On the Blue Mountains’ Strawberry Hill estate in Jamaica, Chris Blackwell politely signals his son, Chris Jr., to draw out a seat for a visitor at the morning meal, where dark coffee rests next to tropical fruit and toast.
Mountain Retreat
Sitting 1,000 meters above Kingston, the property exudes tranquility with its white clapboard structures, iconic infinity pools, spacious verandas, and meticulously maintained lawns. Inside, rooms are adorned with gold and platinum records, handwritten song lyrics, and various music-related artifacts.
Perched atop a mountain range, the cottages appear to float above the steep slope, offering verandas with breathtaking views of the rainforest canopy and the distant plains of Kingston. Jamaican art and local crafts, such as hand-carved fanlights above each doorway, add a unique touch throughout the estate.
Blackwell acquired Strawberry Hill in 1972, having developed an affinity for it during childhood visits for afternoon tea. It later became a creative haven for artists, including the Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull, Grace Jones, Black Uhuru, and Bob Marley.
Bob Marley famously recovered at Strawberry Hill after surviving an assassination attempt in 1976. The estate is rich with tales of recuperation, seclusion, and celebrities living inconspicuously.
A Haven for Music Legends
A visitor recalls enjoying a Blackwell Rum Punch while listening to dub music on the raised veranda, observing doctor birds and bees among hibiscus and blue jade vine. They notice their daughter enthusiastically waving at someone in the adjacent cottage.
Travelling with only parents, the child had been longing for other playmates. Unbeknownst to the family, she had spotted Blackwell’s grandchildren, who were staying in the neighbouring cottage. Within minutes they were racing across the gardens together while small talk was exchanged with Blackwell Jr.
Children have a unique ability to bridge distances. Traveling with them may slow you down and complicate logistics, but it also makes you more connected to the places you visit. In Jamaica, where cultural familiarity precedes arrival, children bring everything back to a relatable scale.
Conversations become warmer and more natural when there is a curious five-year-old perched on a shoulder. Handed fruit and flowers, families chat about where they are from and where they are going. Two nights at Strawberry Hill leave a feeling of having explored every winding path and hidden corner.
The daughter is brimming with excitement as the shuttle departs on a misty morning, descending the Blue Mountains via winding roads. Beyond Kingston, the environment transitions to banana and sugar cane fields, eventually revealing a stunning view of the Caribbean Sea.
The journey continues east past Ocho Rios to Oracabessa Bay, transitioning from mountain tranquility to a Caribbean lagoon in one morning. While Strawberry Hill represents one aspect of Blackwell’s Jamaica, Goldeneye embodies the full experience: sea, lagoon, villas, huts, Bond memorabilia, and a martini bar.
From Bond to Musical Legacy
Most visitors associate Goldeneye with its Bond legacy. Ian Fleming bought the property 80 years ago, lived and wrote there, leaving a lasting 007 imprint on Oracabessa Bay that fuels countless fantasies of linen-clad, Rolex-wearing adventurers.
However, the property’s musical legacy holds greater appeal. Chris Blackwell persuaded Bob Marley to buy it in 1976, but when Marley declined, Blackwell purchased it himself for friends and family. Since then, it has hosted musicians like Quincy Jones, Fatboy Slim, and Bono, with Sting writing ‘Every Breath You Take’ there in 1982.
Blackwell said in a Vogue interview that he wanted Goldeneye to be a place where people mix, meet people and become friends; he describes that as “the most important thing”.
The cool thing is that it actually happens. At Bizot Bar, on the western arm of Low Cay Beach, rum cocktails and Red Stripe pass under torchlight, snacking on jerk chicken and curry goat, while a daughter plays in the sand and befriends a girl her age at the table next door.
Goldeneye unfolds as a series of distinct little worlds, each with its own rhythm. Low Cay Beach serves as the social centre of gravity, a broad sweep of white sand lined with spacious villas, Bizot Bar and a freshwater pool, while the lagoon feels more private and elemental, its cottages opening directly onto the water from decks furnished with kayaks.
Further along the coast, the freestanding beach huts rise among tropical gardens between Snorkeler’s Cove, Button Beach and Shabeen, their louvred windows, high ceilings and outdoor showers designed to let the sea breeze and sounds of the night straight in.
Shabeen is a breezy gathering place, with a pool, cocktails and a rooftop overlooking the Caribbean; Button Beach is scruffier and more playful, its little Bamboo Bar serving rum, jerk and fish brought in by local boat—a hub of activity for young families.
Unlike many hotels, the choreography of separation collapses here. Within minutes, carefully maintained adult boundaries are destroyed by a shared bucket, a ball, or lunch.
Where Families Connect Spontaneously
At Button Beach, a family meets the parents of the girl their daughter played with the night before. As the children catch hermit crabs together below a palm tree, the adults trade stories—the father is a fashion photographer and the mother a producer.
Before long, rum is being drunk out of coconuts and the lagoon is being explored by kayak and paddleboard. The kids make another friend soon after—her mother sings in one of the family’s favourite bands.
The final evening ends with a drum circle beside the sea at Shabeen. Cocktails pass between guests while Rastafarian drummers play in front of the breaking surf, the rhythm carrying across the water.
Roots of a Music Empire
Blackwell has said that a boating accident off Hellshire Beach in 1958, followed by his rescue by Rastafarians, first drew him towards the music and culture that would later help define Island Records.
Jamaica is full of larger-than-life stories, but this is the image that stays: children drumming together after dark, oblivious to the history gathered around them.