts in Jamaica, including Strawberry Hill in the Blue Mountains (where Marley recovered after being shot in 1976), The Caves in Negril, and GoldenEye Hotel & Resort in Oracabessa. Island Outpost also owned The Tides and The Marlin in Miami Beach, Florida. The Miami Beach properties including The Tides, The Marlin and The Kent along with several other hotels in Miami Beach and The Bahamas have since been sold."
Wikipedia
Last edited by RichardInSF; Jul 1, 2015 at 7:48 am Reason: consecutive posts by same poster
Jun 30, 2015, 4:02 pm
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
fantastic photos and details.
was "the book" there?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_...nithologist%29
firefly available for events but not overnights?
Villa 1 is listed as accommodation (but no rates)
https://www.goldeneye.com/stay/
https://www.goldeneye.com/stay/villa1/
Villa 2 is listed for sale
https://www.goldeneye.com/own/
https://www.goldeneye.com/wp-content...plan-facts.pdf
there was also Villa 3 (which is 3BR, so larger size)
agree curious re rates (Villa 1/2 may be 'usual' rates?)
might be (per adult per day) >
$84 half board - breakfast and dinner
(+$162)
$246 all-inclusive including alcoholic beverages, house wines and champagnes, minibar
for comparison - peter island (no house champagne) >
$140 full board + $75 alcohol = $215
$110 half board + $75 alcohol = $185 (if possible..)
usually all-inclusive or not, only seen a few places where optional
whereas meal plan / including meals is a pretty standard offering
IIRC $200-$250pppd is about 'right'/average for adding-on alcohol
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_...nithologist%29
firefly available for events but not overnights?
https://www.goldeneye.com/stay/
https://www.goldeneye.com/stay/villa1/
Villa 2 is listed for sale
https://www.goldeneye.com/own/
https://www.goldeneye.com/wp-content...plan-facts.pdf
there was also Villa 3 (which is 3BR, so larger size)
agree curious re rates (Villa 1/2 may be 'usual' rates?)
might be (per adult per day) >
$84 half board - breakfast and dinner
(+$162)
$246 all-inclusive including alcoholic beverages, house wines and champagnes, minibar
for comparison - peter island (no house champagne) >
$140 full board + $75 alcohol = $215
$110 half board + $75 alcohol = $185 (if possible..)
usually all-inclusive or not, only seen a few places where optional
whereas meal plan / including meals is a pretty standard offering
IIRC $200-$250pppd is about 'right'/average for adding-on alcohol
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Jun 30, 2015 at 5:03 pm
Jun 30, 2015, 5:48 pm
#35
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 3,317
FireFly is NOT available for overnights, and you'd understand the "why" the second you walked in the place.
It's in perfect condition. Perfect meaning: it's the same way it looked the day Sir Noël Coward died. His damn shirts are still in the closet!
Beautiful original artwork laying around too.
The funny thing is - the bar adjoining FireFly - Coward's bar (the one frequented by Fleming & Co) is in perfect form.
FireFly's "custodian" - ie, expert at large
FireFly from the front
Beautiful property....
Pool (currently covered)
Coward himself
Backside
Soiree with the GM of GoldenEye
Backyard
It's in perfect condition. Perfect meaning: it's the same way it looked the day Sir Noël Coward died. His damn shirts are still in the closet!
Beautiful original artwork laying around too.
The funny thing is - the bar adjoining FireFly - Coward's bar (the one frequented by Fleming & Co) is in perfect form.
FireFly's "custodian" - ie, expert at large
FireFly from the front
Beautiful property....
Pool (currently covered)
Coward himself
Backside
Soiree with the GM of GoldenEye
Backyard
Jun 30, 2015, 5:54 pm
#36
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 3,317
I don't think they list Villa 1's pricing because it's technically owned by someone else (a celebrity, not naming names). In theory - the owner of Villa 1 sets the rates. (And they have to make sure they aren't there at the time a guest wants to come)..
As for Villa 2 being for sale..I'm conflicted. Absolutely gorgeous, and one of the properties most private villas. But for that price, guessing you could get a whole estate down the road!
Villas 1+2 are the most private, secluded on the prop though.
PS, for turning your stay into an all inclusive, I *believe* it can be negotiated... no hard and fast rules in Jamaica, that's for sure.
As for Villa 2 being for sale..I'm conflicted. Absolutely gorgeous, and one of the properties most private villas. But for that price, guessing you could get a whole estate down the road!
Villas 1+2 are the most private, secluded on the prop though.
PS, for turning your stay into an all inclusive, I *believe* it can be negotiated... no hard and fast rules in Jamaica, that's for sure.
Jun 30, 2015, 6:51 pm
#37
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Baltimore MD
Posts: 3,457
I don't think they list Villa 1's pricing because it's technically owned by someone else (a celebrity, not naming names). In theory - the owner of Villa 1 sets the rates. (And they have to make sure they aren't there at the time a guest wants to come)..
As for Villa 2 being for sale..I'm conflicted. Absolutely gorgeous, and one of the properties most private villas. But for that price, guessing you could get a whole estate down the road!
Villas 1+2 are the most private, secluded on the prop though.
PS, for turning your stay into an all inclusive, I *believe* it can be negotiated... no hard and fast rules in Jamaica, that's for sure.
As for Villa 2 being for sale..I'm conflicted. Absolutely gorgeous, and one of the properties most private villas. But for that price, guessing you could get a whole estate down the road!
Villas 1+2 are the most private, secluded on the prop though.
PS, for turning your stay into an all inclusive, I *believe* it can be negotiated... no hard and fast rules in Jamaica, that's for sure.
FDW
Jun 30, 2015, 8:08 pm
#39
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
i was quoting a goldeneye site for all-inclusive prices i posted >
main site says "Half Board & fully Inclusive rates available upon request"
theyre selling all the new 1/2BR rooms theyre building
https://www.goldeneye.com/own/
probably different ownership structure
will be interesting to see if anyone does so and puts in hotel inventory
Villa 3 is still there right? 2/3 may not be in inventory
discretion is always good
https://www.goldeneye.com/own/
probably different ownership structure
Lagoon Lots...can be expanded to a 3 or 4 bedroom villa-type accommodation.
Villa 3 is still there right? 2/3 may not be in inventory
discretion is always good
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Jun 30, 2015 at 8:15 pm
Jul 1, 2015, 1:48 am
#40
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Monaco
Posts: 317
... would probably fetch > six figures at auction. Newer editions on amazon are offered with wild price fluctuations, but often > $1.000.
BTW: This "official" story of Fleming's baptising of James Bond is probably not true. Fleming, old MI6 and mason ("golden eye"), loved to hide messages in code.
^
Recent book:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/b...provoking.html
I really look forward to my visit of GoldenEye, FireFly, Strawberry Hill and The Caves.
Jul 3, 2015, 3:16 pm
#41
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: ny,ny
Posts: 396
Yes, if you search hard enough you can find the all inclusive rates quoted by one or more reservation sites. Also, the Virtuoso rate references an off property dinner if you book the all inclusive rate through a Virtuoso agent, so I imagine that a Virtuoso agent can quote the all inclusive price.
Jul 3, 2015, 4:20 pm
#42
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 3,317
Yes, if you search hard enough you can find the all inclusive rates quoted by one or more reservation sites. Also, the Virtuoso rate references an off property dinner if you book the all inclusive rate through a Virtuoso agent, so I imagine that a Virtuoso agent can quote the all inclusive price.
Aug 6, 2015, 7:14 am
#44
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Baltimore MD
Posts: 3,457
Aug 6, 2015, 9:17 am
#45
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: ny,ny
Posts: 396
We are happy to announce that GoldenEye is expanding! This expansion would not be possible without you and your valued clients so we thank you for this vote of confidence and hope that GoldenEye will continue to exceed all expectations.
In the coming months, we will be constructing 26 new Beach Huts, 4 Lagoon Cottages and an additional restaurant & bar. We will also be adding a new pool and welcoming guests to our incredible natural beach along Oracabessa Bay.
The majority of our construction will be quite a distance from GoldenEye's current facilities-- 150 yards from Bizot Bar and nearly 2 football fields away from our nearest rooms.
The construction of the 4 additional Lagoon Cottages is an opportunity that only recently presented itself, and we recognize this may create a disturbance for our guests staying on the lagoon front. Given this, GoldenEye will be offering any current Lagoon Cottage reservations an upgrade to our Beach Villas (availability permitting), or we will be offering a very special rate of $350/night for all Lagoon Cottage reservations from July 15 through November 11, 2015.
Construction will take place from 8:00am - 5:00pm Monday through Saturday so our guests will still be able to enjoy the magical serenity of the lagoon at night while enjoying the beach and the rest of our property during the day.
We hope that you continue to send guests our way to enjoy the magic of Jamaica in the summer (sea turtle hatching, anyone?!) and that you will send a whole new set of guests down to experience our Beach Huts once completed. Of course, we would love you to come experience them too, so we look forward to sharing more information about our new rooms in the months to come.
In the coming months, we will be constructing 26 new Beach Huts, 4 Lagoon Cottages and an additional restaurant & bar. We will also be adding a new pool and welcoming guests to our incredible natural beach along Oracabessa Bay.
The majority of our construction will be quite a distance from GoldenEye's current facilities-- 150 yards from Bizot Bar and nearly 2 football fields away from our nearest rooms.
The construction of the 4 additional Lagoon Cottages is an opportunity that only recently presented itself, and we recognize this may create a disturbance for our guests staying on the lagoon front. Given this, GoldenEye will be offering any current Lagoon Cottage reservations an upgrade to our Beach Villas (availability permitting), or we will be offering a very special rate of $350/night for all Lagoon Cottage reservations from July 15 through November 11, 2015.
Construction will take place from 8:00am - 5:00pm Monday through Saturday so our guests will still be able to enjoy the magical serenity of the lagoon at night while enjoying the beach and the rest of our property during the day.
We hope that you continue to send guests our way to enjoy the magic of Jamaica in the summer (sea turtle hatching, anyone?!) and that you will send a whole new set of guests down to experience our Beach Huts once completed. Of course, we would love you to come experience them too, so we look forward to sharing more information about our new rooms in the months to come.