GoldenEye

Spent three nights at GoldenEye over Labor Day weekend as a birthday trip with my husband. I’d been wanting to stay here for years and was delighted that, not only did it meet our expectations – it exceeded them! We’re already planning our return! Arrival: Trevor was waiting for us in arrivals, right on time. I think the $330 charged for RT from/to MBJ is very reasonable given how far of a drive it is. We were honestly nervous about the drive. Our first time in Jamaica, in Jan.’25, driving along the A1 we literally thought we wouldn’t make it - The driver was crazy and we were terrified. Trevor, however, was AMAZING! We felt safe and comfortable and he was a pleasure to talk with. He’ll gladly accommodate any stops you wish to make along the way. With Friday afternoon traffic and one pit-stop it took about 2.5 hours. (We requested Trevor for the return on Monday morning and it took just about 2 hours with one stop along the way.) Upon arrival at the resort, we were warmly greeting by Tamara and offered cold towels and welcome drinks as we checked in. The view from the lobby is stunning, photos don’t do it justice. In fact, no photos of the resort prepare you for quite how magical it is in-person. Room: We booked a lagoon cottage. Simple but beautiful. Quality furnishings, linens, and the dreamiest mattress. We got such good sleep!!! The mosquito net around the bed adds to the dreamy experience. However, it was too hot during our stay to leave the shutters open at night. Fortunately the AC worked well. The view is stunning – looking out over the turquoise water, and watching the birds over on the island, and the sea turtles swimming by. Magical! Having a private dock & kayak is such a treat. The freedom of just going out when you want, where you want, without the oversight & rules that come with larger resorts is great. There was complimentary fruit (with most delicious mangoes we ever ate), plenty of bottled water, tea and coffee. There are other snacks and drinks provided for additional charge. They also provide restaurant menus, a map of the property and a schedule of events. Property: We felt a bit lost at first and had to refer to the map a lot, but after a couple loops around the property getting to and from each bar/pool/beach, etc became second nature. The property overall is stunning. Very natural vegetation and paths, with clean beaches. There were mosquitos but they weren’t a major issue for me. I’m a mosquito magnet and while I did get some bites, considering we spent the majority of our time outside, I was very impressed to have not been bitten more. Only one evening were they persistent enough that I had to spray my legs with repellent (they provide it in the rooms and at the restaurants). I appreciate that they don’t spray the property itself for bugs. Food: Mostly 10/10. I was a little nervous going in low-season based on some other reviews about restaurant closures – but for our three nights, we found the options were varied enough. Prices honestly seemed reasonable compared to other luxury resorts ($14 cocktails, lunch for the 2 of us usually came in around $75 with tips for two meals plus sides, dinner about $175). Most importantly, the food was fresh and delicious. Breakfast at Bizot was really good. The first morning breakfast came complimentary. (Was it for my bday? Does everyone get 1 complimentary breakfast? IDK but we appreciated it) The other two mornings we had the breakfast specials which were delicious as was the fresh juice. Lunch was available as Bamboo Bar every day and very enjoyable. During our stay we tried the jerk chicken, chicken sandwich, cod fritters, grilled shrimp, grilled fish, and different side salads. The grilled shrimp were some of the best we’d ever eaten but there were only 7 average size shrimp and wish we got more of them. The first time we got the cod fritters we were blown away by how good they were (and how much you got for the price). Chris Blackwell and his family were also at Bamboo that day having lunch. We ordered the fritters again the next day because we enjoyed them so much, but they were totally different (still good flavor but flat and small and not as plentiful). So was day 1 the anomaly because Mr. Blackwell was there? Or was day 2 the anomaly? Regardless, still good. Dinner was at Bizot night 1 and 2 and the Gazebo was open on night 3. We tried the surf & turf special at Bizot (mashed potatoes = A+, veg side = A+, grilled shrimp = A, steak = C? Flavor was good but not a great cut of meat. That was the biggest flop of the dining experience). Gazebo was good. Small menu but unique and delicious offerings plus good cocktails. Service: Hands down 10/10. All of the staff are superstars! I’m having a hard time remembering everyone’s name – but from the restaurant servers, to bartenders, housekeeping, groundskeeping, etc. – everyone was so wonderful! WhatsApp is used to contact the concierge or order room service. It was a seamless experience for us and all needs were met / questions answered promptly. Each morning they send a schedule of activities & restaurant openings. Shoutout to the watasports team. Each morning around 7:30 either Roberto or Omar would come by, sweep the deck and get the chairs setup. They were both very pleasant to talk to. If you want to swap your kayak with a different type, just ask and they’ll accommodate. They came back in the evening to gather the towels and store the chair pads for the night. Snorkeled for the first time -- Omario was very patient with me and a great teacher. An insulated bucket of ice is left for you on the mini bar during daytime housekeeping. Turndown service was provided each evening while we were off at dinner. No little treats or gifts at turndown, which is fine with me, but I realize some people wonder about that. Other Notable Mentions: Having traveled to GoldenEye right as hurricane season was ramping up, we figured it would be quiet, but wow… at times we felt like the only 2 people on the property. We learned there were a total of 24 guests during our stay (out of a potential max 140). Friday night at Shabeen was fun! There were drummers, complimentary snacks and a choice of 3 complimentary cocktails. Cool to have all the guests come together for the experience. From the lagoon, you DO hear road noise & music from Oracabessa, but I can’t say that it bothered us. We were there in the days leading up to the election, and there was one truck that would drive back and forth blasting the campaign song in the evenings. Served as a nice reminder of the vibrant community beyond the gates. It’s become the soundtrack to our vacation and we still keep singing it. We had wanted to go explore the community and eat at Chris’s but it was just too damn hot for us to desire making the 20 minute walk into town. I figured it was just us not being used to that level of heat, but the staff admitted it was even hot for them. I’m looking forward to going back in the winter. GoldenEye is an absolute oasis. Highly recommend treating yourself to a stay if you have the opportunity.

Rustic luxury. Loved how some of the rooms the balcony are on the calm water. Nice pool and beach area. Balconies could use updated decor and finishing. Food outstanding.

We stayed in a two bedroom beach hut, which I thoroughly recommend. It was very central. My daughter had the top room and my wife and I had the one below. All the staff were so friendly, we loved all the music and the bars and restaurants, all in all it was a fabulous trip.

We visited 3 different resorts during our visit to Jamaica, and this was our least favourite. Goldeneye is a beautiful resort. We stayed in a lagoon villa, and it was perfect. I loved the eye pool, tennis, and kayaking around the lagoon. The staff are very professional and friendly. My husband is a massive Bond fan, so we were so excited to visit to celebrate his birthday and our anniversary. Occupancy was low when we were there. The resort chose to limit the restaurant services, which made mealtimes a bit dull and repetitive. It also meant the bars weren't always open as advertised. It didn't spoil our trip, but it wasn't quite the experience we'd anticipated. We had an incredible time at the turtle release. Thank you for supporting such a fantastic organisation. It was a trip highlight for me.

We celebrated a milestone anniversary at Goldeneye. We came here because my husband loves James Bond. The property is beautiful and it was not crowded The pools were really nice, the people working the pools were great. I loved the history of the property, including the Island Records history. Our room was super-unique, and we really loved the outside garden shower. The soap and shampoo smelled amazing. The water pressure and volume were excellent, and the water heated rapidly. The bed was big and comfortable, the air conditioning worked really well, and the mosquito netting was really beautiful. The Curry night was great. We also loved the rum party — plenty of passed hors d’oeuvres, the drummers, the free drinks during the party, the beautiful sunset — this was a perfect evening experience! We loved the drumming class we took, the private yoga session with Orah, and the workout with Nico. The massage and wrap were amazing! Breakfast service was excellent, and we enjoyed the meals and selection, though the servers didn’t mention the specials and we didn’t know to look on the chalkboard until after the meal. It was great to see how the sand was always raked clean — the beaches were beautiful. Everyone we encountered was really nice, and I particularly enjoyed the pride we felt from all about the resort, the country, and the culture. We learned so much. I loved that the food included many local items. The person at the gift shop was also wonderful, and seemed very knowledgeable and helpful when we bought flip flops and sunscreen. Some things could have gone better. This resort is priced for perfection so our expectations were at that level. We went out snorkeling with a group led by the resort guide, but the guide just zipped right out into the ocean. I got nervous about having to float in the ocean and decided then that I wanted a floaty, but the guide had already swum ahead out to sea. So, we stayed back, and I don’t know if anyone even noticed we weren’t with the group anymore. We ended up just looking at little fish in the lagoon by ourselves. That could have gone better, and it felt less safe to us than we expected. I understand the basic risks of snorkeling, but keeping track of the team and ensuring their well-being seems like a basic safety step that I think would benefit the resort and its guests. Housekeeping seemed spotty. One day was great, other days less so. We drank champagne, and the empty champagne bottle and bucket sat outside our gate for 3 days. The snacks we ate from the minibar were never replenished during our stay. We didn’t always get fresh towels at nighttime turndown when we were low, and the blue towels on the patio overlooking the ocean were rarely, if ever, changed. They asked when we wanted housekeeping and turndown, and we said 10 am and 7 pm, but one day the housekeeping wasn’t until 3 pm or later and we didn’t get turndown at all that night. We didn’t always get a refresh of the body wash in our bedroom, so had to keep getting more from the other bathroom. Service for lunch and dinner was slow at best, and at times very poor. I literally waited 90 minutes for a vegetable patty at lunch one day — that was not how we wanted to spend a significant chunk of a waking day of our very expensive vacation. They comped the $7 for the patty, but nothing else. That seemed not nearly adequate, nor did they comp the popcorn that we told them was (disappointingly) stale and tasteless. Perhaps that’s because we ate most of it anyway, but that’s only because we were hungry and waiting an hour and a half for the food. The service was surprisingly slow and inattentive for most of our other lunches and dinners, though not quite as slow as the veggie patty lunch. It was nice to have our own personal concierge. I was surprised, however, when she called in sick halfway through our stay, that we weren’t assigned a new one. We were told by our travel agent not to just wander around the towns because they can be unsafe, so we limited our off-resort trips to those arranged by the resort. However, that meant that the lack of an ATM or any mechanism to get more money onsite was limiting. The TV was nice, but it seemed smaller than I might have expected.