• resort_960_1
    The dining area at Strawberry Hill, photograph courtesy of Island Outpost
  • resort_960_3
    The mountain view from Strawberry Hill, photograph courtesy of Island Outpost
  • resort_960_7
    A veranda at Strawberry Hill, photograph courtesy of Island Outpost
  • resort_960_5
    The bridge at GoldenEye, photograph courtesy of Island Outpost
  • resort_960_6
    Outdoor dining at GoldenEye, photograph courtesy of Island Outpost
  • resort_960_2
    The Fleming Villa, photograph courtesy of Island Outpost
  • resort_960_4
    A room at The Caves, photograph courtesy of Island Outpost
Jamaica native Chris Blackwell is a man of many acts. He is, perhaps most famously, the founder of Island Records and a pivotal figure in the explosion of reggae. We have him to thank for Bob Marley not to mention Grace Jones, Cat Stevens, U2, The B-52’s…. Blackwell has his own liquor line, too: Blackwell Black Gold Rum. And then there are his resorts — yes, plural — in Jamaica, under the umbrella company Island Outpost. And while you really can’t go wrong with any stretch of sand + sun + sea + luxury spa and villa, there’s something intoxicating about Blackwell’s particular slices of paradise: Strawberry Hill, GoldenEye, The Fleming Villa and The Caves. Just take a look at the slideshow above.

Perhaps the most famous is GoldenEye. It’s pure utopia — and one with a history like no other. As the name suggests, author Ian Fleming was behind the property. Built in 1946 as his hideaway, it’s where he wrote all the James Bond novels (reportedly from a corner desk in the master bedroom). Countless starry friends spent nights under its roofs, such as Truman Capote, Cecil Beaton and Errol Flynn. Noël Coward was an early renter before he opened his own vacation home nearby, Firefly (now also owned by Blackwell). Sting wrote The Police hit “Every Breath You Take” there. And the celebrity draw continues today with Naomi Campbell, Beyoncé, Harrison Ford and others.

For Blackwell, who bought the estate in 1977, the connection is personal: His mother Blanche was Fleming’s longtime mistress and, as the rumor goes, the inspiration behind Goldfinger’s Pussy Galore.


More to explore in Travel