The Goldeneye resort and Dunn’s River Falls in Jamaica have been listed among the 26 most beautiful locales in the Caribbean for 2022 by Condé Nast Traveler.
Goldeneye was once the home of author Ian Fleming, the creator of the fictional character James Bond, who purchased the property in 1946. Since then, the resort property with its exceptional landscaping, sloping sands, and turquoise waters has become one of the top tourist destinations in the Caribbean. Goldeneye is located on Oracabessa Bay, St. Mary, on Jamaica’s northern coast at the edge of a cliff that overlooks a private beach. It differs from a traditional hotel in that it is a compound of gardens, private beaches, and tropical buildings. Over the years, the resort has welcomed famous actors, aristocrats, heads of state, and musicians. Its guests have included Errol Flynn, Truman Capote, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Princess Margaret, British Prime Minister Anthony Eden, Grace Jones, Bono, Naomi Campbell, Michael Caine, Pierce Brosnan, Harrison Ford, Johnny Depp, Kate Moss, Sting, and Richard Branson.
Dunn’s River Falls is located near Ocho Rios and is one of Jamaica’s most popular natural attractions. The falls were featured in the first James Bond film in 1962 as the location of the famous scene depicting actress Ursula Andress emerging from the water. It is also considered a must-visit location for any visitor to the island, and its pools created in the many-tiered levels of travertine rock are popular with tourists who want to enjoy a relaxing soak and for more adventurous travelers who want to explore the larger rocks around the falls and then jump from the rocks into the waters below. The waterfalls are some 180 in height and 600 feet long. They are terraced like a natural staircase improved by some man-made interventions. The Dunn’s River is fed by a spring that is rich in calcium carbonate. Geologists describe the falls, which are surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, as a “living phenomenon” as they are continuously rebuilding themselves from the sediments in the spring’s water. They are one of the few travertine waterfalls in the world that fall directly into the sea.
The other Caribbean locations listed as most beautiful by Condé Nast Traveler include The Baths, Virgin Gorda; Les Salines, Martinique; Stingray City, The Cayman Islands; Terre-de-Haut, Guadeloupe; Old Havana, Cuba; Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos; Gustavia, St. Barts; Playa Grande Beach Club, Dominican Republic; Bonaire National Marine Park, Bonaire; Belle Mont Farm on Kittitian Hill, St. Kitts; Shirley Heights, Antigua; Morne Trois Pitons National Park, Dominica; Altamer Resort, Anguilla; Old San Juan, Puerto Rico; Tobago Cays, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Renaissance Island. Aruba; St. George’s, Grenada; Willemstad, Curaçao; Viñales Valley, Cuba; Citadelle Laferrière, Haiti; Trunk Bay, St. John; Bathsheba Beach, Barbados; and Ritz Carlton Dorado Beach Sucasa Villa.
Photo – Goldeneye
