Sunday, April 7, 2019

April 6-7, the flight and arrival at Goldeneye

 Our journey to Jamaica began on Saturday night at SeaTac airport.  The drive was relatively clear, and even the airport seemed subdued.  We arrived with plenty of time to grab pre-flight snacks and found a somewhat cozy bench to wait for boarding.


G and D, waiting for departure.

Our overnight flight left SeaTac at 10:21 with an estimated arrival time of 6:00 a.m. in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Though the flight was full, it was about as pleasant as an overnight flight can be.  We were surrounded by families with kids age about 8-13 who were asleep before the plane even left the ground.  We slept as well as we could, and were surprisingly alert at the 3:00 a.m.-feeling landing time.  After a quick breakfast and coffee in Charlotte, we boarded our connecting flight and were winging our way to Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Groggy from lack of sleep, we muddled our way through customs and immigration, collected our checked bag, and met our driver from Goldeneye, Pops.  

The drive from MoBay to Goldeneye is roughly two hours.  We intermittently chatted about Jamaican food, customs, and James Bond trivia, and every so often took turns dozing off to the hum of the van's engine.  As we drove through Ocho Rios and Oracabessa, Pops pointed out tourist attractions (Dunns River Falls, swimming with dolphins, etc...) and restaurants he suggests if we feel like leaving the property for a meal or two.

As we pulled into Goldeneye, Pops indicated the sign.  Unlike other resorts in the area, Goldeneye is not labeled from the outside.  There is an unassuming stone wall with a gate simply labeled "Private Property"


Inside we were greeted at the front desk with ice-cold towels.  D completed some paperwork while I took a look around.  The lobby is filled with photos of Ian Flemming and images from the filming of several James Bond movies.


The property itself is stunning, filled with winding stone pathways surrounded by lush landscaping.  Thankfully they have handy signs all over the property to help with orientation.



Our room was not quite ready, so we were led down the path to Bizot Bar to receive complimentary welcome drinks and order some lunch.

Rum punch with frozen pineapple, (G's did not include rum)

I ordered coconut poached snapper with rice and peas.  It was DELICIOUS.

Just as we finished lunch, we were told that our room was ready, Lagoon Cottage 8.  Here are a few photos.


Our large, cozy bed

The view from our bed looking out to the lagoon.  The double doors open straight out to the lagoon

The bathroom behind the bed, a large walk-in closet, and a claw-foot tub in the center.

Behind the tub, the double doors open to an outdoor shower

The view from the bathroom looking into the room.  They were very good with accommodating G's rollaway bed while leaving plenty of room to walk around

The deck also has steps leading directly into the lagoon.


The yard to the side of the cottage has a lovely hammock with a view of cottage dock and lagoon.

From the main path, our deck, and our dock to the left.

Our dock also has a couple of lounge chairs, and a kayak for our use.

We unpacked a little and thought we would go for a swim, but all ended up laying down for a nap.  I laid out on one of the lounge chairs in the shade of the deck and wavered in and out of sleep, occasionally being woken by random birds or the rare passing kayaker.

D and G were still sleepy when I woke, so I picked up my digital camera and meandered the property a bit on my own.  Over in the protected Snorkel Cove I looked down to see a school of thousands of tiny fish swirling around, then noticed one that was significantly larger.



As Heart would say... barracuda!

On my way back to the room I spotted this Northern Mockingbird singing a series of songs.

 After a little more rest and fresh showers, we gathered ourselves up and walked back to Bizot Bar for dinner.

What else could I order at Goldeneye but a Goldeneye?  A mix of Blackwell Rum and Pineapple juice.

My dinner: seafood curry and coconut rice.  The white fish, shrimp, and calamari were quite tasty. 

The rooms not only come with a complete set of all the James Bond books, but all the James Bond movies are available to watch as well, so we decided to wind down our night with "The Man with the Golden Gun" playing in the background. 

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