Bahamas Bond: You can stay now at James Bond’s hotel from ‘Casino Royale’
When Daniel Craig burst onto the silver screen in his first turn as James Bond in 2006’s Casino Royale, popular culture was never to be the same again, with Ian Fleming’s character reinvented for the modern era.
By this point, Craig had already established himself as an adept actor off the back of his performances in titles such as Layer Cake and Munich. However, his first outing as 007 confirmed him as one of the definitive talents of his generation. It was readily apparent that he was the best actor to play the legendary spy, bringing a balance to the role that had in the past been too comedic and cheesy.
Undoubtedly the grittiest entry in the James Bond franchise, Casino Royale is also held up by the quality of the supporting actors, with Mads Mikkelsen as the deadly terrorist financier Le Chiffre and Eva Green as Vesper Lynd, a British Treasury worker who quickly becomes the love of Bond’s life, and his ultimate undoing. Casino Royale will likely always be lauded as the greatest Bond film, with it possessing a rewatchable essence that the others lack.
Comprised of many iconic scenes from the opening chase on the giant crane to Le Chiffre wiping his bleeding eye at the poker table and the brutal torture 007 suffers at the hands of the aforementioned antagonist, from shot composure to the cinematography, Casino Royale is often a breathtaking visual experience that takes the viewer across the globe to some stunning locations.
One of the most memorable is when Bond finds himself in the Bahamas after uncovering information captured by the terrorist Mollaka. Hot on the trail of the corrupt Greek official Alex Dimitrios, this part of the film is notable as it is where Bond wins his classic Aston Martin DB5 in a poker game and has a brief romance with Dimitrios’ wife, Solange. In harrowing circumstances, she is eventually found dead in her hotel room, as the flick starts to take a slightly darker tone. It is worth mentioning that this is the setting where Bond emerges from the ocean wearing those notorious swimming trucks.
During this section, Bond is staying in a fine-looking hotel in Nassau, the capital of The Bahamas, that looks out onto the beach and the shimmering aquamarine sea. A gorgeous setting, diehard fans of the series will be glad to know that they can actually stay there. Formerly known as The One & Only Ocean Club resort, it has now changed hands and is known as The Ocean Club, run by the luxurious brand The Four Seasons.
Unsurprisingly, a plush establishment in a gorgeous setting, rooms are expensive at The Ocean Club, and one with an ocean view like Bond’s, are currently going for $1,232 (£1,051) per night. You do get your money’s worth as there is a lot on offer, not to mention the natural beauty of its surroundings and The Bahamas in general.
The stuff of dreams for many of us is a spa, gym, three swimming pools, tennis courts, a golf course and even a boutique shop on location, the perfect setting for James Bond, his expensive tastes and unlimited funds. Whoever did the location scouting for Casino Royale struck gold when they found this place, as this is the essence of the modern James Bond to a tee.
Completing the enchanting essence of The Ocean Club is The Versailles Gardens and the 12th-century Augustinian Cloister, with the former being a collection of stone pathways that lead visitors through a verdant, multi-tiered landscape decked with purple-hued bougainvillaea and complete with a view of Nassau Harbour. It’s a serene place that oozes a Utopian essence.
Seemingly a place of fiction, just like the film in which it features, The Ocean Club is somewhere everyone should visit if given the opportunity, as there is nowhere quite like it.
