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Goldeneye eller: Om du inte åker kommer du att ångra det resten av ditt liv! Del 2 av 4
Av: Kevin Koltz
Publicerad:
2026-03-28
2026-03-28
Goldeneye: A Spartan Yet Romantic Sanctuary
“Luxury of Simplicity” – Ian Fleming
I won’t kid you... arriving at the gate had a momentous feeling to it. This is where the character was created. This is where the books were written. There was absolutely nothing ostentatious about the gate at all. The gate posts were textured stone pillars painted Cerulean Blue topped with a metal pineapple (a symbol of hospitality, warmth, and friendship) which held a simple iron gate.
The Goldeneye gate entrance in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
In the center on both gate posts, faded from many years in the Jamaican sun, was the name... Goldeneye.
The Goldeneye gate in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
It was like, ‘Take a beat, look around you and take it all in.’ It was the first moment of the trip where everybody unpacked a camera.
Passing through the Goldeneye gate and driving onto those 30-acre grounds really felt you had passed through a portal to another time.
The forward and back view of the Goldeneye garden in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
In this case the early 60s. I know that sounds cliché, but for me, the feeling was undeniable. For years after seeing early to mid-60s archive footage like the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s interview of Ian Fleming and the David L. Wolper produced The Incredible World of James Bond (1965), the property exterior and grounds seen in that footage matched exactly.
The Goldeneye property exterior grounds in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
With very little change to the property, feeling a kind of mid-20th century vibe wasn’t difficult.
The Goldeneye parking area in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
After parking under a detached “Garage” just East of the Main House, the Isuzu I-Mark’s suspension sighed in relief as the last human butt and piece of luggage was mercifully extracted. The “Garage,” back then, was more an area for the staff to work. Seeing that it was their domain, we tended to stay clear.
Ian Fleming’s desk at Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
Our Team Leader and his Significant Other (now wife) would be taking the master bedroom where Fleming’s desk resided, the teacher and his partner the secondary bedroom, and my cousin and I the smaller of the two guest bedrooms with two single beds.
The master bedroom at Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
Let’s be honest here. We were in the “Kid’s Room,” but no less thrilled to be there and unpacking. The latter two rooms had entrances just off a small back garden courtyard that led into the Main House, or “Barracks” as Fleming called it.
The back garden courtyard at Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
The writer liked to dabble in Gardening, and I imagined that this was an area where he could experiment a little. All the beds in the Villa were (and I believe still are) equipped with mosquito netting to allow for a peaceful night’s sleep free of the little flying vampires you could hear trying to drain you.
The living room of the main house at Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
Quickly cleaning up from the trip, we soon all gathered in the Main House’s 60-foot living room area. While Noel Coward likened the home to a “nose and throat clinic,” I sided with Fleming’s description being “luxury of simplicity.” The simple white, and airy design, with its large jalousie windows instead of glass quickly found us vying for seat time in the largest of those views of the ocean and surrounding paradise. Only our clothing (sorry for wearing shorts Ian) and seven film posters from the Bond series on the walls said late 80s.
James Bond posters at Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
Yes, I’m over-romanticizing things here, but trust me when I say it was nearly impossible not to.
The Grounds
“Today the garden is a jungle round an acre of lawn, and I and all the birds of Jamaica applaud my brilliant gardening. Nothing has changed.” – Ian Fleming, House & Garden, 1958
The Goldeneye jungle garden in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
With a little sunlight still left in the late October day, and with Housekeeper Violet and the kitchen staff preparing our first dinner, I decided to walk around the grounds a bit and take some pictures. The property surrounding the Villa is a jungle of lush tropical vegetation and tall trees and was the first Rain Forrest I ever experienced. Despite Groundskeeper (and local legend) Ramsey DeCosta’s efforts to pick up the grounds after Hurricane Hugo, navigating them was still a bit of a challenge.
The Goldeneye grounds after Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
Much of the fallen brush and debris after the storm was left in place to decompose and provide nutrients for the soil and tree roots as part of the forest’s natural cycling system. Fortunately, Hummingbirds were still simultaneously pollinating and feeding off the Hibiscus flowers found on the native Blue Mahoe trees.
A hummingbird in a native Blue Mahoe tree at Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
The tradition of donating a tree to the property was evident then. Walking around we discovered a very recent addition provided by the family of River and Joaquin Phoenix (known as Leaf then).
A tree donation from River Phoneix family at Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
Upon later discovering that the family’s father, John Lee Bottom (later Phoenix), owned a Garden and Landscaping company who instilled a “back to nature” philosophy in his family, the donation made complete sense.
Other flora included Ackee, Mango and West Indian Almond trees with coastal vegetation featuring coconut palms and sea grapes, a green edible alga. I succumbed to the temptation of sitting under a Mango tree, just to hum a few bars and say I did it, then immediately regretted that decision due to the moisture... added to my backside let’s say.
Mangos at the Goldeneye property in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
Returning to the Main House I made sure to not show my back to my fellow travelers. I never would have heard the end of it if I had.
Yours truly in front of the Main House at Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
With the sun setting, we all made our way down the staircase to the beach to take pictures. Yours truly picking up the rear to keep my own stealth as things were still drying. At the time it wasn’t very wise to navigate the staircase in low light or complete darkness. Perhaps it was the result of Hurricane Hugo’s winds or just its own particular charm, but that staircase had a wobble to it from the lawn down to the first of two landings. It was particularly noticeable if more than one person was using it, so we returned to the Villa after only a brief time on the beach and under the lawn’s Almond Trees to take sunset photos.
View of the sunset from Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
Dinnertime
“You must forgive me,” he said. “I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink.” – Ian Fleming, Casino Royale (1953)
Dinnertime at Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
After examining photos taken then, I believe our first meal at Goldeneye was Jerk Chicken. This was the first time I ever had the dish. Loving it from the first bite, it remains a favorite to this day. There was one special item on the table that first night, generously provided by our Team Leader – a bottle of 1982/83 (Octopussy vintage) Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Taittinger. If anything identifies this trip as being pre-9/11 it’s that Champagne. Yes, Duty Free stores at airports feature Taittinger, but a Blanc de Blanc out of Newark, NJ in 1989? That was packed pre-flight. Just try getting past airport security with a bottle of that today. You would only have contributed to TSA’s after-work party. We toasted to Goldeneye and Ian Fleming with my cousin adding “Isuzu” into the mix. Our lone female member concurred with, “Oh hell, ya!”
Experiencing Fleming’s “Gorgeous Vacuum”
“The graded blue waters of the bay were quite still. The cliffs of the island were a deep rose in the light of the setting sun behind the house.” - Ian Fleming, Live and Let Die (1954)
The Fleming Beach at Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
I’ve never been what you would call a “Morning Person.” Back in October of 1989 there were two things that momentarily altered my sleeping habits -- Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and Goldeneye’s beach. In that order. At this point in my life after college, having stayed up all hours of the night writing various assignments and term papers, my coffee addiction was probably at an All Time High (cue tenor saxophone riff). Like Jamaican cuisine, that Sunday morning and first full day at Goldeneye would be my introduction to one of the greatest cups of coffee on the planet, Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. It was love at first sip and after, the Goldeneye staff never had to ask me again if I wanted a refill. Just an amazing way to start a day in paradise.
I still seek out this black nectar of the gods but unless you live in Japan it will be a very expensive proposition to become hooked on the stuff. The reason for this is approximately 70% to 80% of Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee crop is exported to Japan, which has been the primary consumer since January 9, 1967. While some yearly estimates have placed the export figure as high as 90%, as I was told in 1989, Japan consistently remains their largest market. On January 9, 2018, the country began celebrating a National Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Day. For the rest of the world seeking out that 20 or sometimes 10 percent of a very limited supply, the price per pound is serious sticker shock.
With breakfast still being a few hours off, and like dinner... fabulous, Jamaican Blue Mountain was all we needed to hit the beach. Well... save one. My cousin didn’t drink coffee and somehow still doesn’t to this day. More for me... all right! After transversing the stair wobble and stepping down off the Eastern landing onto the sand of that beach for the first time was as close as I thought I’d ever get to a Columbus stepping onto the new world moment. As I would discover a few days later, my Columbus moment was yet to come; however, stepping onto the beach at Goldeneye was unequivocally a “one small step for man” moment. I’ve been to more beautiful places on the planet since, Ha Long Bay Vietnam being the most beautiful in my opinion, but there is a reason why Noel Coward may have disliked Fleming’s home but was jealous of his beach. It’s pretty much perfection.
The Fleming Beach at Goldeneye in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
While what is now called Fleming Beach was then a unified entity, I found it to have four distinct components: The Eastern Landing, the Central Beach and Reef, the Cave Passage and the Western End.
The Eastern Landing at Fleming Beach in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
The Central Beach and Reef at Fleming Beach in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
The Cave Passage at Fleming Beach in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
As mentioned, the elevated Eastern Landing is where we all took a few sunset shots upon arriving. From there, and from the sunken grotto of the front lawn above, Fleming’s private beach sanctuary unfolds before you and gives the best visual impressions of the area.
Ian Fleming’s private beach sanctuary in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
The Central Beach area features the large rocky outcrop associated in the cove located in the water just offshore.
The large rocky outcrop at the Central Beach area in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
While we never found an Octopus amongst its small internal reef, the sea life and coral experienced while snorkeling was vast and endlessly fascinating. You had to be careful though. High tide in this area occurs in the early morning ending around 6am and low tide doesn’t end until 3pm in the late afternoon. If you think you can swim over the reef with the tide retreating in the early morning, think again. You might make it across, but you’ll be risking “Reef Rash” in the effort. Not that I know anything about that the one morning I skinny dipped on the property.
Along a path just west of the Central Beach and reef you’ll find a small cave. It’s a natural limestone structure close to the water that one could envision the author using as a place to unwind and shake things off between writing sessions. Before Fleming’s time, it’s not hard to see the cave as being a place for local pirates to hide out, but that’s just romantic speculation. As for making the most of a romantic setting, how I wish I had a steady girlfriend at the time. In my opinion, having Ramsey and the staff coordinate a candle-lit dinner in that cave, which is done today, is probably the closest thing to creating an actual Bond moment possible on the property.
The Western End was simply a rocky outcrop where the coastal path led you to the best views of the shore heading West, especially during sunset.
The Western End area in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
Then, it overlooked a sandy cay called Santa Maria Island that was on the other side of a channel which revealed the “Island” really was a Cay being connected to the shore.
Santa Maria Island in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
The cay became more of a peninsula as it sloped around connecting to the shore just off the Northern end of the Goldeneye property. It’s an area which we would all sail around and see more fully the following Monday, a public holiday, but first, we all needed to go into Oracabessa with Violet to shop for groceries and an embarrassing number of cases of Red Stripe for the duration of our stay.
Oracabessa Shopping
“But let us feed on something. One should not decide important pizniss on a hollow stomach.” – Ian Fleming, Risico (short story in the 1960 book For Your Eyes Only)
Having grown up on a Wisconsin farm just outside of a small town of 1,150 people, Oracabessa had a familiar vibe. Activities and work commenced day to day in a tight knit community where everyone probably knew each other.
The Oracabessa town in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
While life’s pace may have been slower, the town had all the necessities: A bank, gas station, police station, pharmacy (which charmed my cousin to no end), markets, liquor store, places to grab a bite and a drink and... a post office.
Oracabessa pharmacy in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
It was a Sunday and the Post Office was closed, but it reminded me that I needed to pick up that much-needed postcard. Since contributing to the Isuzu rental was in American Dollars, the postcard was the first thing I ever bought with foreign currency.
At the time the Jamaican Dollar was highly devalued due to factors like the country’s import/export imbalance and persistent inflation. In the early 80s the currency was worth 50 cents to 1 US Dollar but by the end of the decade the exchange rate was passing 6 dollars Jamaican Dollar to $1 US, roughly 16 cents to the Dollar on a good day. At the start of the new decade, that inflation rate would increase yearly by 2.63%.
With my mere pennies postcard tucked away for mailing later during the week (costing .45 Jamaican, the change from which I still have to this day), it was time for our group to pool a more substantial amount of Jamaican money for provisions. One place that had my attention was Money$Worth Meat Market.
The Money$Worth Meat Market in Oracabessa 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
With a name like that, how could one not? From the signage stating store hours, it was surprising that the store was open on a Sunday. I figured that Violet had called in a pickup order the day before and had some pull in the area. This wasn’t the case. The next day, being a national holiday, the locals were out shopping and preparing to party and stores were more than willing to accommodate. Our Money$Worth order consisted of goat, pork, chicken and oxtail. Basically, the fixins for Curry Goat, more Jerk and Oxtail Stew. After a few years in Manhattan, my “Farm Boy” palate was replaced with a desire to try anything and everything that the cuisines of the world had to offer, and trust me, oxtail was never on our dinner table in the Midwest.
The cost of meat came as a surprise. Due to our preference for Jamaican cuisine, one of the cuts left off our shopping list was boneless sirloin steak. In the closing months of the 80’s, the average retail price for USDA Choice boneless sirloin steak in the United States was approximately $3.58 per pound. Doing the conversion, dividing by 6 from 16.10 per pound Jamaican, prices were basically the same. Oxtail after the conversion would come in at $1.68 per pound. That was then. Today, oxtail typically costs between $5.99 and $11.99 per pound and can go even higher at specialty markets. Just one of the many “Peasant” dishes to eventually become a delicacy.
Other local specialties we either shopped for, or Violet managed to pick up fresh during the week, included local fish and Caribbean Lobster for grilling and Salt Fish which was served with Ackee for breakfast one morning. Obviously, we didn’t go hungry. Nor thirsty. That shopping trip would also see the procurement of 11 cases of Red Stripe. Something else that was a lot cheaper back then. We needed an 11th case because we needed to pay it back to the incoming guests. As for the other ten? Do the math. By now you should be used to it.
Happy National Heroes Day
“My friend, if you really want my advice, you should spend a few pleasant days with us here in Oracabessa and then... then go home.” – misquoting From Russia with Love (1963)
The Monday of our stay was going to be a little special. We just didn’t know how special upon waking up. To our great delight, Ramsey was going to take us out past the reef off Goldeneye for snorkeling. (“Ohhhhhh a surprise!” – The Man with the Golden Gun 1974.) By now most of us had eased into our stay. I wish I could say “all of us” but to be honest my employment status back home was something I could push off momentarily but never quite shake, much to the chagrin of some of my fellow travelers. That afternoon, however, an open water snorkel was just the remedy for working off unemployment stress and late-night Red Stripes.
View of Goldeneye from the ocean in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
Sealife on the open ocean side of the reef was another world in comparison to the internal reef at Goldeneye. The coral wasn’t as vibrant, but the fish were larger and certainly more dangerous. If provoked. I had just gone under for maybe twenty seconds before I came back up looking a little spooked. It wasn’t sharks but their teeth were no less formidable. Barracuda. Ramsey assured me that they were well fed and didn’t pose a threat.
Goldeneye groundskeeper and local legend Ramsey DeCosta in 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
I’ve encountered them many times since, even closer, but the way they study you, sizing you up, still creeps me out. Fortunately for those of us who snorkeled, Ramsey’s experience was evident. We were in no danger.
Yours truly snorkeing in the water next to Goldeneye 1989. Copyright © 2026 Kevin Koltz. All rights reserved.
We had another surprise in store for us after snorkeling that afternoon. Since October 20, 1969, the third Monday of October in Jamaica was established as National Heroes’ Day to honor the nation's seven national heroes for their contribution to their country. These heroes include Nanny of the Maroons, Sam Sharpe, Paul Bogle, George William Gordon, Marcus Garvey, Sir Alexander Bustamante, and Norman Manley. This holiday effectively replaced for a sovereign nation the former celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Birthday. Here I think Ramsey decided to be very clever. We were going to the town’s beach to join in the festivities. I mean... Brilliant! If he had to work on a National Holiday, he was damn well going to combine business with pleasure. If ever there was an opportunity for our group to see for ourselves why this man was a local legend, this was it.
Sailing around Low Cay and Santa Maria Island found within, the area was named by Christopher Columbus after landing there in 1502 and remade as the Goldeneye resort by Chris Blackwell after 1991. We would be making our own landing on Fisherman Beach. At the time, I didn’t know that Columbus had landed in the area, but I think we all felt a little like him in the moment of our landing. In my head, the sound of a record needle being dragged across vinyl on a turntable rang out, and the shocked look of the locals certainly supported it. Seeing Ramsey, their shock soon turned to genuine warmth and in no time, we were just part of the party. At one point I was in the water enjoying the reggae when I was hit from behind by a sizeable wave. Stupidly I had my glasses on, being new to wearing them for only a few months. Realizing they were no longer on my face I froze. In an instant they were back in my hand and a boy of maybe 10 years was smiling at me. Not only had he saved my glasses he also taught me a trick. He instructed me to sit down on my knees in the surf and open my legs. When the surf goes back out the lost object tends to come back to you IF you don’t panic and stay in the same position. A decade or so later while on vacation in St. Vincent I found myself losing a pair of sunglasses in much the same way. His little trick works.
My “Heroes” that day? That young kid and the people of Oracabessa. After buying my new friend and his friends a round of Jamaica Ting sodas as a thank you, I ditched the glasses and proceeded to have one of the more memorable afternoons of my life.
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 3 - Daytripping (through) Firefly - to be published soon.
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