James Bond Beach

Ian Fleming built GoldenEye on the cliff above Oracabessa in 1946 and wrote all fourteen Bond books there over the following years, working in the mornings through the winter. The beach below carries the name: three small strips of sand on a peninsula with shallow water and a bar, used for concerts and events as much as for swimming. The house itself is now part of a hotel and is not open to casual visitors.

Background

The beach takes its name from the filming of the first James Bond film, Dr. No, when Sean Connery shot scenes here in 1962, and the name itself was proposed to the Jamaican Tourist Board by the Kingston-based journalist Neil-Monticelli Harley-Rüdd. It sits on a small peninsula in Oracabessa Bay, in the parish of St. Mary, where the mountains run straight down to the sea. Alongside a water sports centre and a restaurant, the Moonraker bar spreads over two storeys, open on all sides, and sometimes hosts jazz, blues, soca and reggae concerts. Rihanna, Ziggy Marley and Lauryn Hill have all performed here.

Source: Wikipedia, "James Bond Beach"

What's there

• The peninsula - three small beaches on a spit with shallow water between.
• The GoldenEye connection - Fleming's house on the cliff above, where the novels were written.
• The bar and stage - the beach's event setup, used for concerts.
• The Oracabessa reef - a protected fish sanctuary offshore with recovering coral.

When to go

December to April is the drier season. The beach hosts concerts on some weekends, which changes the character entirely. Hurricane season brings swell and closures.

Before you go

The house is a hotel and cannot be visited without staying or dining there. The beaches are small and the entry charge strikes many visitors as high for what is provided. Facilities are basic.

Nearby

Ocho Rios is west, and Robin's Bay is east.

Key facts