Goldeneye Or: If You Don’t Go, You’ll Regret It for the Rest of Your Life! Part 1 of 4

By: Kevin Koltz

Published:
2026-03-24

Goldeneye, Jamaica, Kevin Koltz, exclusive, article, part 1

Please welcome new From Sweden with Love contributor Kevin Koltz, our man in New York. This is Part 1 of 4 of an exclusive article series on the FSWL website about Kevin’s memories from visiting Goldeneye (now named The Fleming Villa) in Jamaica in the late 1980s.

Setting the Stage

“Surround Yourself with Human Beings” – Ian Fleming, Casino Royale (1953)

The New York skyline in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.

While this article’s title is a riff on Dr. Strangelove (1964) the subtitle is probably more of a statement of fact rather than a threat. It was first expressed to me in July of 1989 by one of my closest friends, who then repeated it weekly for the next few months. This being 2026 at the time of writing, I realize that I need to set the stage properly for this story. I’m sure that for many, 1989 seems like the Dark Ages. With an economic recession in full swing... it was! Just how dark? How about we let Pop Culture define things a bit:

Batman (1989) starring Michael Keaton was cleaning up at the movies.

In the States, Prime-Time television viewers were still going where everybody knows your name and ALF (aka Alien Life Form) was, somehow, still on the air.

Musically, Frankie had said “No More” for the last time (well... at least until 2004) and David Hasselhoff had yet to perform at the very end of the decade on the fallen Berlin Wall.

To be completely honest, this story really begins nearly two and a half years earlier in March of 1987. It was then that I had moved to Manhattan from the Midwest of the United States, (Wisconsin to be precise) to begin forging a career in Television. Unfortunately for many just starting their careers then, it was also the end of the “Go Go” Reagan era 80s.

Brooklyn Bridge, New York, 1989

The Brooklyn Bridge in New York 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.

Three months after my arrival, signs of the aforementioned economic recession hit hard. After one of the “Big Three” American automakers dropped their sponsorship, the small network I was working for was gone. In a single day, everyone was let go. In the process I learned early on the big truth of Television and the Entertainment Industry in general -- If you seek stability, find another career.

ABC, New York, Kevin Koltz

ABC studios in New York 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.

Another truth was made apparent to me at this time -- The friends that you make are everything. Luckily that very June of 1987, Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli donated new 35mm prints of the then fourteen existing Bond films (again… the Dark Ages yet a Golden era) to New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). It was there and then at the Museum’s 25th Anniversary Bond Festival where I met those all-important members of what would become my new extended family.

I managed to keep a foothold in Manhattan with a little help from those friends. They kept me sane. Things stabilized when I found work at the Discovery Channel. By July of 1989, my first professional vacation was not only very much needed, and it was only a few months away. The destination -- Goldeneye. Basically... Mecca for the James Bond fan.

There were six of us making the trip to Oracabessa, Jamaica that October. Four mutual friends that I met at MoMA (two of which were serious Bond collectors), my cousin from Iowa and myself. The trip’s Team Leader, the one who knew how to contact either Chris Blackwell or one of his associates to book Goldeneye then, was the good friend who delivered that infamous title line, “If you don’t go, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” Why was I thinking of backing out? To be blunt -- more layoffs! The recession and the Entertainment Industry’s big reality struck again with a one-two combo. One... unemployment. My time at Discovery... over. Two... my vacation. Goldeneye was now seriously on the ropes.

Calling Banco

“You never get real adventures without a bit of risk somewhere.” – Ian Fleming, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1964)

Now having a vacation on the horizon is hardly the ideal time to be looking for work. If one is fortunate to land another job quickly, saying something like, “Thank you for the job. By the way I have this vacation coming up…” isn’t going to go over well with your new employer. I had no choice but to look in earnest because returning to the Midwest was not an option. As I saw it at the time, making rent for November meant backing out of the trip unless I found work ASAP. To misquote a line from my favorite Bond film: “I’m not a gambling man, dear reader, even when I’m at my best.” An understatement to be sure. I’m the kind of guy who goes to Las Vegas, plays the slots while waiting to get into brunch at the Golden Nugget, stops playing, and has the next person who gets in line put one quarter in the same slot machine only to have it pay out $1,500. (True story) The organizer of our trip, knowing I was about to cancel, called Banco on my hesitation with another killer line of reasoning -- “Not only should you do the trip, but you also need to send your former boss a post card from the trip.” Hearing that, he won the hand. Spite works for me. I too was now definitely “all in.” Rent in November be damned. Not even Hurricane Hugo, which almost derailed things for all of us that September, could stop Goldeneye from happening. Departure date, Saturday October 14, 1989. Roger Moore’s 62nd birthday. Zero Hour – 10am.

The Departure

“Hello New York. Your Pan-Am 323 just landed – Kingston, Jamaica.” Dr. No (1962)

Not quite. More like, “Hello New Jersey. Your Continental 433 reduced ticket airfare flight just landed – Montego Bay, Jamaica.”

New York, Kingston, Jamaica, flight

The New York to Kingston flight path. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.

You had to love Continental Airlines back then. In late Summer of 1989, they slashed nonstop airfares to Montego Bay and other Caribbean destinations from the East Coast by as much as $169 to as low as $181 roundtrip. That can be an Uber or Lyft to JFK from Manhattan one way or over $900 round trip, basic economy these days.

The Jamaican flag. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.

Arriving at Sangster International Airport, the former Montego Bay Airport renamed in the late 60’s after former Jamaican Prime Minister Sir Donald Sangster, felt very much like Bond’s Kingston arrival in Dr. No.

ABC, New York, Kevin Koltz

Sangster International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.

Even by the late 80s, Sangster had architectural similarities with Kingston and even though it wasn’t the actual filming location I swear at least three of our party were looking for a phone booth to geek out our interpretations of the first scenes ever shot for the Bond series. After hearing, “Hey idiots... rental car please,” from the lone female traveler of our group, Team Leader’s Significant Other (now wife), we got with the program.

The Rental Car

“You like her, I can see it.” “You must give me the name of your oculist.” – Misquoting On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

As of January 12, 2011, you can fly into Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel, Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica. It’s a ten-minute drive from Goldeneye and if you are reading this, I’m sure you appreciate who it’s named after. Being able to land at Ian Fleming International Airport today is a great thing because it would prevent you the indignity of a two-and-a-half-hour trip East from Montego Bay in what was seriously one of the ugliest cars to ever grace a road. Pavement or dirt.

ABC, New York, Kevin Koltz

The Isuzu-I-Mark rental car. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.

The Isuzu I-Mark or Isuzu Gemini has been described as having "all the charm of a cardboard box," with “styling so bland it faded into traffic.” And those are its good qualities. I mean an Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Station Wagon is sexier than this thing. Back in its day this little wonder came in Chamonix White, Matterhorn Silver, Cannon (dashboard picture of William Conrad an optional extra), Cafe Au Lait, Mars Gold, Peach Melba Yellow, Mist Blue and… Bordeaux Red, the color to grace our rental. Now I have uncorked a few Red Bourdeaux in my time. This I-Mark looked to be more of an Earthy Burnt Orange at best. On a dusty road, the thing could become invisible, much less simply fade into traffic.

Now we were all instructed by our Team Leader to pack as lightly as possible. After the five of us piled into the rental, with luggage, the reason was extremely obvious. This trip East was going to be Sausage Time. I could tell everyone was thinking the same thing: ‘We still have a sixth to pick up.’ My cousin from Iowa was a pharmacist whose work schedule only allowed him one weekend off. So, while the rest of us were Saturday to Saturday, my cousin was going to miss a day at Goldeneye being Friday to Friday. Before picking him up at his hotel, we had a teacher in our group who was curious to see how Montego Bay’s favela, or Shanty Town, had fared after Hurricane Hugo.

Shanty Town is located on the backside of a mountain just south of the airport and most tourists are unaware of its existence. While much smaller than the more famous favela, Morro da Providência, in Rio de Janeiro, its smaller size seemed to emphasize signs of flooding, landslides and wind destruction amongst the impoverished living there. It’s a moment from my first international trip that has always stuck with me, and I’m pretty sure that was my teacher friend’s intent. It’s one thing to worry about not having a job when others contend with extreme poverty and day-to-day survival.

With daylight burning and the need to pick my cousin up, we didn’t dwell. The look on his face when the five of us spilled out of the I-Mark at his hotel was priceless. Think Roger Moore when he first sees Melina’s (Carole Bouquet) yellow Citroën 2CV in For Your Eyes Only (1981). This being his introductory meeting with the rest of the group, stunned disbelief quickly turned into Midwestern affability. It was his sister and my Godmother who suggested that he be our sixth. Total brilliance on her part. He fit perfectly and instantly with the group and brought a balance – Three rabid Bond fans and three non-aficionados. Sure, we only had one female member, but she could definitely hold her own. She earned “Trooper” status when we finally all got back in the car now fully loaded with travelers and luggage. For the entire trip she would have to straddle a parking brake between the two front seats. Fortunately, the I-Mark was an automatic and the brake and gas pedal were on the right side of the car.

“Everyone now intimately familiar with the door panel or the person next to you? OK then, Eastward… Ho!”

North Shore Driving East

“Not Quite Driving Hard and Well and With an Almost Sensual Pleasure” – Misquoting Ian Fleming, Casino Royale (1953)

My estimation of combined weight in the Isuzu (and it is just that... an estimation) came in somewhere around 1,125 pounds or 511 kilograms. Performance on this particular 3-speed automatic would be more accurately described as feeling underpowered while struggling to accelerate, but you had to give it up for the 1982 Burnt Orange, Japanese-made wonder. It was doing the job. Our spirits were flying high and there was a lot of laughter.

Having grown up in the Midwest of the United States, two and a half hours wouldn’t even qualify as a long drive. You mean actually getting on a plane to avoid the 24-hour drive to Florida? Never! That would mean missing the five hours driving the length of Indiana where you do miss it because the sameness outside the window puts you (and the driver) into a trance-like state. When you shake yourself out of it you wonder, ‘What the hell just happened for the past 20 minutes?’ The North Shore of Jamaica does not have this problem. With the stunning turquoise of the ocean, dense tropical vegetation and mountains inland, it has a postcard-like quality.

Jamaica, bus, 1989

Bus in Jamaica 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.

I was a little surprised to find that the A1 in that area didn’t look more like Live and Let Die (1973) when the double-decker bus stunt was shot. That would be Lucea, West of Montego Bay, I would later find out. As most Bond fans know, the drive East on the A1 does pass a number of locations from both Live and Let Die and Dr. No. They and Ocho Rios locations would have to wait for later in the trip. It was nearing 4:30pm. We had arrived in Oracabessa. Goldeneye awaits.

Article and pictures by Kevin Koltz. Copyright © 2026 From Sweden with Love. All rights reserved.

Editor's Note:
The author’s personal memories is the basis for this exclusive article series. Stay tuned for Part 2 - Goldeneye: A Spartan Yet Romantic Sanctuary (through) Happy National Heroes Day - to be published soon.

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